Everyone has heard the term "Don't judge a book by its cover", which I'm sure at one point we have all been guilty of. Whether it be judging a person, based on their appearance or things you may have heard about them. It could possibly be a place, like a party you were invited to and before you show up fashionably late you call your friends already there to make sure its up to your personal "party standards" of girl to guy ratios, potential of getting busted, if your ex or crush is in attendance etc. Judgment in this way comes in many forms. But this time I am actually referring to a book and the message the cover sends you before ever reading a word. Before reading The Hunger Games, I myself had previously watched the movie which I enjoyed a lot, and I could not help but wonder which I would dub my favorite after reading the book. When I first saw the book cover prior to reading the only thing I really noticed was the mockingjay pin, which in the movie didn't play an entirely huge role other than being a pin that was given to her by a shop owner in the hub (which is not the case in the book) and before Katniss enters The Hunger Games Cinna hides the pin in her jacket to stay throughout the duration of the games. The symbolism to me was not fully represented. It wasn't until after reading the book did I fully understand the concept of the pin and the role it takes and the symbolism it portrays. This is also when I began to understand what the book cover was depicting and the foreshadowing it gives you before ever even cracking the book. The flat, drab, black background, combined with the symmetrical circles surrounded by the rings that to me represents order, discipline, and confinement. The block lettering title at the top is nothing fancy, this combined with the background contrasts the mockingjay pin to a great extent and it is clear the pin is a symbol of Katniss' rebellion she coincidentally started by trying to keep her and Peeta alive. Viewing the cover, I can't help but wonder, does the book cover depict a rebellion with the ability to become a revolution and in turn create a better quality of life for the people of Pane? Or does it display the dangers of acting out against a higher power, and the consequences that follow?
	
I chose to visually analyze the cover of The Hunger Games instead of a scene from the movie, or a movie poster, or a piece of fan art simply because the author Suzanne Collins probably only had a say so in the choosing of the cover of the book, as she did not direct the movie nor create the fan art. I feel like the cover is the clearest way to make connections to the text and find what they both represent, that, and I didn't want to resort to watching the same scene two hundred times driving myself crazy.
	
As I said previously, after reading the book, the book cover began to make a lot more sense in my head. The first thing I related were the grey circles, which to me could represent districts that are obeying and in line with the order of President Snow and the Capitol. The ring around the circle could represent the fences that surround each district and keep the citizens entrapped in the tyranny of their district. This to me shows dominance and power, like a prison guard in a watch tower with a loaded weapon daring someone to test his shooting ability. The outlying circle acts as a precautionary measure and a way for the Peacekeepers to have access to fully encircling and enclosing the districts and its boundaries. Depending on your point of view, a conservative person might view these boundaries as positive, maybe compare them to our policemen that are just there to keep people safe, but a more liberal might view these boundaries as oppressive and compare them to police officers who take advantage of their power in order to heighten their self-esteem. I personally believe these circles and the rings as a whole show how important it is to the Capitol to keep all matters of district life controlled, but it also shows the Capitols awareness of their treatment of the districts. If they truly believed that Panems oppressive rule was for the best interests of the country, they wouldn't constantly be concerned with the prevention of a rebellion. Metaphorically, I see it as President Snow constantly sleeping with one eye open for fear of his ways back lashing. It is also made known throughout the book that President Snow wants to leave no hope for the people of Panem because of how contagious it may be. This brings me to my next point.
	
As I stated earlier I believe the pin represents Katniss' rebellion against the Capitol trying to keep her and Peeta alive. The mockingjay seems to be breaking through the rings that I noted earlier could be viewed as fences or boundaries, and whoever designed the cover shoes to leave the broken fragments of this "fence" around the very bright, golden pin. The broken fragments display how the rebellion can leak out from one district to another since the boundaries are now non-existent. With that I also must mention how the darkness surrounds the golden pin, almost swallowing it. If this revolution is to spread from district to district the consequences will be great for all of the /"darkness" the rebellion will have to travel through. This may explain why in the book, the train rides from one district to another take days at a time. To buy time in stopping an uprising if it were to occur.
	
Other than Suzanne Collins' name displayed on the cover to note the author, the only words in text on the cover is the metallic grey outlined in red block lettering of the title. Why not make the title more appealing? Simply because The Hunger Games is not only the title of the book, but it's a law, a requirement for all the districts to abide by. If you pulled up to a stop sign with the word "STOP" written in fancy old English font you would most likely wonder what the heck was going on, disregard it, and be on your marry way. It reminds me of a child being told what to do by their parent with a very stern demanding voice to entice the child into listening. Another note about the title presentation is that to me it resembles a war propaganda poster signaling dominance and possibly modern day communism. Which by comparison of governmental theory, communism and the system if Panem seem to go hand in hand, or iron fist in iron fist.
	
With all this being said, I believe the answer to my thesis lies in the heart of the reader. If you were in the situation of the people of the districts, would you see the consequences of rebelling as miniscule compared to the bigger picture of possibly living a better life? With your other option being dealing with the oppression for life in fear of the repercussions being far greater than the freedom you may be able to achieve. To me, by viewing the cover, it's clear that the chances of rebellion turning into a successful revolution maybe slim. Slim, meaning there's a chance. And if people think they have a chance  "Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."

