Evelyn Paucay Professor Belli English 2400 20 May 2021 The Hunger Games book annotations. Chapter 1: • The first chapter of the book opens and it mentions a person name Prim, so we get introduced to the first character of the book. The open sentence also mentions “the reaping” which sounds like something that is very scary given the context that Prim according to the narrator’s point of view might have had a bad dream so maybe the two are connected. • The narrator describes her mother as the following “In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down.” This quote makes me question why does she look according to the narrator so worn down, is it hard work or something else? • “Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.” (pg. 10) We learn that the narrator’s sister is named after a plant and the narrator describes her as “fresh as a raindrop” however something that caught my eye was how the narrator goes on to say that her mother was once very beautiful as well or so they tell her which makes me think that maybe the narrator and her mother might not be as close because what the narrator thinks to herself about her mother isn’t the nicest thing in my opinion. • “Sitting at Prim’s knees, guarding her, is the world’s ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home.” (pg. 11) This quote caught my attention because it shows a bit of the narrator’s personality, we don’t know the narrators name but we’ve learned that she almost killed an animal just because she didn’t like it which to me sounds a bit extreme. Maybe this comes into play in the near future? • “The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out okay.” (pg. 11) This quote explains and gives me an idea as to why the narrator didn’t want her sister to keep the cat aka Buttercup because it means that she would have to feed someone else and provide more food which could indicate that food is something hard to obtain in this world? However, the narrator goes on to say that everything turned out okay, so maybe they were able to put the cat to good use such as catch mice which this quote indicates. “My mother got rid of the vermin and he’s a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat.” (pg.11) • Vermin: “wild animals that are believed to be harmful to crops, farm animals, or game, or that carry disease.” According to the quote above and how the narrator mentions that her mother got rid of vermin, could indicate that they live in an area where crops and farm animals live, so perhaps a country side? or a field, some place that is surrounded by nature? • “I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag.” (pg. 10-11) the narrator is a hunter as this quote states how she puts on her hunting boots and the narrator also has dark hair that she decided to braid. This quote helps me understand that her family and herself live in an area surrounded by nature or raw area and not in the city or a place that is “modern” because if the narrator has to “hunt” in order to provide for her family then maybe they don’t have money for food? Another quote that makes me believe that they don’t have enough money to provide food is the following “On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day.” (pg. 11) this quotes help me understand that the narrator and her family might not live in the best conditions because the narrator mentions rats and other animals that carry diseases a lot throughout the first few lines of the book and also the mention of a “little” goat cheese means that perhaps it’s the only thing Prim could afforded as a gift for reaping day. • “Our part of District 12, nicknamed the Seam, is usually crawling with coal miners heading out to the morning shift at this hour. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since stopped trying to scrub the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. But today the black cinder streets are empty.” (pg. 12) We finally get some information on where the narrator lives and just by the way she describes it makes me believe that district 12 isn’t the best place to live in. The narrator describes and gives indication that men and women who live in district 12 don’t like working at the mines and even gives indications that the working conditions are horrible because they have “hunched shoulders” “swollen knuckles” “broken nails” and “sunken faces”. This quote also provides information on what the district is known for which is coal mines. Another thing I wanted to point out is how this quote from the book reminding me of the opening of the film Metropolis. • “The reaping isn’t until two. May as well sleep in. If you can.” (pg. 12) This quote caught my attention. The narrator keeps mentioning “the reaping” and give an indication that it is something very important because according to the previous quote the coal mines are closed and she also states how the workers might as well sleep if they can which implies that perhaps it’s an event that takes place that is stressful or nerve racking if it causes a person not to be able to sleep. • “Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. In theory, it’s supposed to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods — packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears — that used to threaten our streets.” (pg. 12-13) This quote further supports my hypothesis previously when I assumed that the narrator and her family might live in a raw / country area. The narrator states that she lives in a district that separates the meadow and woods from a barbed wire fence that is meant to protect the people from wild animals, however as the narrator goes on to explain it’s almost never on “But since we’re lucky to get two or three hours of electricity in the evenings, it’s usually safe to touch. Even so, I always take a moment to listen carefully for the hum that means the fence is live. Right now, it’s silent as a stone.” This quote helps me understand how not only does district 12 have limited resources, horrible working conditions and don’t have secure protection but that it seems like a place that isn’t the best to live at. • “Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow. But there’s also food if you know how to find it.” (pg. 13) the narrator is a hunter which has already been established however this quote makes me believe that the only way to provide food for our family is through hunting which just supports the idea that living in district 12 is not the best because everything seems to be limited. • “My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. There was nothing even to bury. I was eleven then. Five years later, I still wake up screaming for him to run.” (pg.14) The narrator’s father is dead and I learn how, this quote implies that he was a coal miner and died during an explosion in the mines which adds more evidence to the horrible conditions people in the district 12 are forced to live. • “Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons.” (pg.14) The narrator is breaking the law in a way which shows the kind of person she is, she likes to rebel which I found particularly interesting because of the following quote “My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion.” (pg. 14) This quote shows how any form or signs of wanting to rebel or start some sort of rebellion is something that could led to a person being executed.