Hunger Games vs.Holocaust Essay examples - 1273 Words

English Literature April 22, 2012 The Hunger Games: and the role of Dehumanization The concept of dehumanization has applied to various religions, races, and nationalities throughout history. Jews have been persecuted throughout history. They were first enslaved during biblical times then during the Second World War they were sent to death camps. Dehumanization allows powerful people to make tough decisions in a more distant, cold, and rational manner (252 Haslam). In the fictional novel The Hunger Games, Selected teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in an arena when an entire nation watches on. Leaders from the capitol who are in power use this tactic to dehumanize the people from the other districts. In The Hunger†¦show more content†¦This is similar to the situation of the Jews in Night. They produced goods and services for the Nazi’s. Their gold crowns were removed form their teeth so the Nazi could use the gold’s during the war (52 Wiesel). Toward the end of The Hunger Games, the stylist team prepared the winner Katniss for h er appearance on the stage. The team was more focused on what they were doing at the time when the winner was declared than the suffering and dying happening in the arena. â€Å"I swear I nearly fainted† (354 Collins). Everything is about them not the dying boys and girls in the arena. The citizens of the capitol were so egocentric they did not have any empathy for what the tributes were going through. Whether you are a tribute or a Jew in a concentration camp you are merely a pawn to be moved in a game. When someone is dehumanized, the concepts of deserving basic needs and fair treatment do not apply (347 Opotow). In many instances the victims are actually seen as inferior or evil (417 Opotow). In The Hunger Games the tributes are denied appropriate food, water, and shelter. â€Å"Sixty seconds to take in the ring of tributes all equal distance from the cornucopia a giant golden horn shaped like a corn with a curved tail†¦spilling over with things that will give us life here in the arena† (148 Collins). The gamekeepers were going to make them fight for basic necessities. In the novel Night, the guards would deny the