Wiki+Project+IDR


 * Wiki Post #1**


 * **Weekly Reading Goal:** 190-250 ||


 * **Synopsis of __The Running Man__ by Stephen King**

This book is a dystopian novel that depicts the future corporations brainwashing society to rely on entertainment as vulgar as people suffering to make money and pretty much watch them die. Ben Richards, the main character, is a father to a sick 18 month old daughter who needs medical attention, problem is, he has no job and no way to afford taking her to a doctor. His only resort is to sign up to be a contestant for a game show that pays a large amount of money, but also requires him to stay alive to get the money and not die trying.

This book's social critique will most likely be about government's inability to recognize the poor People in lower classes, in this book, have to eat pills for their everyday meals because they can't afford actual food so the government has created a game show to ridicule these people as they do life risking stunts to gain money for the sake of entertainment. The author of this book is commenting on how little the percentage is of the people who are wealthy are and how much they actually get which is probably more than 200% than an average person. Though this book takes it to an extreme with having them fight death for money, it comments on how society takes people who don't make that much money as nothing and don't even try to recognize them as actual human beings.

Current Events Article:

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Alman, Ashley. "Florida Law Mandating Drug Tests For Welfare Struck Down By Federal Judge." //The Huffington Post //. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.

This article talks about how Florida has now passed a law requiring a drug test to be approved for welfare. This shows how the government has different views on people who aren't fortunate as other with having a lot of money and doesn't trust them since they have to be drug tested to be approved for welfare. It's implying that there is some correlation between poverty and drug use which is completely unfair of a judgment. Sure there are people who do drugs and are in poverty but there are also drug users who are in luxuries so there is no reason for them to only drug test people who need government help. This relates to The Running Man because the government in the story has created a game show trying to kill off people who need money since to them, they are seen a burden. The government is misjudging the poor and dehumanizing them by treating them all as if they are all the same and have the same personalities, criminals. Florida has created this law that dehumanizes people in poverty assuming that they all do drugs therefore they need to be proven that they are not while everyone else doesn't have to prove such a thing. ||


 * Wiki Post #2**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** 250-300




 * Wiki Post #3**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** 300-319




 * Wiki Post #4**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #5**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #6**


 * Final Analysis off Social Critique**

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 * Wiki Post #7**


 * **Weekly Reading Goal: 0-75** ||


 * **Synopsis of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins**

The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel where children from ages 12 through 18 are forced to sign up as tributes, from each district, to be possibly be chosen to fight to the death in an arena. The main character Katniss comes from the seams in her district, the poorest part, and has the responsibility to bring food to her family since she was 11 years old and is in charge in taking care of her little sister. To her surprise, her sister gets chosen as one of the tributes, but she could not bare the thought of seeing her 12 year old sister die so she volunteered to take her place. Now Katniss has to take her hunting skills to the arena to fight for her life.

The social critique of this book is government control and how high-class politicians only care for themselves. The Capitol holds most of Panem's wealth having all the power to do anything they like to all the districts if they wanted to. They created this reality tv show to be broadcast live in every district to remind them that they have the power and can kill them all if they ever try to revolt. Collins is commenting that our government has too much power and is slowly taking away our freedom. The teens killing each other are used to entertain everyone in The Capitol commenting how little politicians care about the people and only care for themselves and their jobs.

Current Events Article:


 * Robinson, Eugene. "Defining the NSA's Role." //Realclearpolitics.com //. RealClearPolitics, 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. **

The NSA has been monitoring our every moves down to knowing information before you have even told anyone else. The government has designed this computer to spy on it's citizens. Every single one of them.It's gotten to the point where they can pin point where anyone in the world is at anytime in matters of minutes. The NSA has been here since the 50's but has now gotten even bigger now that we have social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.Nothing is private anymore now that the government can listen to any of our phone calls.

This article explaining what the NSA is relates to the hunger games because the government has complete control over us. We have lost a lot of our freedom for safety which in a way is good, but what good is it being safe if every second we are being watched and spied on? In The Hunger Games the reason the districts are forced to choose a tribute is because The Capitol wants to show their superiority and make the districts fear them and no want to revolt again. The NSA is also a way for the government to show us that they are superior and have more power. If not, no one would have ever known that there was a such thing as the NSA. It is a way for us to know that if we ever try to do anything such as terrorism, they will find out since we are under their surveillance. ||


 * Wiki Post #8**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #9**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #10**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #11**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** Already read




 * Wiki Post #12**




 * Wiki Post #13**


 * Weekly Reading Goal: 0-100**


 * **Synopsis of Divergent by Veronica**

The story, Divergent is told from the eyes of the protagonist, Beatrice who is left to decide which faction she belongs in and wants to live in which are 5 choices, Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice comes from the faction, Abnegation, but had always thought she didn't belong since she didn't think of herself always being selfless. While left with this decision, she realizes that she is divergent meaning she doesn't belong in just one trait, but that she is made up multiple ones. Being divergent, though goes against the government and risks being eliminated.

The social critique of this story most likely is about how the government influences us to divide our selves according to our religion, race, income, gender, etc. From the beginning of time, we have been known to segregate our selves and the most notable one in government history was when blacks and whites were segregated from basically never having any contact with each other. The government has made us believe that we belong in one category and that's all that defines us especially with social class. This dehumanizes us since we are being looked at in category and one only which is our social class.

Current Events Article:

Reynolds, Alan. "The Truth about the 1 Percent." //National Review Online //. National Review Online, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.

As many know, the gap between the 1% and the rest of the country's income is vast and if that's not enough, there are no laws from the government that is preventing from this to happen, instead there are laws favoring the rich allowing for them to get richer and the poor to get poorer. This is one way in which the government separates a group of people making them feel like their social class defines them. The government today doesn't look at its people as people with emotions and traits but by general and vague traits such as income, race, gender, etc.

This article applies to Divergent because the government forces people to choose one trait to live by and giving them only 5 choices, there is no room for another choice which related to the article talking about the one percent since the government doesn't do anything to try and unite everyone with close to equal incomes, but instead has unfair ways of doing taxes leaving the poor who would have a tough time surviving with the grossed money in the first place have to give some up while, for the rich, its just a little dent. ||
 * Wiki Post #14**


 * Weekly Reading Goal:** 100-200