Science fiction is an inherently broad literary genre, which has for
years provoked a considerable level of debate as to what exactly makes a
certain film or book science fiction. However, science fiction is usually
defined as fiction which focuses on alternative worlds that, while different
from ours, still follow a certain defined set of scientific laws and
technological principles. The film Catching Fire can thus be considered an
example of science fiction, since extensive advances in technology and
scientific research (hovercrafts, genetically engineered creatures, and so on)
play a large role in defining and shaping the world in which the story takes
place.
The particular characteristics of
this world are what makes Catching Fire such a relevant film. While the idea of
placing innocent people in death-matches for the sake of public entertainment
is absurd, the world of Panem still acts as a telling allegory for current
societal values. Concepts of freedom and governmental accountability play as
big a role in our own lives as they do in the lives of Katniss, Peeta and Gale.
The inequality between the citizens of the Capitol (who have so much food that
they make themselves vomit just to eat even more) and the destitute miners of
District 12 is no more pronounced than the difference between the starving
multitudes in Africa and the wealthy billionaires of Wall Street. In the end,
the world of Panem acts as a mirror to show us the problems of our own world in
a different light.
It is the presence of these sorts
of problems, and the extent to which they exist, that proves exactly how badly
science and technology have failed in Panem. The whole point of scientific and
technological advances is to benefit society as a whole, to make life easier
and enable us to meet our basic needs as human beings. What has happened in
Panem, however, is that science and technology have been used as oppressive mechanisms,
in the sense that the distribution of technology within Panem amplifies the
socioeconomic inequality between the districts and the Capitol, and that technological
advances are often used more explicitly as weapons to crush any attempts at
reform or rebellion. This means that instead of using its enormous resources
and capabilities to help its people, the government of Panem has instead
twisted and abused its scientific capabilities to preserve a brutal and
unsustainable societal structure.
Marco Del Valle
2013-20474
No comments:
Post a Comment