Are the Hunger Games Hobbes State of Nature?

The Cornucopia Bloodbath 

Hobbes State of Nature exist were no government, no civilization, no laws, and no common power to restrain human nature. This means there is a "war against all" where human beings constantly seek to destroy each other for power. They live brutish and nasty lives. The Hunger Games is shown as Hobbes State of Nature but it is because they are forced into this situation. 

On the surface of the Hunger Games it is shown that the intended goal is that there can only be one victor to the games. This means that out of the 24 people that are forced to participate in the games, only one can win and go back to their district. This means that they are forced to go man vs. man and against each other. They are destined from the beginning to kill each other not because they want to but because they have to in order to survive. Another example on why the Hunger Games on the surface is State of Nature is because in the very first scene when they arrive to the arena and the countdown reaches one, the tributes get killed getting weapons and food at the cornucopia. The game makers strategically put it there for the reason that they knew that it was going to be a blood bath. There is a lack of authority and each tribute is on their own which means they are going to do whatever it is they need to do to survive. A third reason why it is State of Nature is because of the game makers. They add dogs and trees to put the tributes in tough situations and to get one another to kill each other. At the end of the games Seneca creates beastly dogs to kill off the tributes. When Katniss and Peeta successfully run from the dogs, Seneca creates two more dogs to really get them. They are physically trying to kill off the tributes by making the dogs and putting them in the area.

The Game Makers manipulating the game 

            One could argue that the tributes really want to kill one another but the reason that the Hunger Games is Hobbes State of Nature is because they were forced to participate in the games and also because the game makers make everything inconvenient for them. They are the ones that really create the rules to the game and they made it so that only one person could win. They knew with only one victor others would have to die and the game makers know who they want to win so they will give them the more advantage more so than the other tributes. That's why State of Nature is only on the surface because in reality the game is being controlled by the game makers. 

Machiavelli's view on President Snow

President Snow 

Seneca Presented the Poison Berries 

Machiavelli said that it is safer to be feared than to be loved. In the Hunger Games, President Snow is feared by the people and the districts. Machiavelli would say that Snow is more feared than he is loved. This is demonstrated by the actions of Snow and how people react to him. One instance is when Snow says to Seneca “I like you , be careful” regarding the Katniss situation. Seneca is now fearful that if he messes up Snow will do something bad to him. This fear leads to the announcement that there can only be one victor even though he already changed the rules that two victors from the same district were allowed. With this announcement we can see that Snow is using fear to control his nation and the action of the people. Another example on how Snow is more feared than loved is because at the end of the movie, there were two victors, Katniss and Peeta, which is not the end result that Snow hoped for. There is a scene in the movie that shows that poison berries Katniss and Peeta were about to eat and Seneca looking at the bowl presented to him. This foreshadows the event that since Seneca messed up, Snow gave him the berries, and since Seneca fears him, he ate the berries and died.  A third example of how is he feared is by creating the Hunger Games when the revolution erupted. Every year he presents these games to each district and they do not have a choice but to participate. They fear that if they don’t, Snow will kill off the district and not provide for them. They fear him so much that they have to watch each district kill each other until there is one victor left. Machiavelli would say that President Snow is more feared than he is loved by the people and by each district. 

Comedy Promoting Values?!?

Throughout our lives we find comedy in things that we observe. One big promoter of comedy is in television and the show that pops in my head first is The Family Guy. In this show they promote terrible things that we know are wrong and that we laugh at. An example of this that came almost instantly to mind is when Peter has a maid. The maid he has is a Spanish woman that barely speaks English. As a population we know that this is stereotyping and that it's wrong and completely not true but it's hilarious because it is a wrong ideal. They promote wrong ideas to show to the community that this isn't right and that we shouldn't think that all maids are like this. Comedy benefits to the society by making controversial topics seem all one sided and wrong when the people really know the reality of it all

Family Guy

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