"Fanning the Flame of Hope" by Alcoriza

Fanning the Flame of Hope Bienne Konchitina V. Alcoriza Victory Christian International School

“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective; a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.” If you have seen the first movie of The Hunger Games series, then you might have remembered these words uttered by Panem’s President Coriolanus Snow.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is a popular fiction series, with film adaptations, to young adult readers and viewers like me. These novels revolve around the postapocalyptic world of Panem. The country is divided into twelve districts, each specializing in its own industry to support the oppressive Capitol. Several decades ago, the citizens tried to rise up against the Capitol. Because of this, the Capitol created the Hunger Games, where every year, a boy and a girl of ages twelve to eighteen would be chosen from each district to be sent into an arena and fight to death until a lone victor wins. The Games are held to remind the people of the power that the Capitol holds.

The nation of Panem gives us a picture of the kind of society that we live in today.

Everyone gets labelled as something which forms the minority groups. Usually, the ones who are different and unique are perceived by others as subordinate or “weird.” There are people like the ones from the Capitol who would try to bring others down just to make them superior. The oppressed would be too afraid to stand up for themselves, for society has already set their minds that they are nothing if they are not this, or they are not that. What they need is a reminder that

they are special the way they are, and they should not let anyone say otherwise. What they need is someone who will share them hope.

I asked some of my friends, “How do you think hope is shared?” One answered, “Hope is shared through the way you act.” Another said, “Hope can be shared by voluntarily helping others.”

Hope is evident in The Hunger Games. When Katniss Everdeen, the main protagonist, volunteers to take her sister’s place in the games, she does it out of love for her and wanting to keep her safe. Peeta Mellark, another main protagonist, willingly had given Katniss bread when her family was starving, providing her hope to go on with life. We do not necessarily have to do what these characters do to share hope with others. The simple act of helping your peers out of a genuine heart can do the job just as well. It may be through helping them out with their homework, making them realize how wonderful of a person they are, encouraging them to do their best in whatever they do—these small actions can have a big impact on a person’s life. It gives them hope knowing that someone does care about them, and it makes them realize that there are those that need to be cared for as well. This is where a tiny spark of difference begins.

The tributes’ small hope of being the lone person to get out alive to live a victor’s wealthy life keeps the people where the Capitol wants them to be. But Peeta doesn’t want to be “just another piece in the Capitol’s games,” for he believes that, “it is not worth gaining the world and losing your soul.” At the end of the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta demonstrate an act of defiance that offers that dangerous kind of hope that the Capitol fears. This act leads to the

people wanting to rise up against the Capitol. Without knowing it, Katniss has fanned the flame of hope to be free and eventually becomes the Mockingjay, the face of the revolution.

We have quite a few things in common with Katniss Everdeen. For one, we are all just human beings like her. Sometimes we fail and sometimes we win. We experience a lot of hardships in life, but nothing that we can’t overcome at the end. It’s true that in order to get to the best, we first have to go through the worst. But no matter what happens during the process of enduring the trials we face, we should remember to always keep a good and faithful heart. This would lead us to the victory that we desire. To people around you, it would also serve as an example of being courageous enough to face your fears.

Don’t be a puppet of our society, for you are much more than that. Be someone who would stand up for others and lead them to prove that their oppressors are wrong. Make them see their true worth and how special they really are. Be the Katniss Everdeen of our generation and stand up for what’s right. Have faith, and “may the odds be ever in your favor” as you spread hope to change the world for the better.