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Post by Dante on Aug 19, 2011 12:12:23 GMT -5
I notice people have said more than once that something is inevitable for a plot-related reason. Does this imply the book is rather artificial? I guess all books are planned like that to some extent, but this book seems to wear it on its face more than many. Perhaps it reflects the artificiality of reality TV. This is probably mostly my suggestion, really. I do think the book is quite artificial, and that's partly because of the reality TV element, but it also feels like that's also an excuse for the author to not necessarily construct landscapes and events and even emotions with much of a nod to realism. I may just be rather cynical and everyone else thinks it's fine, but I can't help but thinking that the premise here makes it so, so easy to justify any contrivance. Hmm, where are we? I'm getting ready to go away and haven't properly looked over the relevant chapters. I suppose he's busy desperately trying to keep up a facade of being a cold-blooded killer and stay in the good books of people who really are that way - or maybe he's simply trying to survive by any means he can and really has sacrificed his principles. Which seems the more plausible?
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Post by Hermes on Aug 19, 2011 13:22:02 GMT -5
I notice people have said more than once that something is inevitable for a plot-related reason. Does this imply the book is rather artificial? I guess all books are planned like that to some extent, but this book seems to wear it on its face more than many. Perhaps it reflects the artificiality of reality TV. This is probably mostly my suggestion, really. Well, nominatissima said something similar, so it does seem to be a shared impression. I wonder if it's the same in the sequels, where they aren't in a reality TV situation any more. First he was allied with the careers (though it's not clear what they got out of this - unlike with the boy from 3, the explosives expert), then he saved Katniss's life by telling her to run after the trackerjack attack, and then he seemed to be alienated from the careers. Presumably he's still meant to be in love for the audience at home, so it's quite confusing.
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Post by csc on Aug 19, 2011 13:55:17 GMT -5
The carriers wanted to find Katniss and they thought that Peeta could help. I don't think that the book is artificial, maybe I'm just not sure about what you mean? The emotions seemed to me as very realistic. Not so sure about the landscapes though. Please explain your thoughts.
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Post by Hermes on Aug 19, 2011 16:31:25 GMT -5
I don't think that the book is artificial, maybe I'm just not sure about what you mean? The emotions seemed to me as very realistic. Not so sure about the landscapes though. Please explain your thoughts. I mean she seems to be planning it to achieve particular effects, rather than letting it grow naturally. 'Katniss will have to kill someone. We had better make it someone nasty. And then we need a child....' and so on.
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Post by Songbird on Aug 19, 2011 17:59:07 GMT -5
Hey everyone, I'm back. I was just wondering, who has finished the book? And don't just write Me as a comment, also include some book discussion points. I realize that this is a very difficult book to put down so I just want to see where everyone is at.
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Post by csc on Aug 19, 2011 18:10:55 GMT -5
If I put discussion points, wouldn't that be spoilers to others? Or should I stick to our schedule?
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Post by Christmas Chief on Aug 19, 2011 20:29:59 GMT -5
The book didn't seem artificial to me while actually reading it, but when considering the points made here it does strike me as rather staged. I think the confusion caused by Peeta's actions add to the complexity of his character - or perhaps it's only confusing because we're not seeing his thoughts the way we are Katniss's.
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Post by Songbird on Aug 19, 2011 20:46:05 GMT -5
I meant to discuss up to what is in the schedule while posting whether or not you've finished the book. For example, I have read the book already and I think that the book isn't artificial. I don't think it can be since 'real' in the case of the book, characters are being killed. They are not alive anymore and therefore are not being used as a way to carry the drama in the sense of a reality show. I mean they do cause drama for the viewers of the games but it's not like they're having coffee backstage and talking about Katniss's tribute to Rue as if the script was so moving. They're gone.
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Post by csc on Aug 20, 2011 11:25:18 GMT -5
The book didn't seem artificial to me while actually reading it, but when considering the points made here it does strike me as rather staged. I agree. But I don't think Collins sat and thought "Oh, if I kill a little kid, it will be very moving, I'll get more readers...". I think she added Little Rue to the story and it was inevitable that in one point of the story, she'd have to die. And in an interview with her she says it's hard to write death scene, but if you are going to kill a character, then just give your all to the scene. And she did, and it turned out very dramatic. So what do you think about Katniss suddenly being happy to get the chance to win with Peeta. She had her doubts about him, but I think that it was hard for her to hate a boy that saved her life twice. Oh, I finished the book by the way.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Aug 20, 2011 12:03:13 GMT -5
I think Rue is there - and perhaps someone said this before - to show that even children aren't exempt from the Games. Why do you think no one volunteered to take her place, the way Katniss did Prim's? As for Katniss's outcry, I think her excitement toward having Peeta as a partner might be hope that surviving is now more of a possibility (two against ten is better odds than one against eleven). Or, if the excitement is directed specifically toward Peeta, it could be that she's hoping to understand some of his motives for past decisions (joining the Careers, for instance). This is probably mostly my suggestion, really. I do think the book is quite artificial, and that's partly because of the reality TV element, but it also feels like that's also an excuse for the author to not necessarily construct landscapes and events and even emotions with much of a nod to realism. I may just be rather cynical and everyone else thinks it's fine, but I can't help but thinking that the premise here makes it so, so easy to justify any contrivance. I think something we ought to consider is whether this is necessarily a bad thing, and if the ability to construct any setting at all is the real reason the book may strike some as unnaturally contrived. And as I've said before, I've also finished the book.
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Post by Lady Whatever on Aug 20, 2011 12:48:56 GMT -5
I don't think the book is really artificial; rather I think, based on my own writing experiences, that Collins created this world of the Games first, and then added the characters we know of later, so the characters adapted to the world she created first. That's why characters like Katniss are so strongly influenced by their environments, whether it's the Games or the forest in District 12.
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Post by Songbird on Aug 21, 2011 9:54:08 GMT -5
That's a really good point. Each characters skills are connected to where they grew up. Like Katniss's ability to hunt, and Rue's climbing abilities.
I also think it's interesting that they decided to change the rules nearly at the end. What other tributes from the same district are still left besides Katniss and Peeta? And why do you think they did change the rules if all the viewers care about are Katniss and Peeta?
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Post by csc on Aug 21, 2011 12:07:19 GMT -5
Well, there's Cato and Clove.
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Post by Songbird on Aug 21, 2011 22:22:01 GMT -5
Okay, I forgot about them. What do you guys think of the mutant animals such as the tracker jackers and mockingjays? Why would the game makers allow mockingjays into the games anyway?
I also don't think we talked about this but, does the number of districts make you think of something from history?
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Post by csc on Aug 22, 2011 13:37:59 GMT -5
Oh, I didn't think of it this way before. The 13 colonies and the 13 districts... Maybe it's a reference- it's most likely a reference. As for the mockingjays, I figure it's to mske the arena more realistic or something the tributes can relate to. Rue could and that definitly had an affect on the viewers, in the end.
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