Life Imitating Art

From sonnets, to screenplays, to novels, a common theme has been presented throughout the decades. Societies fallen from natural disasters, war, and famine have rebuilt into strict, regulated nations ruled by tyrannical and absolute leadership.

In 2008, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games was released.  The story, now known internationally, tells a story of dictatorship, revolution, and the hunger for survival in an unjust world.  Not only were the readers entertained with a war story, they were also implored to think: to think of the unwritten social laws in which every human born into this world should follow, and most importantly, to think of the state society and government is reaching.

A government that establishes and enforces rules is effective. A government that establishes and enforces lifestyles is disastrous.  Usually, the difference between the two is astronomical, yet the steady line modern society is taking blurs the line between the two.

How far is too far?  How much longer will it take to completely eradicate the concept of individualism?  If complete governmental control becomes the norm, how can we progress as a nation? In The Hunger Games, a single girl sparks a revolution in order to stop the control.  In real countries around the world, the people with a common interest search for freedom. 

This is America’s biggest fear. America was created on the foundation of freedom and uniqueness.  Yet, within the last four years, this foundation has just about been destroyed. And the problem begins: what will America become if the Land of Opportunity fails to offer Opportunity?  On a positive note, America has realized it’s ever-growing problem, and now seeks to fix it. Big Brother should not be watching. 

So, in 2012, a new hope must arise to aid us in our quest for the old America.  For the America that once promoted freedom and free will, and the right to seek opportunity in whatever reasonable places exist. And in 2012, endless possibilities have the chance to become even more endless.

Taylor Capizola is an amazing young woman, and has obviously not fallen far from the apple tree.  She is a junior at the American Heritage School, and at the ripe young age of 17, she already has a firm grasp on reality as few young people do in a world rife with mis-information, distortions, and nonsense.  We at The Patriots Press are excited to see more from her over the coming months.