Dystopian Literature Introduction

Bellringer Brainstorming: List all of the books, movies, TV shows, and video games that you can think of that have futuristic settings.

Books Movies TV Shows Video Games

Reflection: Upon discussion of your lists, what did you discover?

Why do you think there are many more ______futuristic stories than ______ones?

What does this say about our culture?

As a future decision maker of our society, why is this important?

Setting the Scene:  The world can be a scary place. Every generation notices things that need to be ______: devastation of the ______; pervasive ______continual prejudice and ______.  But ______seems to be a human quality that keeps us going.

What will our future look like? Some authors have explored the world of the future and have tried to imagine what could cause a major change and what the ______of that change may be. For instance, some writers consider a ______that topples cities and ruins infrastructures, which once supported communication, transportation and distribution of basics like food and water. ______takes over. Other authors consider how ______issues polarize a country and cause civil war. Who wins? How are laws and governments reorganized? How can one group of citizens be “losers” to the other and still live side by side? Other questions that these fantasy situations may evoke include:

 Will a ______unify us as “citizens of planet Earth,” or will an apocalypse forever alter the world as we know it?  Who will ______?

 What will be left to______life?

 What parts of human nature will survive and gain control – ______and fear, or ______and humanity?  These are the questions that authors of ______novels ponder.

UTOPIA:  Utopia: is a term for an ______. It has been used to describe both planned communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. (The Garden of Eden)  The word was coined in ______by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book , Utopia describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean.  It has spawned other concepts, most prominently ______.

DYSTOPIA:  Dystopia: is the vision of a society (usually ______, imagined) that is the ______ A dystopian society is a state in which the conditions of life are extremely bad, characterized by human misery, poverty, oppression, violence, disease, and/or pollution  Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a ______about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.  Why is the dystopian genre so popular right now? Explain.

Setting:  The setting of a dystopian novel usually includes mass poverty, ______, or a militaristic police force.  Quite often ______are targets – either they are used by adults or are expendable in order to conserve resources.  At the same time, young people often become symbols of ______; their negative experiences have driven them to ______the status quo and seek a new order. Characteristics of a Dystopian Society:

1. ______is used to control the citizens of society. 2. Information, independent thought, and freedom are ______. 3. A government or an institution tries to “______” but at a cost to individuality, autonomy and creativity. 4. A figurehead or concept is ______by the citizens of the society. 5. Citizens are under constant ______. 6. Citizens ______the outside world. 7. Citizens live in a ______state. 8. The ______world is banished and distrusted. 9. Citizens ______to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad. 10. The illusion of a perfect utopian world is ______. 11. There are often victims hiding or ______the constrictions of a government. 12. Sub-cultures planning a ______or vindication 13. Social classes that are divisive, usually based on those who “______” and those who “______” 14. A ______– either natural or manmade –has altered the world and its citizens 15. Science and technology have “perfected” humans, but unnaturally so to the point where humans are more ______and heartless than their ancestors. 16. ______or technical terminology 17. ______gaps between young and old – elders who survived the catastrophic change and agreed to a controlled system to avoid fatal errors from the past; the next generation of youth who question the status quo and resist rules, seek change, or take over power 18. A______– to travel through unsafe settings, to deliver information or something valuable, to incite others to rebel, etc. 19. A ______theme – a young person matures quickly and learns his/her place in the order of things or a mission in life 20. ______– a government that has taken all individual rights and decision-making away from the people; a police force of ______who abuse power; neighbor versus neighbor, turning each other in to the authorities out of fear or for personal gain.

Dystopian Protagonists:

 Sense that something is fundamentally ______with their society.

 Question the existing ______and ______order.

 Feel trapped and struggle for ______or escape.

 Help readers recognize ______aspects of their society through their perspective.