The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

by

Suzanne Collins

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes teaching easy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Symbols

Roses

Roses symbolize the Snow family and the family’s attempts to still look the part of wealthy Capitol folk. The Grandma’am, Coriolanus’s grandmother, continues to grow roses on the roof of the family’s apartment…

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The Compact and Powder

Coriolanus’s relationship to his mother’s compact represents his journey of trying—and ultimately failing—to be a good, kind person. Though Coriolanus is selfish and only interested in bettering his position from the novel’s beginning…

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Mockingjays

Mockingjays symbolize different things to different people: to Coriolanus, the birds symbolize the Capitol’s failure to control everything in the districts; to Lucy Gray and other district folk, the mockingjays are symbols of resistance…

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Snakes

Snakes represent the danger that lurks everywhere in Panem, even in unexpected places. Lucy Gray initially establishes herself as a surprisingly cutthroat competitor in the Hunger Games when her name is called in the…

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The Compass

The compass symbolizes Coriolanus’s final choice to prioritize amassing power and prestige over his relationships and to follow in his father’s footsteps. Coriolanus takes the compass, which once belonged to his father Crassus Snow

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Panem’s Anthem

Panem’s anthem shows how successful the country’s propaganda machine is, as the country’s ideals, as celebrated in the anthem, don’t match up at all with how the country treats a majority of its citizens…

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