Chapters 1-5

1. Whom would you most like to have as a friend, and why—Yoko, Ko, or Hideyo?
2. What do you think will happen to Mrs. Kawashima, Yoko and Ko when they get to Japan?
3. How would you describe the way Yoko changes in this section of her memoir? Explain.
4. How would you compare Yoko and Ko?
5. Yoko Kawashima Watkins has written, “War…robs everyone’s gentle heart.” Do you find that events in this section of the memoir support or disprove that statement? Explain.
6. In which parts of the world today might young people experience ordeals similar to Yoko’s?

Writing Write a one paragraph journal entry describing an incident from Mrs. Kawashimas’ point of view.

1. Describe your reactions to the reunion of Hideyo and his sisters.
2. How would you compare Hideyo’s journey with Yoko and Ko’s?
3. Which of Yoko’s actions do you admire the most, and why?
4. What do you think is the most important lesson that Yoko learns at Sagano Girls’ School?
5. Explain whether or not Mrs. Kawashima’s death came as a surprise to you.
6. Japanese customs dictate avoidance of strangers. Why do you think Mrs. Masuda offers to help Yoko and Ko, who are strangers to her?
7. People respond in many ways to personal suffering. Some may become bitter and angry; others may become stronger, braver, or more compassionate. Still others change little or not at all. How would you describe the way Yoko responds to personal suffering? Support your views with details from the memoir.
8. Making Connections This memoir retells events that occurred more than fifty years ago. Is the memoir still relevant for young people today? Explain your reasons for your opinion.

Writing – Yoko’s composition titled “Understanding” wins an essay contest. Write one paragraphs that Yoko might have included in her essay.

1. Discuss the differences between the Games in the first
volume and the second—the training sessions, the
interviews, the set-up of the arena, the strategies that
Katniss and Peeta use. How is each of them changed
by the time they spend in the arena? How does the
experience of being in the Games prepare the tributes
for fighting in the rebellion?
2. What are the forces that contribute to the rebellion in
Catching Fire? Were they already starting to happen
in The Hunger Games? What clues can you find in the
first two books that the rebellion is underway? Did
you as a reader believe in the existence of District 13
before experiencing it in Mockingjay? Do you think
Katniss, Peeta, and Gale believed in it?
3. Why are all citizens of Panem required to watch The
Hunger Games on television? How does this affect
the people? Why haven’t they rebelled earlier against
the brutality of the Games? What is the importance
of the propos that are created for the rebellion in
Mockingjay and the way they are used? Discuss the
effect of television and reality TV in your own life.
4. Compare the society in Panem (the government, its
tight control on the population, and the forces for
the rebellion) to others that you have studied or
encountered in books or films. Consider historical and
contemporary nations as well as fictional worlds. What
does Panem have in common with these cultures, and
how does it differ? What can we learn about our own
world from studying and reading about historical and
fictional societies?
5. Research the symptoms and treatment of PTSD (Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder). How is this condition
portrayed in The Hunger Games trilogy? Discuss the
many ways it can appear in real life. How does Katniss
counteract her symptoms? How does each of the
tributes that have been in the arena cope with these
symptoms?
6. Discuss the concept of Panem et Circenses that
Plutarch explains to Katniss. What is the effect of
easy food and entertainment on the citizens of the
Capitol? How does this society compare to that of the
Roman Empire? Why do the districts in Panem have no
concept of history before “The Dark Days”?
7. Discuss the symbolism of fire throughout the series.
How does Katniss change from the synthetic “girl on
fire” created by Cinna for the opening ceremonies to
the girl whose spirit “catches fire” for the rebellion to
the girl who nearly dies by fire in the overthrow of
the Capitol?
8. The poet Wilfred Owen wrote in the early 20th
century, “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The
Poetry is in the pity…. All a poet can do today is
warn. That is why the true Poets must be truthful.”
Discuss this quote in relation to Suzanne Collins’s
writing about the war between the Capitol and the
rebels. What warning must the people of Panem
heed if their new government is to succeed? What
warning must we heed about our own society and
government?
Comparing the Books
The Hunger Games trilogy provides many interesting
analogies to historical events and literary classics
through the ages.
Greek Legend
Suzanne Collins was inspired by the Greek legend of
King Minos of Crete who demanded that seven Athenian
boys and seven Athenian girls be sacrificed periodically
in the Labyrinth of the Minotaur—until the hero Theseus
volunteered to go in place of one of the youths and was
able to slay the monster. The story can be studied in
Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and
Heroes. A fictionalized version is Mary Renault’s The
King Must Die.
The Roman Empire
Study of the Roman Empire will yield many connections
to The Hunger Games trilogy—the autocratic rule of the
Capitol, the political machinations of President Snow,
training of youth for a fight to the death to amuse the
Capitol’s citizens, and the politics of the rebellion. Even
the name of the country, Panem, comes from the Roman
phrase, “panem et circenses”—the bread and circuses
which the Romans provided to control the population
by keeping them contented and entertained. Classic
novels such as Howard Fast’s Spartacus and Robert
Graves’s I, Claudius and Claudius the God will enhance
those connections.
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc is an historical figure brought to mind by
Katniss and the way she is manipulated for political and
tactical reasons. Compare Joan’s peasant upbringing,
determination, and sheer grit in the face of her enemies
in the 15th century to the role Katniss takes on for the
rebellion in Mockingjay.
Shakespeare
There are a number of themes in Shakespeare’s plays
that can be compared with The Hunger Games trilogy.
Read Julius Caesar for the Roman connection and the
theme of the downfall of the powerful. Compare Snow’s
hold on the presidency to the tragic results of ambition
and thirst for power in Macbeth. The star-crossed lover
theme can be compared to Romeo and Juliet, and the
effort involved in bringing down a despotic ruler plays
out in Richard the III. For another view of Richard III,
see Josephine Tey’s compelling mystery The Daughter of
Time (Touchstone, 1995), exploring the idea that history
is written by the victors in any conflict.
War Poetry and Music
Wilfred Owen, a young man who fought and died in the
trenches of Europe in World War I, wrote poignant poetry
about the futility of war. His poems were used as text
for Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, written for the reconsecration
of Coventry Cathedral, an historic building
destroyed in the Battle of Britain during World War II. Find
out more at

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~tan/Britten/britwar.html

Modern Literary Connections
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, set during the
Dust Bowl years in the United States, ordinary people
struggle to stay alive in the Great Depression. Steinbeck
vividly depicts the conflicts between poor farmers,
bankers, and property owners.
The futuristic novels Brave New World, Nineteen Eighty-
Four, and Fahrenheit 451 all reflect the rigid control
and stratified society that we see in The Hunger Games
trilogy, while Lord of the Flies explores how vicious
young people can become when forced to survive in a
wilderness setting. Research the cultures in their own
lives and times that led Aldous Huxley, George Orwell,
Ray Bradbury, and William Golding to create these bleak
novels.
“The Lottery,” a short story by Shirley Jackson, first
published in The New Yorker in 1948, is a chilling tale of
ritualistic murder committed as a fertility rite in smalltown
America (The Lottery and Other Stories, 2nd edition,
by Shirley Jackson, Farrar, Straus, Giroux,2005) Source: Scholastic

Discussion Questions for MockingJay
1. What is Katniss’s greatest challenge when she returns
to see the ruins of her home? What is the meaning of
the rose she finds on her dresser? Why does she keep
repeating facts about herself?
2. Why does Katniss take the cat Buttercup back to
District 13? What role does Buttercup play in the
story in later chapters?
3. What is the first reaction Katniss has to the people
of District 13? What makes her say, “In some ways
District 13 is even more controlling than
the Capitol”?
4. What influences her decision to become the
Mockingjay? Why does Katniss have to ask for
conditions once she agrees to take on the role of
Mockingjay?
5. Discuss the feelings between Katniss and Coin.
Why do they distrust each other from the beginning?
How does Coin treat the conditions that Katniss
demands for being the Mockingjay? Is Katniss really a
threat to Coin’s power?
6. Compare the reactions of Katniss and Gale to the
imprisonment and treatment of Katniss’s prep team,
Venia, Octavia, and Flavius. How does this reflect on
both of them? What is the difference between the
prep team and the filming crew—Cressida, Mesalla,
Castor, and Pollux—who are also from the Capitol?
7. What was necessary for Katniss to create a truly
effective “propo” for the rebellion? Why didn’t the
first idea work? Why does Haymitch say, “That is how
a revolution dies”? After the taping in District 8, what
does Katniss mean when she says, “I have a kind of
power I never knew I possessed”?
8. Discuss the role of television “propaganda” in today’s
society and the techniques that are used to influence
our thinking. How do these techniques compare
to those used by the Capitol and the rebels in
Mockingjay?
9. Why did Plutarch cover up Katniss and Gale’s
insubordination in District 8 during the taping?
What is the effect of the “propo” on the rebellion in
other districts? Why are the “propos” so vital to the
rebellion? What effect do Katniss and the Mockingjay
symbolism have on those fighting against the Capitol
and those in the Capitol?
10. Discuss the role of music in this book. What is the
significance of the “Hanging Tree” song? How many
ways does the song play a part in the story? How
does it connect Katniss and Peeta to their past and
their future? Research the song “Strange Fruit” sung
by Billie Holiday and discuss its similarities and
differences to Katniss’s song.
11. Discuss the changing nature of the relationship
between Katniss and Gale. What does Gale say is the
“only way I get your attention”? Did Katniss ever
love Gale the way he wants her to love him? Does he
truly love her?
12. Discuss the changing nature of Prim’s role in the
story, as she grows older. Identify times when Prim
helps Katniss when no one else can.
13. Why do the rebels decide to rescue Peeta? Discuss
the effects of the “hijacking” of Peeta’s brain. Discuss
Katniss’s comment, “It’s only now that he’s been
corrupted that I can fully appreciate the real Peeta.”
What is the significance of the pearl she keeps?
14. Why are Finnick and Johanna important to Katniss?
Discuss her relationship to each of them and how
they help her prepare for the final fight. What is the
effect of Finnick’s “propo” about his treatment by
President Snow?
15. When Katniss learns of the work Gale is doing with
Beetee, using the psychology of trapping as much
as the mechanics, she says to Gale, “Seems to be
crossing some kind of line.” Gale’s reply is that they
are “following the same rule book President Snow
used.” Do the ends in this battle justify the means, as
Gale seems to imply?
16. Why is it so hard for Katniss to accept Gale’s idea
for trapping the workers inside the Nut (“I can’t
condemn someone to the death he’s suggesting”)?
What does she mean when she says to the wounded
man in the square, “I’m tired of being a piece in their
Games”? How many ways does the invasion of the
Capitol remind Katniss of the Games?
17. Discuss Katniss’s feelings of guilt and insecurity
when confronting Peeta. What makes her say, “Finally,
he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful.
Manipulative. Deadly”? What makes her think the
worst of herself?
18. What are Coin’s motives in ordering Peeta to
join Katniss’s squad in the Capitol? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of having him on the
squad? When Boggs transfers the holo to Katniss,
why does he say, “Don’t trust them”? Whom does
he mean?
19. Do you believe it was the rebels who killed the
children with the exploding parachutes? If so, how
does that make you feel about whether this was
justified as a means of winning the war?
20. Why does Paylor allow Katniss to enter the rooms
where Snow is being held? Does she know that Snow
will reveal to Katniss the role of the rebels in Prim’s
death? Did Snow tell Katniss the truth?
21. Why did Katniss vote for another Hunger Games? To
save the lives of more people? Or did she secretly
anticipate sabotaging the plan?
22. Why does Katniss assassinate Coin? Does she do
it to avenge Prim, or because she believes it is for
the greater good of the country, or both? How does
Katniss escape retribution for Coin’s death?
23. Gale tells Peeta, when they are hiding out in the
Capitol, that Katniss will pick whichever one of them
she can’t survive without. In the end, why is that one
Peeta and not Gale? Source: Scholastic

How did Katniss’s participation in the Games change
her relationship with Gale? Why does she say, “The
Games have spoiled even that . . . There’s no going
back”?
2. What emotions does Peeta stir in Katniss? Though
she is stiff and formal with him, what are her true
feelings? How did the events in the first Games affect
their relationship?
3. Why does President Snow come to Katniss’s home?
What does he mean when he says, “ … you have provided
a spark which left unattended may grow into
an inferno …”? What, exactly, was the significance of
the handful of poisonous berries at the end of The
Hunger Games?
4. How do the events of the Victory Tour affect Katniss
and Peeta, their relationship to each other, and their
feelings about their future?
5. Why does the Capitol devise a special reaping procedure
for every 25th Game? Do you believe the
requirements for this Quarter Quell were decided in
the past or were they designed for this Game to force
Katniss and Peeta back to the arena?
6. What is the significance of the mockingjay image?
What does it mean to the people in the Districts and
the people in the Capitol? Why does Plutarch Heavensbee
show Katniss the hidden mockingjay image
on his watch? Discuss how the mockingjay species
developed and how Katniss happened to wear the pin
during the first Games.
Discussion Questions for Catching Fire
7. Why does Gale refuse Katniss’s offer to try to escape
into the wild? What does he mean when he says, “It
can’t be about just saving us anymore”? How does
Gale’s whipping change Katniss’s thinking about
escape and her feelings for Gale?
8. What makes Katniss say, “No wonder I won the
Games. No decent person ever does”? Is she being
too hard on herself? What makes her realize that
fighting the Capitol is more important than running
away? What is the importance of her meeting with
Bonnie and Twill in the forest?
9. Why does the Capitol push plans for the wedding
of Katniss and Peeta if they know that they will be
returning to the Games in the Quarter Quell? What
does the Capitol hope to gain by sending previous
victors back to the Games? Is it really, as Katniss says,
a way to show “that hope was an illusion”?
10. What do Katniss and Peeta learn when they
watch the video of Haymitch’s Hunger Games, the
Second Quarter Quell? How does it affect their
understanding of Haymitch and the mockingjay
symbol? How did Haymitch trick the Capitol?
11. How do both Peeta and Katniss mock the
Gamemakers during the “talent show” portion of
the training? Why do they each take the chance of
offending those who will control the Games? How
does this change their feelings for each other?
12. Discuss the effect on Katniss of what happens to
Darius and Cinna. Why are the Capitol officials
attacking those who have befriended her? Why is
Cinna attacked just before Katniss is placed in the
arena?
13. Why is Katniss determined to keep Peeta alive during
the Games, even at the expense of her own life?
When does she realize the importance of forming
alliances with the other tributes? Why does Finnick
save Peeta’s life? When does Katniss realize that her
first impression of Finnick was wrong?
14. Describe the relationship between Katniss and
Johanna. What made Katniss realize that Wiress and
Beetee would be helpful allies in the arena? What
important contribution does each one of the allies
make to keep the group alive? What is the role of the
unseen “sponsors”?
15. What is more harmful to the players in this Game—
the physical traumas like the fog and rain of fire, or
the emotional trauma of hearing the jabberjays?
16. What does Haymitch mean when he tells Katniss
before the Games begin, “You just remember who
the enemy is—that’s all”? Who is the enemy? Have
the other tributes been trying to keep Peeta or
Katniss alive? Which of them is most important to the
rebellion?
17. Why were Katniss and Peeta not aware of the plans
for the rebellion? Why were they kept in the dark
when other tributes knew about it?
18. What is the meaning of the title? How many different
ways can you identify the theme of “catching fire” in
this volume? Source: Scholastic

1. How does Katniss feel about the country of Panem?
Why does she need to make her face “an indifferent
mask” and be careful what she says in public?
2. Describe Katniss’s relationships with Gale, with Prim,
and with her mother. How do those relationships
define her personality? Why does she say about Peeta,
“I feel like I owe him something, and I hate owing
people”? How does her early encounter with Peeta
affect their relationship after they are chosen as
tributes?
3. How does the fact that the tributes are always on
camera affect their behavior from the time they are
chosen? Does it make it easier or harder for them
to accept their fate? How are the “career tributes”
different from the others?
4. Why are the “tributes” given stylists and dressed so
elaborately for the opening ceremony? Does this
ceremony remind you of events in our world, either
past or present? Compare those ceremonies in real
life to the one in the story.
5. When Peeta declares his love for Katniss in the
interview, does he really mean it or did Haymitch
create the “star-crossed lovers” story? What does
Haymitch mean when he says, “It’s all a big show.
It’s all how you’re perceived”? Why do they need
to impress sponsors and what are those sponsors
looking for when they are watching the Games?
6. Before the Games start, Peeta tells Katniss, “. . . I want
to die as myself . . . I don’t want them to change me
in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m
not.” What does this tell you about Peeta? What does
he fear more than death? Is he able to stay true to
himself during the Games?
7. Why does Katniss ignore Haymitch’s advice to
head directly away from the Cornucopia? Did she
do the right thing to fight for equipment? What are
the most important skills she has for staying alive?
Her knowledge of nature? Her skill with a bow and
arrow? Her trapping ability? What qualities of her
personality keep her going? Her capacity for love? Her
intelligence? Her self-control?
8. Why does Peeta join with the Career Tributes in the
beginning of the Games? What does he hope to gain?
Why do they accept him when they start hunting as
a group? Why do groups form in the beginning when
they know only one of them will be able to survive?
9. What makes Katniss and Rue trust each other to
become partners? What does Katniss gain from this
friendship besides companionship? Is Katniss and
Rue’s partnership formed for different reasons than
the other groups’?
10. Discuss the ways in which the Gamemakers control
the environment and “entertainment” value of the
Games. How does it affect the tributes to know
they are being manipulated to make the Games
more exciting for the gamblers and viewers? Does
knowing that she is on live TV make Katniss behave
differently than she would otherwise?
11. When does Katniss first realize that Peeta does care
for her and is trying to keep her alive? When does
she realize her own feelings for him? Did Haymitch
think all along that he could keep them both alive by
stressing the love story? Are they actually in love?
12. What do you think is the cruelest part of the Hunger
Games? What kind of people would devise this
spectacle for the entertainment of their populace?
Can you see parallels between these Games and the
society that condones them, and other related events
and cultures in the history of the world?
13. In 1848, Karl Marx wrote in The Communist
Manifesto, “The history of all hitherto existing
society is the history of class struggles.” Discuss this
statement as it applies to the society and government
of Panem. Do you believe there is any chance to
eradicate class struggles in the future?
14. Reality TV has been a part of the entertainment
world since the early days of television (with shows
such as Candid Camera and the Miss America
Pageant), but in the 21st century there has been
a tremendous growth of competitive shows and
survival shows. Discuss this phenomenon with
respect to The Hunger Games. What other aspects of
our popular culture do you see reflected in this story? Source: Scholastic

1. Imagine Patty as a young American girl today. What situation might be comparable to the
wartime one she faces in the novel?

2. The novel is set more than fifty years ago. Are relations between people of different cultures and races better or worse today than they are in the novel? Explain.

3. If Patty were on trial today for helping someone considered an enemy or criminal, how might her
actions be judged?

1. How realistic are the characters in the novel—both the positive and the negative ones?

2. How believable are their problems and actions? Give examples and explain why you think so.

3. Which of the novel’s themes are broad enough to go beyond its wartime setting? Which theme do
you think is most important?

Themes:
-The need for love and the effects of its absence
-Individuals in conflict with their society
-Relations between parents and children
-Relations between people of different races and cultures
-The irrationality and destructiveness of prejudice
-The growing pains of early adolescence

1. What were your feelings or thoughts as you read the last section of the novel? Record your ideas.
2. Why did Charlotte make the choice she did?
3. What reasons does Captain Jaggery give for finding Charlotte guilty of the murder?
4. Why is Charlotte surprised to see Zachariah in the brig? How did he end up down there? Who brings him food?
5. Explain the family’s reaction to Charlotte when she first gets off the boat. What is Charlotte’s attitude toward them?
6. Evaluate Charlotte’s relationship with Zachariah. Why did the two become close?
7. If you had been Charlotte, would you have left home for a life on the sea? Why or why not?

1. How did you react to Charlotte’s behavior in this section? Which of her actions seems particularly wise or foolish to you? Why?
2. Why does Charlotte tell the captain about the round robin? What do you think she expects him to do?
3. What does Charlotte do that angers the captain as he oversees the beating of Zachariah? What angers him most about her action?
4. Explain the crew’s attitude toward Charlotte after Jaggery squashes the mutiny. How does Charlotte feel about her actions?
5. Even though she has observed his cruel behavior, Charlotte tries to make peace with Captain Jaggery immediately after he ends the crew’s rebellion.
In your opinion, why does she try to get along with the captain?
6. Do you agree with Charlotte’s decision to join the crew? Why or why not?