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Jocelyn Hernandez
Professor Derohanessian
English 113B
06 May 2015
The Ultimate Power
Space is known as an area that is continuous and free. Once a persons space is limited
to the language or action he\she possesses, there is a sense of power that is overcoming his\her
life, which causes more control and less freedom. The book 1984 portrays Orwells theory of
how life would be like in the next 40 years, which he anticipates as a dystopian society. The
novel Panopticism, written by Foucault, introduces his social theory of the different methods
society uses when punishing people. The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, depicts
how the government takes control over the citizens space and their life style. Dystopia is known
as an area that is undesirable to people, which is shown in a novel, book, or movie. The Hunger
Games, 1984, and Panopticism are similar on how the government possesses power by placing
officers to watch over citizens and their actions, manipulating the public into thinking that the
lifestyle they are given is the only way to live and have peace, and limit their freedom by
bringing fear in order to avoid rebellion.
The governments purpose of assigning officers to watch the citizens, within the three
novels, is to make sure that there is no act of defiance. Any act that relates to disobeying the rules
of the government will lead to punishment. In the novel 1984 the party, which controls
everything in Oceania, demanded that all citizens were to be watched by the thought police. This
brought fear upon Winston and the other citizens who were against the life style they were forced

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to obtain which prohibited people to think freely or show any sign of independence. It was
conceivable that they watched everybody all the time (Orwell 3). The Thought Police could be
able to use the telescreen, which is a radio type of object but has a screen as well, at any time to
watch all citizens since each was required to have one. The Thought Police could watch whoever
and whenever they choose to without permission or complaints. This avoided any act of rebellion
and conspiracy against Big Brother, the leader of Oceania. In The Hunger Games, there are
twelve districts and of the twelve there is one known as the Capitol which holds the high-class
society, including President Snow. Since Snow controls the government and is responsible for
the annual Hunger Games," he controls the rest of the districts and in order to avoid any act of
defiance, he puts officers in districts two through twelve. The officers are given permission to
hurt or kill any body that shows an act of defiance.
Foucaults theory has similarities with both novels when he explains how people are
governed and have their homes locked by officers. The division of the town into distinct
quarters, each governed by an intendant. Each street is placed under the authority of a syndic,
who keeps it under surveillance; if he leaves the street, he will be condemned to death (Foucault
1). Everyone who does not follow the rules would be sent to death which concluded the citizens
having no choice but to obey. Foucaults theory relates to The Hunger Games since there are
districts, which makes it easier to control the citizens at all times they are also comparable
through the method of killing people if they show any act of rebellion. The similarity
Panopticism has with 1984 is that there is no say of unfairness or else the person will be
punished or sentenced to death with the elimination of any records related to him/her. An
example of this act would be in 1984 when Comrade Withers, who was a former official of Big

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Brother, was executed for being seen as an enemy to the party and had all records shredded of
anyone admiring him.
To avoid public uprising, the government tends to give an excuse by reassuring the citizens
that the only way to live in peace is to follow the rules that are given to them. In The Hunger
Games, a male and female are chosen from each district once a year to play a game where they
have to fight to the death, which is known as The Hunger Games. Once there is one person
standing then the games is over and the victor lives in luxury. The excuse for these horrific
games is to avoid war by making both players represent their district, which means that only two
of the many people in the district would be killed to avoid many people dying in wars. This book
relates to the theory of Marxist Criticism through the way of dividing people in social and
economic classes. Karl Marxs theory applies with class and economic differences that associate
with the revealing of the socioeconomic system.
The Hunger Games is seen as a dystopian society due to the cruel living environment
districts two through twelve faces. While the Capitol lives in luxury since it holds the high class
society, the other districts live in poverty where they are given very little food which means that
they also have to go through the woods, hunt animals and trade them in order to receive more
food. Not only is it unfair for the citizens to receive little food but they are also forced to work all
day and night starting at a young age in order to provide enough money for the family since
everything being sold is very expensive. Citizens are also compelled to live in poor living
conditions as far as old, almost broken down houses and shower with a huge bucket, water and a
sponge. In addition to this issue, the annual Hunger Games also has another purpose for its
existence, which purpose is to amuse the high class society. This reason is shown when the high

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class society bets on which player would win in the hunger games and which they favor to help
out during the games. They help the players during these repulsive games by paying for them to
receive what they need; examples would be more food or medicine if they have been injured.
In 1984, the way of avoiding public rebellion is to limit their vocabulary and actions. If
someone goes against the political partys rules then they will be captured by the thought police
and either get tortured or killed as his\her punishment. Were getting the language into
its final shape-the shape its going to have when nobody speaks anything
else (Orwell, 50). The reason for limiting their vocabulary is to eliminate any
words that are able to express any independent and rebellious thoughts.
Another action that was put into place in the novel was to make it mandatory
for the citizens own telescreens. Instead of being placed, as was normal, in
the end wall, where it could command the whole room (Orwell, 5) The
purpose for the telescreen is to monitor the citizens actions at all time since
there was no way of turning it off. The government not only used this
instrument to watch everyones actions but to also hear their conversations
since it had a microphone built in.
The difference between the two novels and Panopticism is that purpose
for government control in Panopticism was because of the plague and the
spread of the disease. On the appointed day, everyone is ordered to stay
indoors: it is forbidden to leave on pain of death (Foucault, 1). The citizens
obeyed the laws not only to avoid getting killed from the officers but also to
prevent from receiving the disease. All the inhabitants are made to leave; in

each room 'the furniture and goods' are raised from the ground or suspended
from the air; perfume is poured around the room; after carefully sealing the
windows, doors and even the keyholes with wax, the perfume is set alight
(Foucault 1). This quote an example about how strict the government is
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with the cleanliness within the citizens. This happens every five to six days
after the isolation begins. The citizens are forced to leave their homes for
about four hours after the perfume is poured all over the house in order to
avoid deaths since the perfumes strong order can kill them. The similarity in
the three novels demonstrates the dictatorship given in these dystopian
societies. Citizens do not have the ability to show any sign of independence,
they can not choose the life style they wish to live and are forced to obey
without any hints of complaining.
Bringing fear to the citizens empowers the government to have control.
Though people say that allowing the government to have control will prevent
crimes, they do not understand that this beneficial act will lead to
dictatorship in the long run and the little freedom we have will be taken from
us with the blink of eye. In The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen, the main
character lives in district twelve which is surrounded by poverty. Unlike the
Capitol, the citizens in district twelve have officers watching them twenty
four-seven, are forced to be nominated in the Hunger Games from the age
of twelve up until eighteen, are demanded to work most of the day, and have
no choice but to live with limited amount of food and poor living conditions.

Once someone in the district shows an act of rebellion, officers beat the
person or worse, depending on how far the action was. This causes fear
amongst the other citizens which prevents them from making the same
attempt the victim made to deserve that punishment. In 1984, once someone
shows a sign of going against the party, like Winston, they either get tortured until they admit
their crime or become a non-person. A non-person means that the person no longer exists and
any of his\her documents are shredded so no one will remember him\her. This brings fear to the
people to prevent them from attempting any act that is against the partys rules. In the novel

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Panopticism, the solution to prevent rebellion within the citizens is death. Anything wrong that
they do or say will lead immediately to death.
Fear brings pleasure in the government, or party, which encourages them
to continue or even increase this act of dictatorship. Though there are
benefits when having rules, like preventing crimes, the question still remains
on whether this control will increase depending on how greedy and cruel the
government may be. There is no solution to this issue yet, but the way to
avoid this is not to allow yourself to be taken the limited freedom you obtain
and fight for it until you no longer have the strength to fight.

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Work Cited

Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York: Signet Classics, 2007. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Pantheon, 1977.
Print.