This is interesting. We’ve been telling about The Hunger Games viral website TheCapitol.pn (acting as an official site for The Capitol in Suzanne Collins’ story). It has been very flash heavy and filled with lots of statistics up until about a hour ago when it was replaced with a poem by Samuel Johnson called The Vanity of Human Wishes.

Here’s a sample of the passage which specifically mentions a capitol, bread, and games:

Up with the laurel-wreaths over your doors! Lead forth a grand chalked bull to the Capitol! Sejanus is being dragged along by a hook, as a show and joy to all! “What a lip the fellow had! What a face!”—-“Believe me, I never liked the man!”—-“But on what charge was he condemned? Who informed against him? What was the evidence, who the witnesses, who made good the case?”—–“Nothing of the sort; a great and wordy letter came from Capri.” 10—-“Good; I ask no more.”

And what does the mob of Remus say? It follows fortune, as it always does, and rails against the condemned. That same rabble, if Nortia had smiled upon the Etruscan,11 if the aged Emperor had been struck down unawares, would in that very hour have conferred upon Sejanus the title of Augustus. Now that no one buys our votes, the public has long since cast off its cares; the people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions and all else, now meddles no more and longs eagerly for just two things—-Bread and Games!

On a related note, TheCapitolPN Twitter account tweeted the following message when this change took place on the website:

Citizens of Panem: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned…

So why do you think the site was replaced with The Vanity of Human Wishes? Does this make any sense?

You can learn more about the poem on Wikipedia and read the entire poem right here.