[The last question is the easiest to explain. The history of the Games.]
A long time ago, there were thirteen districts and the Capitol.
District Thirteen rebelled against the Capitol and convinced the other districts to join them. There was a long, brutal war we know as the Dark Days. Families were ripped apart. Tens of thousands, at least, were killed. [Her voice is even, reciting a history lesson.] Finally, the Capitol destroyed Thirteen. With the aggressor fallen, the other districts surrendered.
The Capitol, together with the districts, drafted the Treaty of Treason. The Hunger Games were part of that, to prevent another uprising. To remind them of the horrors of war, every district had to offer two tributes every year -- one young man and one young woman, both between the ages of twelve and eighteen -- to a trial of strength, intelligence, and survival. To remind them of the mercy of the Capitol, the lone Victor was showered with more wealth than they could ever imagine, and their district was given extra food and luxuries for that year.
Because of the Games, there is no war. Twenty-three die every year, but that is the price paid to keep the numbers out of the thousands or more.
It is how we remember our past and safeguard our future. [A sentiment she still clings to, even when other parts of her mind want to revolt against everything she's known.]
District Two wins quite often. Our tributes are usually stronger and older than other districts. [And trained, but she knows not to say that.] We view going to the Games as an honor, not a punishment. So we compete for the right to go, rather than simply choosing randomly from all the eligible, as other districts do.
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A long time ago, there were thirteen districts and the Capitol.
District Thirteen rebelled against the Capitol and convinced the other districts to join them. There was a long, brutal war we know as the Dark Days. Families were ripped apart. Tens of thousands, at least, were killed. [Her voice is even, reciting a history lesson.] Finally, the Capitol destroyed Thirteen. With the aggressor fallen, the other districts surrendered.
The Capitol, together with the districts, drafted the Treaty of Treason. The Hunger Games were part of that, to prevent another uprising. To remind them of the horrors of war, every district had to offer two tributes every year -- one young man and one young woman, both between the ages of twelve and eighteen -- to a trial of strength, intelligence, and survival. To remind them of the mercy of the Capitol, the lone Victor was showered with more wealth than they could ever imagine, and their district was given extra food and luxuries for that year.
Because of the Games, there is no war. Twenty-three die every year, but that is the price paid to keep the numbers out of the thousands or more.
It is how we remember our past and safeguard our future. [A sentiment she still clings to, even when other parts of her mind want to revolt against everything she's known.]
District Two wins quite often. Our tributes are usually stronger and older than other districts. [And trained, but she knows not to say that.] We view going to the Games as an honor, not a punishment. So we compete for the right to go, rather than simply choosing randomly from all the eligible, as other districts do.