Okay so Prim’s name was called…which one entry against people who have their names in multiple times? Oye. Well it only takes one. I’d definitely feel like Katniss…like the wind had been knocked out of me. But wait. People can volunteer? Well apparently they can because Katniss just did. Effie Trinket’s a real hag trying to make it out all ‘we have to wait for a volunteer by the rules and blah blah blah’. Annoying! Prim really doesn’t want Katniss to go though which is clear from her attempt at wrapping herself around her sister. Oh good, Gale. Well at least one person can help. But it’s clear District 12 shows great distaste because when Effie asks them to give Katniss a round of applause, they all stay silent. Instead they give her the sign for thanks, admiration…and it’s also a goodbye to a loved one. The three middle fingers of the left hand to the lips, then held out. Much as everyone does what they can, they still haven’t chosen the boy tribute. It’s Peeta Mellark. Peeta and Katniss aren’t friends according to Katniss, bust he showed her a kindness like no other when they were younger. After Katniss’ father died, her mother kind of fell off the radar of truly existing. Because of it, Katniss and Prim struggled to uphold themselves from starvation…well as close to it as you can get when you’re young and have to try and make meals for yourself and younger sister (at the age of 11). The only thing Katniss could think to do was start going through people’s trash. Stealing is forbidden in District 12. Katniss found herself behind the bakery, being shooed away by the baker’s wife, and knowing she had nothing to take home to Prim and their mother had her defeated. But Peeta noticed Katniss and ‘accidentally’ burned two loaves of bread. He actually didn’t hand them to her, I think out of fear of getting hit by his mother again. It was an act of kindness, something rarely shown in the district. Peeta obviously knew of this moment, or remembered, when his name was called. How could you forget a moment like that? But now they’re being thrown into a game where, in the end, one may have to kill the other. So kindness kind of seems out the window at this point. Each tribute gets an hour to say goodbye to their family after the reaping is finished. Katniss gets to see her mother and Prim first. It’s kind of that gut wrenching feeling, knowing that you have to see the sister you saved, but also knowing you may never see her again. And knowing the last time something bad happened, your mom just kind of stopped being…that has to put some fear in your heart that it’d happen again. Wait, okay I could see Peeta’s father visiting him, but he comes to visit Katniss, and brings her cookies. The next person to visit is Madge. She’s the mayor’s daughter. And she came to bring Katniss a symbol for the district. Each tribute can wear one thing from their district. All I know at this point, is that it’s a bird. Gale’s the final person to really get a visit. He’s sweet and harsh all in the same. You can tell he wants nothing more than for Katniss to come home from this…alive. When his time is up, he’s pulled from Katniss and we don’t even get to find out what his last words really are! Both Katniss and Peeta get taken to the train station and it’s plain to see that Peeta doesn’t care if he’s looked at as weak. It could, in fact, be strategy. Every single thing from the reaping on is taped. SO maybe it’s part of Peeta’s strategy…appear weak. Apparently it worked for someone named Johanna Mason a few years prior. She was the victor of District 7. Anyway, they’re taken to the Capitol by train, and I find out that it’s a place that was once known as The Rockies. District 12 was known before as Appalachia. On the train, everything is luxurious. So are they allowing the less fortunate a taste of the rich life because clearly they’ll die in the games anyway? Finally, I find out what the bird pin is that Katniss received from Madge! It’s a mockingjay. Apparently the bird is what you’d call a ‘slap in the face’ to the Capitol. The Capitol liked to make ‘muttations’, also known as ‘mutts’, and one bird was a jabberjay. It could memorize and repeat conversations. Well, the districts began using it against the Capitol so, they tried to terminate them, only they didn’t. The jabberjays then mated with female mockingbirds…hence mockingjay. They can’t really repeat things, but they can mimic tones and memorize notes of songs. It’s sort of a ‘take that Capitol you failed at your job’ so Katniss having the pin is definite rebellion. She’s already a bit of a hellraiser. After changing, Katniss goes to eat and the abundance of food is sort of overwhelming. Effie Trinket is with them, and talk about more annoyance. She claims that the tributes from the prior year are sort of savage because they didn’t use utensils to eat. Well that pissed Katniss off. And honestly, who says stuff like that?! After the meal, they get to watch a recap of the reapings. Now, this is directly quoted from the book: ‘A few stand out in my mind. A monstrous boy who lunges forward to volunteer from District 2. A fox-faced girl with sleek red hair from District 5. A boy with a crippled foot from District 10. And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11.’ After it all, Haymitch, who’s definitely a drunkard, enters the compartment. He does it only to end up vomiting and falling in it. And he’s Peeta and Katniss’ mentor…the one who’s supposed to guide them on how to stay alive? You have got to be kidding me!
