Read The Unofficial Hunger Games Companion Online
Authors: Lois H. Gresh
The Unofficial Hunger Games Companion (15 page)
AD
93–195
AD 93, Saint Clement I preached that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 100, Saint Ignatius wrote in prison that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 135–156, Montanus hooked up with Maximilla and Priscilla to convince the masses that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 195, the Sibylline Oracles predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 210, a man named Judas (not
that
Judas, but a different one with very naïve or nasty parents) toyed with the Book of Daniel and predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 365, Saint Hilary of Poitiers predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 380, the North African Christian sect called The Donatists predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .AD 375–400, Saint Martins of Tours claimed that the Antichrist had already been born and the end of the world was imminent.
Any second now
. . .
AD
500
This was a big year for doomsday predictions.
Sextus Julius Africanus, who lived between AD 160–240, figured that God would destroy the world 6,000 years after creation. By his calculations, God created everything in 5000 BC, there were 5,531 years between the creation and resurrection, and hence, the apocalypse would happen in approximately AD 500.
Saint Hippolytus, who died in approximately AD 236, also claimed that the apocalypse was scheduled for 6,000 years after creation, or AD 500.
Saint Irenaeus, who died in AD 202, also believed that the apocalypse was slated for AD 500.
WEAPONS OF CHOICE IN THE HUNGER GAMES
Along with hunger, war, and rebellion, weapons are central to all three books in The Hunger Games series. We’re told up front by Katniss that most people in District 12 would hunt and fish if they just had the weapons. Most only have knives. Luckily, Katniss is equipped with her father’s bows and arrows (
The Hunger Games
, 5).
When tributes go to the Games, they train to use all the various weapons that might be at their disposal. Despite her prowess with the bow and arrow, Katniss worries that kids from other districts will know how to kill her “in twenty different ways” (
The Hunger Games
, 36). How can anyone possibly learn how to use a knife sufficiently to beat someone who has spent years with a knife? Is it possible to learn knife throwing within a few days of training before you’re sent into the ring to compete for your life?
Aside from the Careers, who train liberally throughout life for the Games, kids from the districts train for only three days (
The Hunger Games
, 88). Yes, just three days in which to learn how to:
Throw a knife.
Throw a spear.
Throw an ax.
Use a bow and arrow.
Swing a mace.
Tie a knot.
Set up snares and traps.
Start fires.
Make shelters.
Fight in hand-to-hand combat.
Identify edible plants.
Lift weights.
Use a slingshot.
Climb trees.
