ANALYZING MEDIA PROPAGANDA AND POWER THROUGH LANGUAGE IN THE HUNGER GAMES: AN ENGLISH PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31851/n0pbxe05Keywords:
The Hunger Games, Language, Propaganda Model, Media Spectacle, Power DynamicsAbstract
This article explores how The Hunger Games portrays the interplay between media, power, and social oppression through a linguistic perspective. Set in the dystopian nation of Panem, the narrative reveals how the Capitol exerts its dominance by manipulating media as a tool of control. The annual Hunger Games where each district must send one male and one female tribute to compete in a deadly survival contest serve not only as punishment but also as a strategic spectacle designed to suppress rebellion. Broadcast across all districts, the event reinforces the Capitol’s authority, constantly reminding citizens of their subjugation. From an English perspective, the novel highlights how language and media narratives are constructed to legitimize power and normalize violence. The Capitol’s framing of the Games transforms human suffering into a form of entertainment, masking oppression through carefully crafted messaging. This study employs qualitative data analysis, drawing on key excerpts from the novel, and applies the “five filters” propaganda model introduced by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Through this framework, the analysis reveals how language functions as a powerful mechanism in shaping perception, sustaining authority, and perpetuating systemic inequality within the fictional society.
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