{"id":119,"date":"2011-01-03T07:00:47","date_gmt":"2011-01-03T15:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=119"},"modified":"2011-01-02T23:48:20","modified_gmt":"2011-01-03T07:48:20","slug":"mark-reads-catching-fire-chapter-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/01\/mark-reads-catching-fire-chapter-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Catching Fire’: Chapter 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the tenth chapter of Catching Fire<\/em>, WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Catching Fire<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It makes no sense. My bird baked into bread. Unlike the stylish renderings I saw in the Capitol, this is definitely not a fashion statement. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is it? What does it mean?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask harshly, still prepared to kill.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It means we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on your side,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says a tremulous voice behind me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
BOOYAH. I knew it. So there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rebellion brewing in Panem that Katniss inadvertently started and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re using the mockingjay as their symbol. I greatly approve of this.<\/p>\n
So this is all quite exciting, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not gonna lie. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re now in Part II, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Quell,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which means that none of the shit was real because now<\/em> this shit is going to just start to get real. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a couple women dressed as Peacekeepers who are now clearly nothing of the sort. Why are they at the cabin and why is one of them limping and KATNISS HAS A SIDE? Oh man, this is seriously so awesome.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My name\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Twil,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says the woman. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s older. Maybe thirty-five or so. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And this is Bonnie. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve run away from District Eight.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHHHHATTTTTTT.\u00c2\u00a0 (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to be saying that so much during this review because EVERYTHING IS SO DIFFERENT AND WILD.)<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d you get the uniforms?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I stole them from the factory,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Bonnie. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We make them there. Only I thought this one would be for\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6for someone else. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it fits so poorly.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So someone clearly died, and textile factories\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing somewhere in New England? Oh man, NOW IS THE TIME FOR SO MANY ANSWERS.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That cracker in your hand. With the bird. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that about?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you know, Katniss?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bonnie appears genuinely surprised.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
AKL;SDFJA;DLFKJASD NO, WE DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW. <\/strong>Oh man, are there other districts getting involved with this too?<\/p>\n
After learning that they left District Eight in order to escape the uprising, Katniss asks them what on earth they are up to next.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re headed for District Thirteen,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Twill replies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU KIDDING ME<\/strong>. It still exists????? Oh my god, WHY WOULD YOU GO THERE.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thirteen?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no Thirteen. It got blown off the map.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Seventy-five years ago,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Twill.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
MEANING THAT IN THAT TIME, SOMETHING ELSE COULD BE THERE. Oh my poor brain, you were not prepared for this.<\/p>\n
As they move inside to discuss this new development, Katniss notes that Twill and Bonnie are ill-prepared for this journey, but also acknowledges they have such a completely disparate experience in District Eight that they have no use for the wilderness skills that Katniss grew up with. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very honorable how much Katniss takes care of these strangers because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no proof (yet) that they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actual<\/em> Peacekeepers disguised as escaped rebels. Sure, that possibility is pretty slim, but she immediately gets to work feeding them and making them tea.<\/p>\n
I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like that method of the way that Collins disseminates the story of Bonnie and Twill because I feel like it takes me out of the moment and out of these two characters. Katniss narrates the story herself and it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound like it came from the actual source, and that disconnect irritates me. I want to read about their reactions, the way they tell the story, the looks on their faces, the color of their pallor when they see the factory blow. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m nitpicking, I know that, so I will say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the content of this story and how much we learn both about District Eight and the Capitol at the same time.<\/p>\n
Since the vast majority of you have read this book, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no need for me to quote the whole thing to you. But the frightening thing about the story is the force that the Capitol used to crush the resistance. To me, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most interesting thing about all this; initially, of course, the resistance in that district succeeded in taking control of the methods of industry and production and I hoped their story would end with a positive message, that they had succeeded and they were out to spread the message that the Capitol was suppressing information.<\/p>\n
Alas, that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the case. In just forty-eight hours, the city falls back into Capitol control. I mean, the sheer firepower and mass murder that had to be dished out\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6man, this makes the thought of rebellion in any<\/em> district seem impossible.<\/p>\n
After the factory was blown up, with Twill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s husband and Bonnie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family inside, they escaped on a train leaving their district, only forced to stop after Bonnie twisted her ankle just outside of where they are now.<\/p>\n
Ready for shit to get goddamn real as\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know where I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going with this.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I understand why you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re running, but what do you expect to find in District Thirteen?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
Bonnie and Twill exchange a nervous glance. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not sure exactly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Twill says.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing but rubble,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all seen the footage.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just it. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been using the same footage for as long as anyone in District Eight can remember,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Twill.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
GOOD LORD, MY HEAD IS EXPLODING.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know how they always show the Justice Building?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Twill continues. I nod. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen it a thousand times. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you look very carefully, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see it. Up in the far right-hand corner.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153See what?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
Twill holds out her cracker with the bird again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A mockingjay. Just a glimpse of it as it flies by. The same one every time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
OSDHFJKHALKSDFJHAJSDFKHAKSDHFAJSHFD;KLAJSDF;LKHASFDJ<\/p>\n
It provides a nice symmetry, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Not only is the mockingjay the symbol that represents Katniss and what she did in the Games, but it represents the hope of those in District Eight who noticed that something was not quite right with the footage the Capitol was using on television.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Back home, we think they keep reusing the old footage because the Capitol can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t show what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really there now,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Bonnie.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
My excitement for Catching Fire<\/em> just shot up so much that I completely regret doing this one chapter at a time. This<\/em> is incredibly suspenseful and fascinating. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way I even considered District Thirteen to be a part of the story at all; I completely forgot about it since it was mentioned in the last book.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to District Thirteen based on that? A shot of a bird? You think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to find some new city with people strolling around in it? And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just fine with the Capitol?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Twill says earnestly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We think the people moved underground when everything on the surface was destroyed. We think they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve managed to survive. And we think the Capitol leaves them alone because, before the Dark Days, District Thirteen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s principal industry was nuclear development.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it. I love this book. The love triangle can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ruin it for me, the frustrating way Collins can write sometimes is not going to distract me, and the lack of character development in people like Prim is pointless. THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE COOLEST SHIT. FOR REAL. An underground society living in defiance of the Capitol because THEY MIGHT HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS<\/em>? OH MY GOD. This is so fucking fantastic.<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ridiculous for Katniss to disbelieve these two people. The idea, to her, is inconceivable, and her constant cynicism wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly lead her to rush into their shaky plan. In fact, I like the idea that Bonnie and Twill merely plant the seed in her brain, something that will eat away at her until she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forced to accept it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true. I believe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true myself, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the next best thing to the earth opening up and eating a villain. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I love the idea of secret societies and the thought that we are going to get to explore fills me with too much joy to believe that Collins would drop this thought and then never address it again.<\/p>\n
Much respect to Katniss, though, for disbelieving the outlandish plan these two tell her and still teaching them as much as she can about surviving in the outdoors. I have been harsh on her, but her sense of morals when it comes to the impoverished and oppressed around her is spot on. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like second-nature for her to help people, even if it puts her at a disadvantage, and I really like her for that.<\/p>\n
She bids them goodbye, a million thoughts running through her head, and heads back to town so that her family doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry about her being gone. It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be good for more attention to be drawn to her, so it makes sense that that also contributed to her desire not to leave for District Thirteen.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It means we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on your side.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Bonnie said. I have people on my side? What side? Am I unwittingly the face of the hoped-for rebellion? Has the mockingjay on my pin become a symbol of resistance? If so, my side\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not doing to well. You only have to look at what happened in 8 to know that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something to worry about right now. The idea that people are<\/em> rebelling is pretty hopeful too.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m crouched on one knee, preparing to enter the Meadow, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still so preoccupied with the day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s events that it takes a sudden screech of an owl to bring me to my senses.<\/p>\n
In the fading light, the chain links look as innocuous as usual. But what makes me jerk back my hand is the sound, like the buzz of a tree full of tracker jacker nests, indicating the fence is alive with electricity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT. Oh my god THE DISTRICT KNOWS. THEY SAW HER LEAVE. Oh god THIS IS SO AWFUL. Sdl;kfjas;klfjasdl;fkhl; al;kjfd;lk a;slkdj sdiofu ;lakfs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the tenth chapter of Catching Fire, WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Catching Fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,5],"tags":[32,28,33,24,27],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catching-fire","category-hunger-games","tag-catching-fire-2","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-catching-fire","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}