The Effect Mockingjay is Having on The World (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Hello There! Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to watch 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' at my local cinema and damn it was so good. It struck me whilst watching this powerful film that some of the events that were occurring struck an eerie echo of events that are actually happening in our world today.

For those of you who don't know 'Mockingjay' follows on from the second film 'Catching Fire' in the futuristic series 'The Hunger Games'. The main themes that are presented are: rebellion, revolution, war and uprising. The more I think about it the more I can see the scary resemblance between 'Mockingjay' and the real world so here are just a few connections I spotted:

1. The Bombing of an Unarmed Hospital - Gaza

In The Hunger Games:

During the film The Capitol bomb an unarmed hospital in District 8 killing all inside. 

In Real Life:

This instantly reminded me of the horrific events in Gaza in which unarmed civilians were/are being bombed by Israel and most significantly the bombing of an unarmed hospital which killed four. Sound familiar?

2. All Symbols that are Related to The Mockingjay Are Banned - Thailand

In The Hunger Games:

In the film we see President Snow order that anyone who uses any of the Mockingjay gestures or symbols will be executed.

In Real Life:

Interestingly, 'Mockingjay' has been banned from showing in Thailand as leaders fear an uprising/rebellion. Not only the film has been banned but so have the Mockingjay symbols and the famous three finger salute. Anyone who rebels against this will be arrested. Again, sound familiar? 

3. "If We Burn You Burn With Us" - Ferguson/St Louis

In The Hunger Games:

In the film Katniss angrily states "If we burn you burn with us!" which is the slogan of the book/film. 

In Real Life:

Powerfully, protesters in St Louis spray painted this exact slogan onto a building in disgust of the disgraceful shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. It seems people are actually using this book/film to stand up and fight back against the state just like in the film, the people use Katniss (The Mockingjay) to fight back against the government. 

4. The Murder of an Innocent Black Child by the State - Ferguson

In The The Hunger Games:

Let's not forget why this revolution started in the first place. Rue. For those of you who don't know Rue was young black girl in the original Hunger Games who was killed in the games effectively by the government/state. This was the spark that started the rebellion. 

In Real Life:

Now in case you didn't know back in August an unarmed young black boy, Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. He had his hands up and his last words were "I don't have a gun stop shooting." This has sparked protests and riots across the world. Since the cruel, racist murder of Michael Brown many more stories of young black children that have been murdered by the state have come to light, sparking even more protests. Once again, sound familiar? 

This film has honestly shocked me at how similar 'Mockingjay' actually is to the real world and i almost forgot that I was watching a dystopian fictional story as it seemed so relatable. I've even read the books so I knew what was going to happen but I never really realised just how much 'The Hunger Games' world is connected to our own world. 

Please please go and watch this film. 

It will change your outlook on the world. 

xx Beth xx