Self-Preservation Amidst Tragedy in "Battle Royal" and The Hunger Games Anonymous 12th Grade

Throughout the history of mankind, humanity has bared witness to a myriad of atrocious practices that have had an adverse effect on individuals despite the fact that they do not speak up against said practices. The Hunger Games perfectly captures the mentality that those individuals carry in order to justify not becoming an advocate against atrocity. A majority of the featured characters remain silent, in one form or another, while they lay witness to the death of two dozen children a year. Although the examples are far more abstract, these behaviors are also present in “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison. Many of the characters in this piece display behaviors that are consistent with those displayed by characters such as Katniss Everdeen and Haymitch Abernathy ofThe Hunger Games. Why would these individuals believe that remaining silent is more beneficial than advocating against practices that violate their morals? Self-preservation leads those with morals that have been defied to remain silent amidst oppression.

The earliest example of this behavior in The Hunger Games manifests directly after Katniss volunteers to participate in the game. Morally, she opposed The Hunger Games and the killings as a whole, but she chose to obey...