The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Compare the family backgrounds of Coriolanus and Sejanus. How do their childhood experiences affect how each feels about the Capitol, the Hunger Games, and being mentors to the tributes?

Describe Lucy Gray Baird’s appearance at the reaping and why it has the effect it does on the audience, in District 12 and the Capitol. In what ways does she represent the quotation from Wordsworth— “Sweet is the lore which Nature brings”?

Why does Coriolanus decide to meet the train that brings the tributes to the Capitol, and why does he stay with the tributes? Describe the ways that he is influenced by Lucy Gray and how she responds to him. What makes Lucy Gray believe him to be trustworthy? Does he betray that trust?

How do Coriolanus’s and Lucy’s views of human nature influence the way they see each other, their communities, and the decisions they make?

Why do you think Sejanus went into the arena? Why does Dr. Gaul insist that Coriolanus go in after him? What does the time they spend in the arena tell us about the nature of both Sejanus and Coriolanus? What does this scene tell us about Dr. Gaul’s motivation?

How do Lucy Gray’s songs affect Coriolanus when she sings in the Capitol? Why is he disturbed by some of her ballads and not by others? How else does he respond to her songs in the Capitol? What is the difference when he hears her sing in District 12?

Relate the happenings in District 12 to the Rousseau quote: “Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.” What are the “chains” that hold each of these characters?

Discuss the title of this book. Why do you think it is called a “Ballad”? Who are the Songbirds and who are the Snakes, and what philosophies do they align with? How do birds and snakes play a part in the narrative?

Why do you think the author added an epilogue, and why is Coriolanus referred to only as Snow in the epilogue?