6/17/2019 Final paper - Google Docs

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Marissa Dow

AP Literature and Composition

Keith Newvine

June 17, 2019

Throughout history, powerful people have oppressed those below them. The

Nazis killed millions of people due to their ethnicity, and the Taliban oppressed young

girls from attending school solely based on their gender. In both cases, the youth

affected rose up despite this oppression. Anne Frank wrote about her story in order to

highlight the atrocities of the Holocaust, and Malala Yousafzai continues to this day to

stand up for women's rights despite being shot by the Taliban because of it. This trend of

youth empowerment is reflected in today’s society in both literature and film. In the film

The Hunger Games produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik and in the novel Nyxia by

Scott Reintgen, there is one common theme: The ability of young people to rise up in

oppression and adversity.

In The Hunger Games, many of the young men and women demonstrated

resilience in the face of an oppressive and manipulative government. For example,

when Katniss entered the training center for her evaluation, a high angle shot was used

to demonstrate her inferiority to the game makers. These powerful people chose to

ignore her. Instead of just letting them do this, she shot an arrow inches away from their

faces to demand their attention. This moment of opposition proved Katniss’ willingness

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to defy those that belittle her in order to prove that she deserves to be seen. In the end,

Katniss defied those in power and came out on top. In the scene mentioned above, near

the beginning of the movie, Katniss was shown with a high angle shot. However near

the end of the movie, after Katniss killed Cato, she was shown from a low angle shot.

This shift in angle demonstrates a shift in power between Katniss and the government.

She is no longer a piece in their game because she won. Therefore, the government’s

power over her is lessened. After being freed from the power of the capital, Katniss was

able to return to District 12. During this homecoming scene, there was an immense

amount of high key lighting that intensified when Katniss’ sister was shown. The original

purpose of this lighting choice was to signify the hope that Katniss brought her people. In

such an oppressive district, someone winning the games gave the citizens a glimmer of

hope that things could be better. The light was amplified to display Prim’s excitement

upon seeing Katniss after she thought she had lost her forever. In a game where 1 out of

24 are supposed to make it out alive, Katniss beat the Capital and saved both herself

and Peeta from the fate that the Capital chose for them.

In the novel Nyxia, Emmett is tested time and time again on his morals, willpower,

and heart. Babel has all of the power, but Emmett does not let them change who he is as

a person. For instance, when Emmett’s attending spoke with him he said:

"You will be glad that you are not like them. You'll be glad

that you showed mercy to those who did not deserve it.

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Watching you gives me hope. If we are to send

representatives down to a new world, they should not be

people without mercy. Babel chose you because you're poor.

They thought you would be easy to manipulate. Twice you've

proved them wrong. Twice you've set the sword aside when

they've asked you to swing it. When you look back, it won't

be the mercy that you regret" (Reintgen 336).

This lecture from Vandemeer demonstrates that even when given an easy way

out, Emmett chooses to take the harder path because it is the right thing to do. By

explaining this to Emmett, Vandemeer is lighting a fire underneath him pushing him to

stand up for what he believes in, even if it seems impossible. When asked to do

something by those in power, Emmett chose to resist and fight. This shows both courage

and strength of the heart.

In addition to showing his willpower, Emmett demonstrated the utmost amount of

resilience. After facing the tragedy of his best friend dying, he found clarity instead of

sorrow. He thought:

"The truth is stunningly simple. We're slaves. Babel has the

food, the money, the spaceship. Babel will dictate which of us

travel down to Eden. If we're good little boys and girls, maybe

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we'll get to go home. Kaya's death has made the truth clear. I

know there's only one thing I can do for her and for myself

and for my family. If Babel's going to keep us in chains, I'll go

where they can't follow. I'll go to Eden" (Reintgen 219).

In a time when most people would shut down, Emmett found the strength to fight.

He knew what he had to do to survive. He realized that walking around feeling sorry for

himself is going to do nothing to help him. In order to honor Kaya's life and to stay alive,

he figured out that he must go to Eden. This newfound motivation is what young people

need in order to stand up to those in power.

Young children are the future of our world. In a society of oppression, they are the

ones who can see injustice and fight for a change. Children have the two most important

traits needed to survive in a world where the powerful attempt to push others down:

resilience and perseverance. Resilience is needed to make it through hard times without

giving in and becoming corrupt. Perseverance is necessary to give a person the strength

needed to stand up for their beliefs. The youth of every generation are strong, resilient,

and will change the world if given the chance.

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Works Cited

Reintgen, Scott, and Sonia Verjovsky Paul. Nyxia. Océano/Gran Travesía, 2017.

Ross, Gary, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam

Hemsworth, and Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games. United States: Alliance

Film, 2012.

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