In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context
“We have lost our moral compass” is a frequently uttered lament among the ranks of the veteran members of the African National Congress. The refusal to shame a comrade-in-arms is the real discordant note in South African politics. In attempting to give shape to the present situation, this article t...
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| Language: | English |
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University of the Free State
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Theologica |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/5839 |
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| author | W. Domeris |
| author_facet | W. Domeris |
| author_sort | W. Domeris |
| collection | DOAJ |
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“We have lost our moral compass” is a frequently uttered lament among the ranks of the veteran members of the African National Congress. The refusal to shame a comrade-in-arms is the real discordant note in South African politics. In attempting to give shape to the present situation, this article takes up two quite different studies of shame and honour. Brown’s (2016) study of honour in the USA provides the lens for a shame and honour reading of Suzanne Collins’ (2008-2010) The hunger games trilogy.
Brown and Collins, in different ways, point out the dark side of an honour-based society: the neglect of women and children, and the problem of male violence. The hero of the trilogy, Katniss Everdeen, experiences the pull of the Empire’s values of honour and empire, and yet finds space to push back against its more brutal aspects. In the space-between, like the Jesus of the Gospels, she creates an empathetic and altruistic zone that fosters the dignity of voiceless servants and people such as Rue, a vulnerable
teenager.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aec67ff475bb4e668f6a9901e5bc752c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1015-8758 2309-9089 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Theologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-aec67ff475bb4e668f6a9901e5bc752c2025-02-11T09:35:53ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892021-12-0110.38140/at.vi.5839In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African contextW. Domeris0University of the Free State “We have lost our moral compass” is a frequently uttered lament among the ranks of the veteran members of the African National Congress. The refusal to shame a comrade-in-arms is the real discordant note in South African politics. In attempting to give shape to the present situation, this article takes up two quite different studies of shame and honour. Brown’s (2016) study of honour in the USA provides the lens for a shame and honour reading of Suzanne Collins’ (2008-2010) The hunger games trilogy. Brown and Collins, in different ways, point out the dark side of an honour-based society: the neglect of women and children, and the problem of male violence. The hero of the trilogy, Katniss Everdeen, experiences the pull of the Empire’s values of honour and empire, and yet finds space to push back against its more brutal aspects. In the space-between, like the Jesus of the Gospels, she creates an empathetic and altruistic zone that fosters the dignity of voiceless servants and people such as Rue, a vulnerable teenager. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/5839Hunger GamesShameHonourSouth AfricaDignity |
| spellingShingle | W. Domeris In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context Acta Theologica Hunger Games Shame Honour South Africa Dignity |
| title | In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context |
| title_full | In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context |
| title_fullStr | In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context |
| title_full_unstemmed | In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context |
| title_short | In search of values. Reading The Hunger Games in an African context |
| title_sort | in search of values reading the hunger games in an african context |
| topic | Hunger Games Shame Honour South Africa Dignity |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/5839 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wdomeris insearchofvaluesreadingthehungergamesinanafricancontext |