Quote:
Originally Posted by twowheels
Dark, perhaps, but I used it to have a talk with my daughter about how in some ways our society is much the same.
Our [US] military, being volunteer only, is mostly filled with the children of the poor [the population of the districts], who were unable to afford education any other way or had few other opportunities [the double ration given to those who enter a second time into the reaping lottery, I forget what it was called], while the super rich [the capitol] use them as pawns in their games to enrich themselves, while the rest of us are supposed to cheer them on in some sort of perverse hero worship.
But I digress and I fear that I may be treading into an area disallowed in the forum charter. :-)
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It was called the "tesserae".
My 12 year old son is reading the series now and I'm fine with it because he's very bright and politically aware. I had bigger concerns last year when the school librarian suggested he read _Ender's Game_. Both books deal with children engaging in violence, both children have very limited agency. The difference for me is that Ender has no idea that he is being used as a tool to win a war. Katniss, on the other hand, is well aware of her situation and even though she knows she is being used by the revolutionaries (in a very craven and cynical fashion) she makes the conscious choice to participate.
Both books feature very political themes and I identify more with the deeply damaged Katniss who still manages to find the personal strength to fight back. Ender has to deal with his actions and feelings after the fact. Both are portrayed as heroes, but only one of them actually understands their circumstances and the consequences of their choices. That's the conversation I'd like to have with my son, the importance of understanding the world you're living in and the courage and ability to make very difficult and personally damaging choices for the benefit of the greater good. I guess I'm really stuck on agency and personal choice.