{"id":180,"date":"2011-02-03T07:00:50","date_gmt":"2011-02-03T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=180"},"modified":"2011-02-01T22:19:18","modified_gmt":"2011-02-02T06:19:18","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads &#8216;Mockingjay&#8217;: Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the fifth chapter of <em>Mockingjay<\/em>, we learn just how painful this is all going to be. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read <em>Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->You know, I enjoy the multiple parallels Collins is drawing between these books and what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening now. What I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like is that Collins feels the need to spell them out for me. It reminds me of the first few <em>Harry Potter<\/em> novels, when Rowling summarized a lot of what had happened in the previous books. I mean, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying I have some sort of prophetic, intellectually-perfect mind. LET THESE REVIEWS ACT AS EVIDENCE OF HOW MUCH I MISS THE FIRST TIME AROUND. But this first paragraph is a bit too obvious for me.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of parallels, this is yet another long scene of Katniss being worked over for a public display. How she can stand this is a testament to her patience, because I certainly breezed through this section. It was interesting to see two parts of the trio without makeup or adornments in the way I was accustomed to, but Venia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s defense of Katniss was more important to me:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss is not going to hurt us,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says quietly but firmly to Octavia. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss did not even know we were here. Things will be better now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Octavia gives a slight nod but doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dare look me in the eye.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Well, it explains why they were so frightened by Katniss in the first place. It seems they believed she was responsible for their kidnapping, probably as an act of revenge.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Now I have a lumpy, jagged scar that ripples out over a space the size of an apple. Usually, my sleeve covers it, but the way Cinna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Mockingjay costume is designed, the sleeves stop just above the elbow. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a concern that Fulvia and Plutarch are called in to discuss it. I swear, the sight of it triggers Fulvia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gag reflex. For someone who works with a Gamemaker, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awfully sensitive. But I guess she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used to seeing unpleasant things only on a screen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>OK, GUYS. SERIOUSLY. MOVE ON. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S A SCAR. Isn&#8217;t she <em>supposed<\/em> to look gritty and grimy? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get these people. Yet despite this, Katniss still agrees to accompany them to the dining hall, knowing the rest of the district is not going to be nice to them. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not, by the way.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The covert glances and quiet murmurs I usually evoke are nothing compared to the reaction brought on by the sight of my bizarre-looking prep team. The gaping mouths, the finger pointing, the exclamations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>UGH. Look, ok, they are weird and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re from the EVIL OPPRESSOR ZONE. I understand this. BUT SHUT UP. Man, District 13 annoys me the more I learn about them.<\/p>\n<p>It was nice, however, to spend some time with Gale and his family, since the vast majority of what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve even heard about them is through Katniss. Posy, Gale\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s five-year-old sister, is the one who openly speaks to the trio. After asking if Octavia is sick because of her green skin, Katniss explains that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fashion choice.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s meant to be pretty,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d whispers Octavia, and I can see the tears threatening to spill over her lashes.<\/p>\n<p>Posy considers this and says matter-of-factly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be pretty in any color.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DOESN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT MAKE YOU WANT TO SOB FOREVER<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_lfz329nveV1qbq2y9.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"165\" \/><\/p>\n<p>UGH POSY FOR PRESIDENT. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve elected like half of this novel to be president, haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t I?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s get to some awe-inspiring badassery of the billionth degree, shall we? Since agreeing to be the Mockingjay, Katniss and Gale are now supposed to take Special Defense training deep below the surface. Beetee is apparently the one who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to start things off and I would be lying if I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t admit how excited I was to see him. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m curious to know how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing after all that happened in the arena.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When we ask for Beetee, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re directed through the maze until we reach an enormous plate-glass window. Inside is the first beautiful thing I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen in the District 13 compound: a replication of a meadow, filled with real trees and flowering plants, and alive with hummingbirds. Beetee sits motionless in a wheelcheer at the center of the meadow, watching a spring-green bird hover in midair as it sips nectar from a large orange blossom. His eyes follow the bird as it darts away, and he catches sight of us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>UM. OK. SO. BASICALLY MY FACE IS THIS RIGHT NOW.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_lfypwqrN1F1qzab9d.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"501\" \/><\/p>\n<p>These movies better do well because <strong>I NEED TO SEE THIS ON THE SCREEN. BASICALLY<\/strong>. HOLY SHIT.<\/p>\n<p>Beetee explains that District 13 built this area in order to study hummingbirds, to examine the dynamics of their wings, though I suspect there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also something immensely therapeutic in that place for Beetee. Bless his heart.<\/p>\n<p>Though, Collins does take a moment to remind us of Beetee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I remember something I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like to think about. In preparation for the Quell, I saw a tape where Betee, who was still a boy, connected two wires that electrouted a pack of kids who were hunting him. The convulsing bodies, the grotesque expressions. Beetee, in the moments that led up to his victory in those long-ago Hunger Games, watched the others die. Not his fault. Only self-defense. We were all acting only in self-defense\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>YEAH, YOU CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T MAKE ME HATE BEETEE, COLLINS. The dude rules. Still, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty distressing that these people will always have these thoughts running throughout their heads for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>ANYWAY. MOVING ON. How weird was this bit?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Finnick doing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s having concentration problems,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I answer. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to say he had a complete mental meltdown.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Concentration problems, eh?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Beetee smiles grimly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you knew what Finnick\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been through the last few years, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d know how remarkable it is he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still with us at all. Tell him I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been working on a new trident for him, though, will you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, <em>WHAT. WHAT<\/em>. Oh, Collins, why do you have to drop such intriguing bits of information and then WAIT SO LONG TO COMPLETE THEM?<\/p>\n<p>After a most ridiculous display of DOUBLE BOUTS OF SECURITY MEASURES, which\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6hold on. This line is brilliant and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t skip over it:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At the door of the armory, we encounter a second round of identification checks\u00e2\u20ac\u201das if my DNA might have changed in the time it took to walk twenty yards down the hallway\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand are finally allowed to enter the weapons collection.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>OH, KATNISS. You are a regular comedienne! PLZ QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.<\/p>\n<p>Weapons! Lots of them! Everywhere! The armory is straight-up a chest of war: firearms, bows, launchers, ARMORED VEHICLES AND SHIT. YEAH.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Katniss is drawn to the archery section, where she sees some of the most complex bows imaginable. While Gale gets used to carrying a bow (Beetee says it would be more appropriate if he also carried one alongside Katniss), Beetee disappears to go fetch a very specific weapon for Katniss. He returns with that weapon and NEVER PREPARED.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Inside the case, on a bed of crushed maroon velvet, lies a stunning black bow. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I whisper in admiration. I lift it carefully into the air to admire the exquisite balance, the elegant design, and the curve of the limbs that somehow suggests the wings of a bird extended in flight. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something else. I have to hold very still to make sure I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not imagining it. No, the bow is alive in my hands. I press it against my cheek and feel the slight hum travel through the bones of my face. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it doing? I ask.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Saying hello,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d explains Beetee with a grin. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It heard your voice.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BEETEE, MAKE ALL THINGS FOREVER. Holy god, HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You see, they wanted me to design a bow based purely on looks. As part of your costume, you know? But I kept thinking, <em>What a waste<\/em>. I mean, what if you do need it sometime? As more than a fashion accessory? So I left the outside simple, and left the inside to my imagination. Best explained in practice, though. Want to try those out?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Beetee, I love you. I seriously do. You are a genius and <em>you do wonderfully nice things for people<\/em>. Oh, and he designed a bow that can shoot accurately over one hundred yards, and uses multicolored bows for various uses: sharpness, incendiary, explosive (!!!). Oh, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all controlled by Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice. Oh, and this will totally save her life later and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about how convenient it is because <em>BEETEE YOU ARE THE BEST<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It seems Collins rushes through the next scene, as Katniss leaves Beetee and Gale and goes off to prepare for her first shoot on a soundstage, where they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be making the first video to be broadcasted to Panem. After being all dolled up in her outfit and made to look grimy enough to look gritty but not disgusting, Katniss makes her attempt at the single slogan they want her to repeat.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People of Panem, we fight, we dare, we end our hunger for justice!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awful. Completely awful. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not even sure it makes grammatical sense. But Katniss gives a good ol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 try anway.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dead silence on the set. It goes on. And on.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the intercom crackles and Haymitch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s acerbic laugh fills the studio. He contains himself just long enough to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_lfz7qjFMw71qavbnl.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p>OH MY GOD HAYMITCH!!!! &lt;3333333333333333333<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the fifth chapter of Mockingjay, we learn just how painful this is all going to be. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,5],"tags":[28,39,24,27],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mockingjay","category-hunger-games","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-mockingjay","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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