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Alex Altstaetter
Professor J. Cunningham
Intermediate Composition 2089
28 June 2013
The Hunger Games: In the Eye of Beholder
Diving into a freshly printed book and of a new genre that is unaccustomed to the
reader, the reader will start to see ideas and strategies that author tries to use to further
enhance their work that differs from what they have seen. To the untrained mind, these ideas
or strategies have no name to them. To an avid researcher and to a student of literature, these
ideas are second nature. What many call strategies, are simply that. These strategies that
authors use are part of a rhetorical triangle that make up and enhance genre. As first described
by Aristotle himself, the three terms that make up the triangle are Pathos, Ethos, and Logos. All
across the different forms of genre there is a variation of how to use these three main appeals.
A simple example of this can be in form of a book contrasted to the movie of the book. It is easy
to say that the readers of the book are going to be disappointed from what the movie brings.
Almost every movie that is taken from a book has that reaction. This leads to the very simple
question, why? One might say the actors that played in the movie or another might say that it’s
only focused on a specific part of the book. Stop right there, a specific part of the book. The
answer is right in front of you. An author focuses on the core appeals of the rhetorical triangle,
and depending on the genre maybe focused on one more than the other. Since many directors
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are trying to focus on the main idea of the novel, different and more subtle ideas can be lost
very easily. This very example brings this rhetorical analysis to its humble beginnings. “The
Hunger Games” is a very recognizable piece of literature from recent years and was made more
widely known thanks in part to Gary Ross’s rendition of it. The science fiction novel, written by
Suzanne Collins, does a wonderful job using all three appeals of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.
However, the film does have all three of these appeals, but not to the same effect of the novel.
In Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” the three appeals of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos are
more effective than that of Gary Ross’s film rendition.
In order to have a better understanding of what this rhetorical analysis will discuss, one
must know the overall plot and setting of The Hunger Games. The setting takes place in the
ruins of what is today North America in a nation called Panem. Instead of counties that America
has today, there are twelve districts that surround the Capitol. This nation believes in an annual
event that sends one boy and one girl (ages 12 to 18) from each of the districts to fight to death
on national live TV. In today’s world, this event could most closely represent that of the
television show Big Brother. However, the death match that is The Hunger Games is a bit
extreme to that of the main idea of Big Brother. This story revolves around the thoughts and
events of one character, Katniss Everdeen; a young girl that takes the place of her younger
sister from district 12 to take part in the 74th annual Hunger Games. The events that transpire
during the Hunger Games are what make up the novel and make up most of the plot. Gary
Ross’ film does an incredible job focusing on the basic plot of the novel, but what the film does
to enhance the visuals, takes away from some key appeals of what the novel brings. Sarah
Dobbs, a journalist and a blogger from den of geek, gives a very simplistic thought on the topic
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of the movie contrasted to the novel, “It’s a shame that some of the subtler points of the book
had to be lost, but the film does add some interesting and powerful stuff”. Dobbs states the
very obvious, the subtler points (or appeals) had to be lost in order to make the film more
powerful or other words make the film more powerful using different appeals to that of the
novel.
The first rhetorical appeal that is shown at the very beginning of both film and novel is
that of the appeal of Pathos. According to thefreedictionary.com. Pathos is defined as the
feeling, as of sympathy or pity. In a more literature term, Pathos appeals to the emotions and
the sympathetic imagination, as well as to the beliefs and values (UWC). In the novel, there are
many great examples on how Collins uses this appeal to further her reader into believing. A fine
example of this is when Katniss first begins the games and is scrambling away from the other
competitors:
I’ve seen her throw in training. She never misses. And I’m her next target. All the general
fear I’ve been condenses into an immediate fear of this girl, this predator who might kill
me in seconds. Adrenaline shoot through me and I sling the pack over one shoulder and
run full-speed for the woods. I can hear the blade whistling toward me and reflexively
hike the pack up to protect my head. – (Collins 150-151)
In this specific example from the novel, the reader is thrown “into the fire” along with Katniss
and is along with the ride with her thoughts and feelings at that moment. Throughout the
entire novel there are many descriptive scenes at which your fears and emotions are pulled and
stretched to the max. This makes you want to read more and find out what is next and what
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will happen. This type of appeal is very common in science fiction novels and Collins does a
wonderful job including it throughout. In the film, Ross uses this to help create vivid pictures to
captivate his audience for wanting more. There are many scenes that build emotions up to help
draw in the audience. One scene in particular that shows this very well is when Katniss is
holding on to Rue (Katniss’s little helper) as she passes away in the forest. Katniss covers her
with flowers and sings a tribute in memory of her. This is a very important part in the plot
because it showed that Katniss was not part of the Hunger Games tradition of just mindless
killing. The film did a very good job of showing this touching moment, but the novel with the
descriptive feelings that Collins describes of Katniss’ experiences far outweigh the vivid pictures
of the film.
Another rhetorical appeal that is part of the rhetorical triangle is that of Logos. Logos is
defined as the reason or the rational principle expressed in words and things
(thefreedictionary.com). In more literature terms, Logos appeals to the reason and can also be
thought of as the text of the arguments, as well as how well a writer has argued his/her point
(UWC). This term can be defined in many different ways and since this analysis is discussing
both film and text, the same can be said with the examples that each set forth. The film has a
slight advantage to this certain appeal, because it’s what the director sees and decides to point
out as important in contrast to what the novel displays. The entire film is based around the
novel as the whole, but what the film pales in comparison to the novel is that of the romance
between Katniss and Peeta. Sarah Dobbs points this out by stating, “The flashback to the day
Peeta saved Katniss’s life is truncated in the film, unfortunately it’s not made clear that what he
did meant the difference between life and death for the whole Everdeen family.” The film did
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focus on this, instead it just showed the flashback, but didn’t really go in depth with what Peeta
did for the family in whole. This is an important concept, especially when you consider that
Peeta was turned down at very first by Katniss. The novel does a great job explaining and
adding another element to the story within itself by adding this fact that what Peeta did was
meant for the family as well. Ross chose not to use this important detail in the film and could be
looked at as a small downfall to the film. The film decided to go into a different direction with
that small example and without knowing the true meaning of the flashback, the story still flows.
You can argue that what Ross did was wrong, but was it really wrong to not add that little fact
of what Peeta did for Katniss? Ross didn’t think that it did. The film did make a big point on
Rue’s death however. Mentioned earlier, Rue’s death itself regarding Katniss was more vivid
with the actuall death process. As soon Rue’s district sees her death and how see was killed, an
uprising began. John Hanon of Screen Rant points this out to great effect, “After watching their
young tribute die at the hands of a vicious killer, the people of District 11 begin to revolt against
the Capitol officers who watch over them.” Ross may have put this extra scene for some reason
or could be arguing against Collins original thought of what Rue’s death really meant.
The last appeal that makes up the rhetorical triangle is Ethos. Thefreedictionary.com
defines Ethos as the disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific person,
people, culture, or movement. In literature terms, this definition holds true by appealing to the
writer’s character or culture (UWC). In The Hunger Games, culture between each of the districts
is very evident. Not only are the cultures between the districts pronounced in the novel, but the
expression of being loyal to the Capitol and “big brother” idea is also self-evident. This can be
seen from even a small example:
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“District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety,” I mutter. Then I glance
quickly over my shoulder. Even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry
someone might here you.
– (Collins 6)
In the novel, this loyalty is very well underlined. In the film, this is even a bigger concept. As
discussed, Rue’s death created somewhat of an uprising against the government. This is a big
uprising because as novel explains, being loyal to the government is the one thing that is
important. Ross may have hinted in on this by showing that the district of Rue’s origin was in
outrage when she died so harshly. If there was one thing that the film did right, it was showing
the uprising of the district against the government. Culture is an underlying factor that played a
huge role in this story because it is the driving force of why the games even exist. The
government is forcing a boy and girl from each of the district to fight to the death and Katniss is
the first to really go against this idea.
The Hunger Games, both novel and film, are equally distributed which describes a very
well put together work of literature or in the case of the film, work of art. When looking at the
rhetorical triangle, one can see that all sides of the triangle are equal to each other. This is
meant on purpose to show that all of the appeals should be balanced out between each other.
The facets of the science fiction genre really bolster all the rhetorical strategies. This is shown
really well in this novel. All of the rhetorical appeals are evenly distributed and not one is more
powerful than the other. Ross’ rendition of The Hunger Games does a great job following the
plot of the novel and even adds a little more when it comes to certain aspects. However, there
is one downfall of the movie that gives the novel a bit more effectiveness when it comes to the
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genre of science fiction. The detail that is described with each action that Katniss goes through
is unparalleled. Logos is a great appeal when it comes to the effectiveness of this novel. Collins
makes Katniss’ actions much like everyone else that wants to be a rebel in one way or another;
one of the many reasons that make this novel great in its own way. As John Swales states in his
book entitled “Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings”, expectations of the
readers are what drive genre. A last thought of what makes this novel a great piece of literature
is of comparing the Capitol to the United States. Another way that Logos has worked its way
into further appealing to the reader is through all the different ways that the Capitol is set up;
there is a rough similarity to the United States. In a brief example of how this is evident, Lisa
from Teen Ink states, if you lived in the poorer districts, food is never guaranteed and those
three easy meals a day could turn into none at all. This is somewhat what it is today in some
parts of the United States to the less fortunate. The similarities between this novel and parts of
the world could go on forever, but the main concept is that Collins has involved another facet of
Logos and thus has made it that much better of a novel.
In conclusion, the three appeals of Pathos, Logos, and Ethos all help bolster the
effectiveness of any genre. This can be seen very self-evident in the novel “The Hunger Games”
in comparison to the film on it. The film is a well rendition form of the novel, in surprise to
many films of the same type. There is a reason why this novel is popular and will continue to be
popular throughout these recent years. This is because of the simple fact that all three appeals
in accordance to the rhetorical triangle are evenly addressed. The film on the other hand has
some work that could be improved on compared to the novel. This story has so much more to it
that the film doesn’t address, thus leads to why the novel is more effective in describing the
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story. When analyzing the three different appeals when looking at a novel such as “The Hunger
Games”, there is no question that the appeals come across to accommodate anyone willing to
pick up the novel.
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Works Cited
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Dobbs, Sarah. "How does The Hunger Games movie differ from the book?" Den of
Geek. N.p., n.d. Web.
28 June 2013. <http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/18933/
how-does-the-hunger-games-movie-differ-from-the-book>.
"Ethos." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Ethos >.
Hanon, John. "The Hunger Games." Screen Rant. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
<http://screenrant.com/hunger-games-movie-book-differences-johnh160474/>.
"Logos." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Logos >.
M, Lisa. "The Hunger Games: Comparing and Contrasting." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d.
Web. 28 June 2013.
<http://teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/249255/
The-Hunger-Games-Comparing-and-Contrasting/>.
"Patos." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Pathos>.
Ross, Gary, dir. The Hunger Games. Lionsgate, 2012. Film.
Swales, John M. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings.
New York: Cambridge UP, 1990. Print.
"The Rhetorical Triangle." School of Liberal Arts. University Writing Center,
n.d. Web. 28 June 2013. <http://www.iupui.edu/~uwc>.