Catching Fire Honor's Essay

This was my Honor's Essay for the NCTC Honors Program.  

In a lecture hall with hard, uncomfortable seats there is a voice droning. The audience sits inattentively, for them it is just another speech. Students and teacher alike have heard plenty of speeches. They know a good speech when they hear one. It makes them feel, think, and calls them to a course of action. However a good speech is not common. In contrast, movies often have the hero giving inspiring monologue, calling his or her allies together to accomplish the task to reach the resolution of the movie. These inspiring movie monologues are often more exciting to people in an audience. These monologues sometimes, even though fictional, inspires just like a real speech would.

Although monologues and speeches have many similarities, they are rarely associated with one another. Comparing the two for similarities is essential to think about as people can perceive a public speaker as more “fictional” than they should, falsifying what he or she is saying in their own minds, rather than viewing the speech as an informative experience. The same goes as sometimes monologues in movies as they appear more “real” than they should. An example of a monologue becoming “real” through resemblance of a speech is Katniss’ speech in Catching Fire.      

 

 

Similarity Between a Speech and Monologue

Despite the fact they are infrequently compared, speeches and monologues serve very similar purposes. A monologue is when an actor tells information, calls something to action, or persuades the other actors on stage by having a long line in which there is no conversation or interruptions. It is not a dialogue, even though the actor is speaking to someone on stage, as there is not reply back from the other actors. In this sense it is like a speech as a person is talking to a single person or a group of people not expecting a verbal response. At the end of the monologue the actor is expecting a change. This change could be the characters, which are portrayed by the fellow actors, responding to a call of action, changing their behaviors, or carrying out a different type of change. Speeches also have an expectation of after they are over, people will respond by taking action, knowing a new skill and carrying out that skill, or changing their behavior. Both monologues and speeches are long, verbal communications between people.

Similarity Between a Public Speaker and an Actor

            The job description for a public speaker and actor are quite alike, contrary to what some might believe. They both have to verbally convey a message to an audience while also keeping in mind vocal clarity, body language, facial expressions, eye contact and many other factors. Both must convey what they are saying in a believable, reliable, and trust-worthy. 

Summary of Catching Fire

Dystopian, New York Times Bestseller Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, was translated into a movie November 22, 2013. This resulted in the movie earning 161.1 million dollars in just its first weekend at the box office. Today it is still the best November debut in history and fourth best debut of all time (Smith). The Hunger Games, which brought a renewed popularity to its genre, is about a young woman named Katniss Everdeen who, to save her sister Prim, volunteers to be a tribute for an annual competition called the Hunger Games where she is to try to kill other children from the ages of twelve to eighteen. The last one alive, or last two alive in the case of this Hunger Games, wins the competition and gets the privilege to return home with fame and fortune. Catching Fire is about the events leading up to the Hunger Games that following year and the next Hunger Games itself. One of the events includes Katniss, along with her fellow winning tribute Peeta Mellark, giving speeches to the districts and families of the fallen children from their Hunger Games. District 11 is their first stop. This is particularly difficult as Katniss was allies with one of the fallen children whose name was Rue and the other competitor from District 11, named Thresh, spared her life as she avenged Rue’s.

            Originally planning not to do a speech, as she was so emotionally upset over Rue’s death, Katniss decides to give the speech after seeing the families and realizing they at least deserve to hear from her after what they watched their children go through. Katniss steps up to the microphone and first turns to Thresh’s family stating that, while she did not know him, she owed her life to him because of the mercy he showed. Then Katniss faces Rue’s family. This is clearly more challenging for her as she talks about how Rue was a friend and how she is constantly reminded of her by various things in life. She states that she could not save Rue and apologizes for it. This impactful statement ends the speech and one man in the audience gives a three fingered salute, a very meaningful and powerful gesture in this society, as a sign of forgiveness and respect for Katniss and a sign of rebellion towards the Capitol, the dictators of their society. Others in the audience follow the man’s actions and do the same. The actions of the audience result in guards from the Capitol, called Peacekeepers, shooting the man who first did the salute. 

 

Speech Analysis

            The purpose of the speech is the main message of the speech and what the speaker wants to audience to get from the speech. In the case from Catching Fire, the purpose of the speech is to inform the families of Katniss’ experiences with Rue and Thresh and how the experiences had affected her. It was also to apologize for their loss and the fact she did not protect Rue.  

Katniss had no preparation for her speech; therefore, it is considered an impromptu speech, which is when a speech is given with no previous planning. The fact it is an impromptu speech and she is recounting her personal experiences there is no need for, or opportunity to gather, outside sources, citations, or visual aids in her speech.

Katniss affects the audience mainly by appealing to their emotions through her tragic happenings in the Hunger Games with Rue and Thresh. Many people in District 11 knew these two children. This appeal to emotions is called pathos, and Katniss almost entirely relies on it for her speech compared to logos, the appeal to logic, and ethos, the appeal to ethics (Kelly, Meghan). While speeches tend to need a balanced combination of the three, everyone in the audience could relate or at least sympathize with Katniss’s feelings over the events of the Hunger Games and the loss of Rue and Thresh, therefore making the use of pathos in the speech effective.

Structure is essential for a speech as it provides organization so the audience can follow along and understand the message the speaker is trying to send.  Katniss uses a very simplistic structure by having an introduction, middle, and conclusion. In the introduction Katniss speaks of the Thresh and how he spared her life in the Hunger Games. It then dives into the heart of the story, or the middle, where Katniss tells of Rue’s death. This can be considered the main point or central reason for the speech. The telling of Rue’s death is the main source of emotion for Katniss’s use of pathos. The conclusion consists of Katniss apologizing for Rue’s death. The fact the speech ends in an apology for a death is another use of pathos which is very impactful on the audience.

The use of wording in a speech conveys the message. It is how the speaker communicates what is in his mind to the audience. The wording in this speech are well chosen. When Katniss tells how Thresh “could have killed me, but instead he showed me mercy,” it brings to light that it could have easily been Thresh who were alive and not Katniss. Thresh made a choice which changed the course of many lives, especially Katniss’s who says this is “a debt I’ll never be able to repay.” The use of the word “debt” shows that she knows she can never make up for the loss that Thresh’s act of selflessness cost him and his family. Rue meant a lot to Katniss which is shown when she said, “She wasn’t just my ally, she was my friend,” despite the fact friendships in the Hunger Games are a true rarity. Metaphors of places Katniss sees or hears Rue in various things, constantly reminding her of her loss, are immensely touching. This includes the fact she sees Rue in her sister Prim, who she saved by volunteering for the Hunger Games. However Katniss could not save Rue leading her to say, “And I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry,” as the intensely emotional conclusion to her speech. The wording in the speech overall was concise, every word was a necessity to convey the meaning of the message effectively.

The tone gives off the mood of the speaker and subject of the speech. During her speech Katniss uses a very even and respectful tone. While talking about Thresh her tone was formal, yet sympathetic and sad. When talking about Rue Katniss’s tone still maintains sympathy, however her tone becomes less formal. There was also a heavier weighted guilt and grief in her voice. The tone during the speech was varied while Katniss’s emotions changed, showing the shift in the mood and intent of the message.

Facial expressions are essential to show how the speaker is feeling and how they feel the audience should respond to the speech. Katniss’s facial expression is very solemn during the speech. Towards the end her eyes are visibly gleaming with tears, though none are shed. The facial expressions convey how Katniss is feeling.

There is minimal to no variation in gesture and body movement. These are typically added to a speech to give it animation so the audience does not get bored watching the speaker. This specific speech is relatively short and very serious so any unnecessary liveliness would have taken away from the message of the speech. Thus, the limited movement, rather than hurting the speech, reinforced the purpose of the speech. The body movement also shows the tone of the speech. Katniss’s arms are always at her side while she is talking and she does not move around the stage, but stands straight, giving respect to the families and the audience. Standing straight also gives the audience a full view of her, a vulnerable position that also holds authority. The stillness and humble nature of this stance makes her speech even more impacting.

Eye contact is an important factor when giving a speech. Most of the time when giving a speech a speaker tries to give the audience an equal amount of eye contact; however in her speech, Katniss is mainly addressing two parties: Thresh’s family and Rue’s family. Consequently the choice to not avert her eyes from the families while addressing them is reasonable and even more powerful than if she were to simply look at all the audience members while she was speaking. At the end of the speech, she does do a scan of the audience, making sure to look at all of them. With the effect it would have on the audience in mind, the use of eye contact was carried out outstandingly.

Another factor that a public speaker needs to keep in mind is volume. Yelling and whispering are not ideal for a speech, hence a balance needs to be found. However for emphasis the volume that the speaker uses may be heightened, though never to the extent of yelling. Katniss’s first few words are softer as she builds up courage. Then when she mentions Prim, her sister, who reminds her of Rue, her volume has a slight increase. Overall she does a good job of finding a balance as she uses a normal speaking voice that is amplified by the microphone throughout the course of her speech.

The audience was very attentive while Katniss gave her speech. The fact a man, followed by many others, gave her the three fingered salute proves her speech moved them. Rue’s mother was especially moved as tears were streaming down her face. The audience’s reaction reinforces the fact this was an effective speech.

Monologue Analysis

            This speech can also be analyzed as a monologue in a movie. The purpose of this scene in the movie was to give clarification on what happened to Rue and Thresh’s family as they were important characters in the first film, especially Rue. The monologue brings the viewers a sense closure and gives them insight on not only Rue’s death, but also how Katniss has been dealing with it after the games. This scene also effects the course of the movie by having the man shot in the end, which results in Katniss and Peeta conforming to the Capitol during the other districts speeches for their and others safety.

As it is a monologue, the actress, Jennifer Lawrence, must ensure that her character shines through while giving her lines. While Katniss is not very emotional, she is not heartless either. The deaths of these people affected her immensely. Lawrence portrays this very well by appearing genuinely upset without seemingly being an emotional wreck. Katniss is intelligent and strong as seen in this monologue. Her character traits were clearly and effectively shown.

This monologue is a story within itself that is part of the bigger whole, the plot of the movie. This scene has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning is where Katniss talks about Thresh. Then there is a shift where Katniss talks about Rue’s death which is the climax and where the main emotional impact is going to occur for the viewers. The ending is also very effective as Katniss apologizes for the fact “She couldn’t save her,” giving recognition to Rue’s death. They use the words, “I’m sorry,” as a way to bring the monologue to a close.

Pathos, ethos, and logos are used to help persuade an audience in all forms of media such as speeches, literature, and in the world of movies. The filmmakers mostly used pathos to evoke an emotional response from the viewer. This helped enhance the sincerity of the performance.

 The wording in the script is extremely important as filmmakers only have around two hours to get the entire story in. Every single moment must be concise, meaningful, and relevant to the plot. It is not normal in our society to host entertainment in the form of killing children; therefore, they used metaphor for the death of Rue to attach the loss to something the viewers could relate to, such as the metaphor using the sibling relationship between Katniss and Prim. The connection between this moment and the viewers is essential for the reaction of sympathy and grief the filmmakers want from the viewers. 

Fellow actors are placed so they look almost drawn to Katniss. This helps establish Katniss is the focus of the scene. The fact that Lawrence was placed down center stage, which is at the center of the stage near the audience, also reinforces this fact along with her being full front, or completely facing the audience. Lawrence is also placed on a stage making her higher than the audience, this holds her above the other actors and therefore places her at a higher importance in the scene. Thresh and Rue’s family are also on a stage but are shown less frequently during the course of the monologue. The blocking, or positioning of the actors, gives focus on Katniss and other significant characters augmenting their importance in the monologue and the monologue itself. 

Perspective for the viewers is one of the most important aspects of a movie as it is literally the viewer’s eyes into the world the filmmakers have created.  This is why camera angles are worth analysis. Whoever the focus is in the scene, whether it is Katniss, Rue’s mom, Rue’s family, or Thresh’s family the camera is pointed directly in front of or to the side of them. It is never facing their back. This allows the viewers to see their facial expressions and makes the character the focus in that moment. When Katniss is addressing the families of the fallen the camera is turned towards them, however Rue was comparatively more of a main character than Thresh. Therefore when Thresh’s family is shown the camera is quite a distance from them compared to Rue’s family where the camera pointed directly and closely multiple times. Having the camera higher pointing down towards the actor, at the same level as the actor, or lower pointing up towards the actor holds a special meaning. At no point during Katniss’s speech is the camera higher than her pointing down. This is usually used to make a character look weak, inconsequential, or small. In contrast when the camera is below the actor looking up it is used to make the character look strong, important, or large. This happens at one point during Katniss’s monologue. However most of Katniss monologue has the camera facing at her same level, a middle ground which makes her look normal, neither weak nor larger than life. This is helpful as grief is a normal human emotion that the viewers can relate to which is what the filmmakers want. They want us on the same level as Katniss is during this monologue.  There is a close up towards the end of the monologue where is a close up with Katniss and then Rue’s mother. The position of the camera identified how the viewer was to perceive the character very well.

Lighting and sound effects are one of the major factors when filming a movie. The grayish tint in the lighting of the scene suggests the scene is very solemn. There are sound effects such as the wind and a slow song with only stringed instruments in the background that also suggest the same thing. Both lighting and sound effects help establish the mood of the scene.

The tone of voice used by the actor depicts how the character is feeling. Lawrence used a voice for Katniss that illustrates that Katniss is grieving. She uses a very even, respectful, and formal tone. There is sympathy, sadness, and guilt in her voice as she gives the monologue. The tone Lawrence used amazingly convinced the viewers of her emotions through tone.

Actors use facial expressions to convey visually how the character is feeling and reacting to their situation. Lawrence has very subtle changes in facial expression. Mostly her expression is apologetic, regretful, and very solemn. Despite the subtle, minimalistic differentiated facial expressions the viewers can undoubtedly tell what Katniss is feeling through Lawrence’s use of facial expressions.

Body language is unmistakably a major visual cue on what a person, and character, is feeling and how they are reacting to their situation. The body language used is very minimalistic as it is a very serious monologue, not a comedic animated one. Lawrence carefully displays her characters mood by placing her arms at her side and not moving them. Her body language, while not tense, is very somber. The body language clearly conveys how Katniss is feeling. 

Projection is how an actor makes their voice loud and clear for the viewers to hear without shouting. It would be very irksome to hear a movie or play where all the actors scream so they can be heard. Good projection was done by Lawrence as she was able to be heard with a seemingly normal volume. Her voice had good clarity in the monologue enhancing the performance.

The extras and other actors are all attentive and focused on Katniss. As a viewer this helps them be attentive and focused on Katniss as well. There is not dialogue from other actors as it is a monologue, giving Katniss the floor.

How Analysis Relate to One Another

            Despite the clear and distinct differences in the analyses, they are also remarkably similar. The two analysis from this segment from Catching Fire may convey the message in different ways, changing how people perceive the words Katniss is saying; however ultimately, the same tone and meaning of the message arrives to the audience. Both a monologue and speech convey a message through verbal communication and both an actor and public speaker must do this efficiently with most of the same techniques.

Unconsciously, after viewing both monologues and speeches, people are influenced how the view them individually. This idea was clearly demonstrated in an experiment an actor was hired to act as a professor in a class of students. The students were unaware this man was an actor and ninety percent fully believed his performance despite the fact he used, “double talk, contradictory statements, and meaningless references…deliberately provide no real substance, citing books and research papers that did not exist” (Genard). This actor was additionally told to tell these deceptions authoritatively and charismatically. He was to be entertaining (Genard). This experiment proves that people can hear a speech and judge how it is told not just by the credentials.

Conclusion

Monologues are typically meant for entertainment while speeches are usually not; however, people have come to expect to be entertained, or at least thoroughly engaged by a speech.  If it does not meet their expectations they may unconsciously dismiss the speech as meaningless, pointless, or bogus. On the opposite view of that they may see an entertaining speech and automatically assume it must be true or at least relevant. As they are interested they see it as worth their while. This is not always the case. For example a speech on taxes may feel irrelevant to a high school student as it seemingly wastes their time, however this topic is essential to them. Sitting in a class or in a movie theater, you may here a speech or a monologue, both of which are similar in purpose and in structure as shown by a segment in Catching Fire. The strong similarities can make a public speaker appear untrustworthy or irrelevant as, compared to a thrilling movie monologue, it may seem boring. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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