Seneca, why do you think we have a winner? If we just wanted to intimidate the districts, why not just round up twenty- four of them at random and execute them all at once?… Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. But it is also delicate. It can get out of control. Like a fire. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. The spark is fine as long as you contain it.
War, terrible war. Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the uprising that rocked our land. Thirteen districts rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them, protected them. Brother turned on brother until nothing remained. And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. A people rose up from the ashes and a new era was born. But freedom has a cost. When the traitors were defeated, we swore as a nation we would never know this treason again. And so it was decreed that, each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up, in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice. The lone victor, bathed in riches, would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future.
Welcome, and happy Hunger Games.
