Mandtanavonsin 1

Chayuth Mandtanavonsin
Professor Lawson
English 113B, 2 PM.
19 April 2015
Poverty of Refugee
Today, United States of America are facing refugee around the world flee here. Refugee
want to seeking the new life, finding the new job, having better condition to living, and safe
place to stay. In the Hunger Game trilogy show the hardship life of residents in the District of
Panem, especially in the District 12. They are facing the extreme poverty and many problems in
the District 12. The poverty resident want to find somewhere safety to stay and having a good
life. Many countries around the world are fighting to each other that effect many innocent people
get hurt and kill. It's reaching them become refugee to leaving their home born country in order
to have a better life. So, the Hunger Game is giving the aspect of poverty residents refugee
fleeing to the District 13. In the Hunger Game Trilogy book by Suzanne Collins show many of
resident in Panem become refugee and flee away from the Capitol, which the reason are the food
system effect resident to starvation until death, the border of district limit freedom of resident,
and the heavy punishment of innocent resident.
The resident of District 12 have hardship of life before they refugee to District 13. Many
poverty resident of District 12 cannot afford to buying food for their family, which make them to
get starvation and suffering of hungry until death. Katniss is one of the poverty residents that
suffering to finding food to make her family survives in daily life. Katniss said "But it crossed
my mind that there might be something in the trash bins, and those were fair game. Perhaps a
bone at the butcher's or rotted vegetables at the grocer's, something no one but my family was
desperate enough to eat." (Collins 29) Poverty resident have hard time and discouraged to get
their stomach get full to survive. They do not have enough money to buying food because the
economic inequality not treating them fairy enough. However, in our world many people are

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facing the real starvation in daily life. According to the statics of World Food Program (WFP),
"Some 805 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life." It's
show that some people around the world do not have enough food to feeding themselves,
especially in Africa. Africa have higher rate of people starvation and died than other country
because many people not have enough education to agriculture of plants by themselves. Also,
they do not have money to buying the plant seed to growing the food. Furthermore, the food
system in the Africa is not distributing food to every area in Africa.
In addition, after resident of Panem refugee to district 13, they will face with the new rule
in new place. Some refugee could not adapt and follow the rule or law that makes them to get
punishment and torture. In District 13, they have the rule about the food. This rule citizen cannot
take food outside the canteen, need to finish all the food in own plate, and cannot sharing food to
everyone. For instance, Katniss prep team (Venia, Flavius, Octavia) are stealing the bread from
the canteen that make them to get punishment by beating and torture almost death. Gale asks "It's
because they took a slice of Bread?" (Collins 48) Guard said "There were repeated infractions
leading up to that. They were warned. Still they took more bread." (Collins 48) Although, the
rule will not look like having heavy punishment, but it will have heavy punishment in some area
like in District 13 because they are shortage the food.
The government control of border system is to limit the people freedom and education of
new knowledge that reach resident of Panem want to refugee to District 13. The districts in
Panem were divided into 12 districts. Resident does not allow traveling across to other district
without permission of government. Many resident believe the District 13 exist and have better
society to live than in their own district. For instance, Boonie and Twill, who was refugee from
District 8. They flee always from their home to seeking the new life; have more freedom, and
safe place to live. They have hoped to survive from death. Katniss said "Bonnie has no home.

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Her family is death. Returning to District 8 or assimilating into another district would be
impossible. Of course the idea of an independent, thriving District 13 draws her." (Collins 148)
However, this reflects to our society that today our worlds are still having the refugee across the
border by illegal, especially children. Many younger refugees from Central America country are
still flee from their country and want to come to United States of America in order to have a
better living, more freedom, and safe place. For instance, the border of the Mexico and United
States of America is one of the problems that many young refugees are fleeing to United States
of America. "Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott cited a 92% increase in the number of
immigrants 18 and younger who are being arrested at the border with Mexico." Its show the
increasing of refugee flees to United States of American by across in Arizona and Texas State. In
additional, young children are refugee from the violent of gangster in Central America country
such as El Salvador and Honduras. Refugee of children wants to have a safe place to live and
having good education.
Many time innocent residents of District 12 get punishment and heavy torture that make
them want to refugee to other place. They are being treating unfairly and unequal for the
punishment. The government is controlling the rule and punishment in all districts. Innocent
resident do not have a right to fight back with government because they are powerless and fearful
of more punishment. Sometime people get heavy punishment than what they deserved. Like,
Gale is one of resident that received the heavy punishment from the whip of New peacekeeper of
District 12 because they caught Gale have wild turkey. Katniss said "The stones beneath me are
wet with Gale's blood, the air heavy with its scent." (Collins 106) Therefore, the heavy
punishment makes Gale to get severe injuries of his backbone and suffering from several pains.
It's show that government is giving too much punishment to the innocent residents who should
not deserve it. However, our country also has the case that innocent people get heavy punishment

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causing them to death. This case is lynching of African American in public or Jim Crow law. The
lynching of African American is legal in the law of US. The law is unequal and segregation to
African American people. It happens during the civil war between the White American and
African American. White American mob will come to the African American house and capture
the African American to lynching them under the trees. Lynching African American is a violent
and torture punishment to the innocent African people that causing them to get suffering to death.
In conclusion, many people around the world are refugee from their country. They want
to having the new life, having a good living, not fearful, and a safe place to sleep. In the book of
Hunger Game Trilogy is giving the theme of refugee that many resident are flee to the District
13. There are many reason why resident in Panem refugee to District 13: the lacking of food
system that causing the resident in District starvation until death, the border system is limiting
the freedom of resident to across other district for doing anything they want, and the heavy
punishment of innocent resident that causing unequally of people. However, refugees are
increasing everyday and flee to high developing country like United States of American. Refugee
is having hoped to begin the new life and happy living. They want our support to helping them to
survive in new country.