Grant 1

Kevon Grant
Professor Lawson
English 113 B
Hunger games
20 April, 2015
Word Count: 1493

Surveillance
Perhaps I am watching you now
Surveillance is a powerful tool used to gain social control. Therefore, it is a common tool
used in totalitarian forms of governments. As a result, whenever it is mentioned, its only
associated with totalitarian governments. But is totalitarian governments the only form of
government to use surveillance to monitor ones activates rigorously? Frankly the answer is no,
surveillance has an association with all forms of governments, whether its democratic or that of
totalitarianism. Well, whats the big deal having surveillance monitor portions of our lives to
establish social control? Surveillance isnt just used to monitor portions of our lives, it extends
even further.
For decades, it has been used by governments or individuals in control to manipulate,
invade ones privacy and place execrating fear into individuals. These results , as to how
surveillance is being used excessively to the point where it invades privacy and places fear into
individuals have been brought to light and societys attention before. Despite the problems it
generates individuals turn blind eye and ignore that not only is surveillance used by all form of
government or power in control, but that they are used in a variety of ways, to help those in

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charge maintain control. These people only pay attention to such problem when the government
usage of surveillance affects them directly. Such as, the Edward Snowden case, where he
revealed that the government, NSA in particular uses the practice of surveillance to help tap
millions of cell phone conversations daily. The way that surveillance is used in todays society
should not come as a surprise to people, because it has been brought to our attention before in
dystopian novels like George Orwell 1984. In Orwell novel 1984 the issue of surveillance is very
similar to that of the hunger game series written by Suzanne Collins. In 1984 Winston works as a
propaganda officer to alter historical events of the past to make them in favor of government
officials. While in the hunger games the capitol and later the rebels carefully edits there
broadcast images to appear in their favor. While surveillance includes all the capabilities to be a
wonderful device that help revolutionize millions of lives. However, the which its used in
todays society and portrayed in Orwells and Collins novels shows, that the excessive use of
surveillance is damaging to ones privacy and well-being considering that they live their daily
lives in complete fear and.
From the moment Katniss is delivered into the Hunger Games arena, a tract of forest,
she never even bothers to look around for the cameras; she knows theyre embedded
everywhere. It has probably been difficult for the cameras to get a good shot of me, she thinks
as she climbs down from a tree. I know they must be tracking me now though. The minute I hit
the ground, Im guaranteed a close-up.(Kelley Wezner) In the hunger games, surveillance and
trackers are surroundings ; whether it from the front line of the capitols arenas or in the woods
of the districts. Trackers, along with surveillance is used in the arena to track the whereabouts of
every tributes and televise the death of each. Images, televised from the arena or the district does
not always appear as they are in the games itself. They are edited and put together similar to that

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of 1984. Editing footage and showing it from their own perspectives; allows those in control to
manipulate and restrict what the people see. Manipulating the images of what the public see is
very powerful as it is shown in the hunger games. This year, for the first time, they tell a love
story. Peeta and I won, but a disproportionate amount of time is spent on us, right from the
beginning. The hunger games evidently, should not be shown from anyones point of view, as a
love story. Mainly because of the gruesome deaths of children that takes place and the capitols
editing surveillance to hide sign of real love and togetherness. For instance, when they showed
rues death and Katnisss failed attempt to rescue her from the boy from district 1. She noticed
they omit the part where she covered rue in flowers.
Outside the capitol and into the districts, surveillance is also used in a familiar way. Its
used to monitor the districts and manipulate. In the second book of Collins hunger game series
Catching Fire. One day, when Katniss went to the woods to go hunting. She meets bonnie and
twill; who run away from district 8 and is heading for district 13. District 13 has been shown to
the people of the districts as being destroyed for years by the capitol. However, twill says theyve
been using the same for as long as anyone in district eight can remember. You know how they
always show the justice building? Ive seen it a thousand times. If you look carefully, youll see
it. In the far right hand side it shows a glimpse of a mocking jay and its the same one every
time. Later in the hunger game books, Mockingjay to be precise; shows district 13 still exists;
and continues reports claiming that district 13 is destroyed are indeed false. Another way how the
capitol continues to manipulate people from the districts is by having separate reporters to report
the news, as it is to the people in charge. An example of this was when Katniss went to visit
Madge at her house. When she stuck her head in Madges dad, whos the mayor study room.
Katniss soon noticed that he wasnt there, but his television was on on it displayed UPDATE

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ON DISTRICT 8 and a news reporter who she has never seen gave a different story to the
mayor than the one which was later shown in the districts.
In addition, the way in which the capitol uses surveillances in the hunger games; invades
its citizens privacy. Katniss and her family shy away from discussing topics relating to the
capitol in their home or in the middle of nowhere, in fear someone might overhear them or
videos them. When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out
about district 12, about the people who rule out country, Panem, from the far-off city called the
capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my
tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my
thoughts. (Suzanne Collins,The Hunger Games,6).Such usage of surveillance, where it invades
ones privacy causes people to act differently. Which Katniss does from the time she was
younger and later; when she was threatened by the president of the capitol snow and when she
saw the Avox girl whom she witnessed get captured by a capitol hovercraft in the woods
working as an Avox unable to speak. Despite, Katniss encountering these situations she cannot
say much to anyone; because she knows theres a high percent chance that shes under
surveillance. If she says something about it to some there is no guarantee that they are not being
watched so they have to assume they are being watched at all times. The way Katniss and the
other citizens of the capitol fear they are being watched at all times is similar to Jeremy
Benthams article. Panopticon 1791, which is a prison in which a centrally located, unseen guard
observes all the cells simultaneously, while prisoners are uncertain whether they are being watch.
This inquiry in gaze creates a sentiment of invisible omniscience, causing prisoners to modify
their behavior as if they are always being watch and eventually internalize that surveillance.

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Lastly, in the hunger games they use the art of Surveillance to instill fear in people. Fear
makes people feel threatened. Therefore, The people who have the effrontery to rule us, who
call themselves our government, understand this basic fact of human nature. They exploit it, and
they cultivate it. (Higgs) In the hunger games the capitol use surveillance to create fear by
forcing people to watch the hunger games, where tributes kill each other. Also, not only are
they ordered to watch the hunger game; but they are threatened with increased levels of violence
and even death if they dont act in a manner the capitol sees as right. For instance, when Katniss
return home from the woods. She gets an unexpected visit from President Snow, who signifies to
her that she has to follow the capitol rules; by continuing the love agreement with Peeta. If she
objects to do so Snow threatened to hurt gale, who he knows Katniss is close to; based from the
footage he obtain of Katniss kissing gale in the woods.
The hunger games series and 1984in contrast to todays society its about whats
happening, right this minute.(westerfield). We are living in the age of surveillance. And it has
revolutionized millions of lives in the United States. Where more than ninety-five percent of
households own a television set and sixty-eight-percent have access to cable. Our government
has used new technology to create thermal scanners and GPS transponders along with
Surveillance its self. To provide an astonishing ability to map a persons entire life.
In conclusion, is this the society we want to live in? One that represents dystopian novels
like Orwells 1984 and Collins Hunger Game book series. Where we have no privacy, feed
continues lies and worse of all, bully to lie our lives in fear!

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Works cited
Bender, John. Imagining the Penitentiary: Fiction and the Architecture of Mind in Eigh-teenthCentury England. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1 987. Print.Bentham, Jeremy.
The Panopticon Writings. 1791. Ed. Miran Bozovic. London: Verso, 1995.Print.
Bennett, Thomas D. C. "Privacy, Free Speech And Ruthlessness: The Australian Law Reform
Commission's Report, Serious Invasions Of Privacy In The Digital Era." Journal Of
Media Law 6.2 (2014): 193-205. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2015
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire.2009. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
_____. The Hunger Games.2008. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
_____. Mocking jay.New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.

"Fear: The Foundation of Every Government's Power by Robert Higgs." The Independent
Institute. 17 May 2005. Web. 13 Apr. 2015
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.1975. Trans. Alan Sheridan.
New York: Vintage, 1995. Print.
.Kelley, Michael. "The NSA Is Gathering 5 Billion Records On Global Cellphone Locations
Every Day." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
Of Bread, Blood, and the Hunger Games: Critical Essays on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy.
Jefferson: