Hope and the Hunger Games (April 12, 2012), the authors Jordan Ballor and Todd Steen believe hope in Panem only comes from inside the people themselves.
I agree with their argument about the residents of Panem. Peeta was a major part of bringing forth hope in the Hunger Games. I believe Peeta shared his bread out of genuine love, however, later in the story he did an act of kindness out of self-preservation. Kindness depends on the individual and their intentions.
Hope only comes from within the individual. It takes an individual’s own thoughts and feelings to connect an occurrence with hope.In the article Hope and the Hunger Games, Ballor and Steen explain “In Peeta’s act of mercy we have a concrete expression of love, which results in hope”. I completely agree because his kindness made a way for her to survive therefore hope for the future. Katniss could have taken this event as anything but because of her desperation of freedom of hunger she took it as hope. She felt a connection between herself and Peeta Mellark.
If his act of love and kindness got discovered, he would have gotten beaten, but he took that chance so he could help the little girl in need. Hope depends on the person themselves.Katniss found hope from the dandelion she came across over by the fence around the district. She figured that the dandelion could give her and her family more food to eat.
They were really low on food and to get more from the shops, katniss would’ve had to put more slips of paper with her name on it into the bowl to be used in the hunger games. The dandelion represented hope because she then didn’t have to enter her name into the hunger games drawing. Not all of Peetas acts were done out of love though. While Katniss and Peeta were at the capitol for the interview to get sponsors, he told everyone that he had a deep secret love for Katniss.
This was an example of self-preservation because it would interest people and make them want to sponsor the two of them. The more sponsors they get, the more money they have to receive aid during the game. I agree with Ballor and Steen. The hope in Panem rests completely in each individual alone. Panem didn’t provide any hope for the districts; they only promoted fear to avoid rebellion.
However, sometimes the act of kindness is done for self-preservation or moral obligation rather than love. Hope is important to people though in order to stay sane, without hope, you won’t go anywhere. It relies completely on who the individual is.
