...Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics Utopia: A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions. Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system. Characteristics of a Dystopian Society • • • • • • • • • Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. Citizens have a fear of the outside world. Citizens live in a dehumanized state. The natural world is banished and distrusted. Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad. The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. Types of Dystopian Controls Most dystopian works present a world in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following types of controls: • Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man. Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless...
Words: 327 - Pages: 2
...Youth in Dystopia (DRAFT) Christopher Lewis Chapman University May 21, 2014 Vadeboncoeur (2005) criticizes the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and explains that youth are always defined as being in the process of becoming an adult. But what happens if this question is no long applicable or even necessary? Dystopian novels remove this illusion of choice. In each of the novels I will address, all teenagers attend or participate in a ceremony whereby they transition from young adult to adult. The first series I will address is Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series, where youth undergo plastic surgery as their rite of passage. Maturation and growing up require endure body modifications to create same-ness and the perfectly pretty white race. Second, I will analyze Ally Condie’s Matched series, where social order to determined by sorters who decide vocation and spouses. All teenagers attend a ceremony where a person’s perfect match is determined by a computer program. Lastly, I will use Veronica Roth’s Divergent series to explore how the world is constructed by personality type. Youth choose to participate in factions that are determined by a psychological examination that detects a youth’s instinctual predilections when facing their fears. As readers begin to figure out the rules to this new society, they are challenged to make comparisons to their own world. We are forced to wonder whether or not, as educators, we reinforce stereotypical...
Words: 3808 - Pages: 16
...The unforeseen future can hold a drastic change of lifestyle, different from what it is today. The authors of the stories criticize our present social system, by displaying a satirized dystopian future of society, in which the world is led by corporatism and has lost control of themselves as well as the ability to think and instead are governed by a higher form of power, having become controlled sheep. The dystopian possibilities shown in the stories aren’t that far out of reach. Many of the dystopian elements can be scene in today’s society but on a smaller scale. As time progresses our civilization can itself become incorporated in a reality that was once the plot of fictitious stories. The classic cult movie “They Live” by John carpenter exploits corporatism that is seen in a large scale in today’s society. The movie revolves around Nada, a happy go lucky wandering construction worker, who stumbles upon a pair of sunglasses that are capable of showing the world’s true nature. Through his sunglasses he can see hidden subliminal messages throughout the city that are projected by advertisements and mass media. He only sees the core of their message and only the reason why they exist. No matter where Nada looks, or at whichever magazine he flips open he can see the same subliminal messages, which can also be seen on money. The memos contain messages such as: “obey," “consume," “buy," “work, sleep, play” and are meant to restrain and control the population. Nada also discovers...
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...Two Dystopias “Harrison Bergeron” (1961) by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and “The Ones who walk away from Omelas” (2001) by Ursula Leguin are both short stories set in dystopic worlds. In “Harrison Bergeron”, everyone has been made equal. In order to achieve this, anyone who is more intelligent, beautiful, and athletic than others must wear a handicap in order to meet the government’s standards of what they considered to be “average”. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” the characters live in a world where everybody is happy although living their everyday life with the knowledge of one injustice. This one injustice is that the people of Omelas are aware of a child who is living in a locked cellar with poor conditions, who is malnourished and neglected. The citizens in Harrison’s world are suffering from a life with harsh restriction and do not have the freedom to live life as they want to. The life of the citizens in both stories are unaccepted; however, the world portrayed in “Harrison Bergeron” is more intolerable. In both worlds there are people who are suffering. Most of the habitants of Omelas are living a joyous life but at the expense of one child’s misery; they are aware of the living conditions of the child, yet they choose to live their lives normally. Others who were unable to stand to live with this guilt decided to leave the city. The world described in “Harrison Bergeron”, those who were seen as higher than average has to wear a handicap. For instance, if...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...Dystopia in The Handmade’s Tale by Margaret Atwood The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel widely recognized and beloved by people all across the globe. It was written by Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, and originally published in 1985. This novel falls into the anti-utopian or dystopian genre of literature. Dystopias are like utopias in the sense that both are imaginary worlds or societies; However, instead of possessing the same “perfect” state as utopias, dystopias create the complete opposite environment which are places made up of extremely undesirable and negative aspects. In dystopian novels, the unpleasant societies are often made up of dark political and social structures. These societies can also be prone to having extremely repressive...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...The society that portrays in Kurt Vonnegan’s “Harrison Bergeron” is both a utopia and a dystopia. “Harrison Bergeron” is a utopia and dystopia because all the characters are equal, but it seems asperous and impetuous kkby having handicaps to force equality. Diana Moon Glampers also kills two people, which is not perfect. What makes it a utopia is that they are all equal, so no such thing as bullying. The handicaps make it harmful to the people who have to wear them, but for the people who don’t have to wear believe that the handicaps are just to help them. “All this equality was due to...amendments to the constitution,”(page 69), meaning they thought it would help since it was in the constitution. “Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter...
Words: 431 - Pages: 2
...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, mankind destroys all traces of their materialistic and individualistic past to form a utopia. This so-called utopia is actually more of a dystopian society. Dystopias are defined as an imagined place that is usually totalitarianistic and environmentally degraded. Anthem’s society is one of these societies, due to the tyrannical leadership, lack of technological advancements, the indoctrination of people, beginning at birth, and the loss of individualism. The tyrannical leadership is shown through the ruthless enforcement of unreasonable laws. People were “burned alive in the square of the City” (Rand 49), and theft was punishable by “ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention” (Rand 18). Technology was also severely...
Words: 264 - Pages: 2
..."no-place", and...in standard usage, the word's meaning has narrowed and now usually describes a non-existent society that is intended to be viewed as considerably better than contemporary society." Dystopia, on the other hand, is the direct opposite of utopia, and is used to describe a utopian society after things have gone diminished. The future based short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is based on a 'utopian society' where the world is living up to the idea of America’s fourteenth amendment in which everyone is created equal. The gifted, strong, intelligent, and beautiful are forced to wear handicaps of either earphones, heavy weights, or hideous...
Words: 1300 - Pages: 6
...YA Dystopia's Teach Children To Submit to the Free Market The main argument I see from this article is, as the title says, teaching children to conform to the right wing mindset that adults already have, in a way, programmed into their minds as a way they've grown up with. The way they describe The Hunger Games is a liberal set world that has gone wrong and plays into the minds that a laissez-faire existence would leave society with a better standing. From my understanding of the Hunger Games franchise, I would argue that the author is completely correct in their speculations. The novels are left up to each reader's decision and in my humble opinion, I would come to conclusions from the book that it's focal points leave readers with the message to stay awake about what's going on under their noses within the government. This could be especially true for those who've compared the movies to the books, when the love triangle started playing a larger part than in the books. Imagining Race in the Hunger Games In this article, Holmes is arguing the integrated problem of our society when it comes to how we see race. Our fault as a nation when we pick up a book is to see the characters by a default “white” unless said otherwise and thus resulted to the issue some fans encountered when Rue was announced to be black girl (despite the physical description in the novel). These said readers were shown to have preconceptions about this kind of casting where they didn't think a black girl...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...How does a society go from being a utopia, to a dystopia, what is a utopia??. In George Orwell’s novella, Animal Farm, the farm animals are restricted and mistreated. They have an overseer named Mr. Jones who is not only a drunk, but is slowly losing his ability to take care of Manor Farm. Gradually the animals are moving toward the idea of revolution against their dictator. Lois Lowry once said, “The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. Is a life without colour, pain or past.” This quote can be interpreted as a life without problems, surprises or consequences, is a life with no originality or vitality. George Orwell uses a large variety of literary elements such as, symbols, dramatic irony and conflict...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...(0) Imagine a world where no one can have individuality, each person must be identical in personality to the next. If one thinks for themselves, they are outcasted, burned and thrown away along with whatever taught them. (1) The novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a perfect example of a world like this, a dystopia, and it has many elements that show it. (2) First, the antagonist in the novel, the government, has control and will do anything to keep it. (2) Next but foremost, technology is used in many unpleasant ways throughout the novel. (1) Bradbury’s novel is a dystopian work of art and the elements in it play a huge role throughout the story. (1) Despite the fact that Montag faced many adversaries throughout the novel, the mastermind behind it all is the government as it tries to keep control. (2) The first way the government tries to keep control is by killing off those that do not conform. (3) For instance, when Beatty comes over and Montag asks about Clarisse, Beatty states “The poor girl’s better off dead...queer ones like her don’t happen often.” (Bradbury 60). (4) To clarify, Beatty means that Clarisse was too much of an individual and she would not fit in so killing her was acceptable. (2) To further my point, the government in this world alters what is taught about history to make their actions seem normal so the...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...The word utopia, first created and used by author Thomas More during the Renaissance, is derived from ancient Greek meaning nothing or nowhere. Even though utopias ultimately shouldn’t exist, in the 1700’s many different philosophers tried to set up real-life utopias (Dunn 1) and even before that, people wrote about the concept of utopian societies as if they were real. After reading multiple dystopian articles, short stories and even a book, it is easy to see that the concept of a utopia is one that ultimately cannot exist and that utopias ultimately perish and turn into a dystopia. All of the stories mentioned in this essay share one theme: the government plays a role in what they do, what occupation they have, who they interact with, and...
Words: 741 - Pages: 3
...A dystopia is an anti-paradise usually with a totalitarian government controlling it. A dystopian novel is often a futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state. Ayn Rand was a Russian-born American novelist who wrote Anthem during World War 2. Ayn Rand’s Anthem is an example of a dystopian novel based on the society worshipping the council, independent thought, free speech and the ability to retain any knowledge they wanted is restricted and the Unmentionable times being banished and forgotten. The first reason showing that Anthem is a dystopian novel is that the society worships the Council of Scholars. The Council makes the rules and disciplines the people who do not follow the rules. One of the Council’s...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...The history of utopian literature began with religious tales of past golden ages or future paradises, such as the Genesis story of the world creation and the Garden of Eden. While both myths demonstrate the characteristic of utopia and dystopia The Genesis account moreover demonstrates the necessity of a system of rules for stability. Therefore, when people talking about utopia, the synonymous word perfection would come up to their mind. So, a utopian society is an ideally formed society which has perfect political and social order, just like a paradise. The citizens in this kind of society would definitely have the most enjoyable life we all dream about, that there are no wars, diseases, discrimination, and inequity. According to my previous...
Words: 322 - Pages: 2
...Topic: In both The Giver and The Chrysalids, the communities strive to create utopias in their own ways. Discuss how memories are forgotten and/or emphasized to achieve this. In the novels The Chrysalids by John Wyndham and The Giver by Lois Lowry, both authors illustrate how, when communities emphasize or forget memories from the past, it will result in a dystopia. Further, it will also affect our future generations and the way people choose to live. In the Waknuk community of The Chrysalids, memories are recalled, emphasized, and then used to threaten and control the society. The leaders rule the community using fear as a weapon, forcing the people to believe what they want them to believe. The Waknuk community’s idea of a utopia is to have the people obey the rules, and to live under the will of God. A citizen of another community criticized the Old People, “If they had not brought down Tribulation which all but destroyed them” (Wyndham 157). The memory of Tribulation is constantly discussed, repeated and emphasized throughout the novel. The community believes that if they break the laws and rules of The Bible and Nicholson’s Repentances, their two only and sacred books, they will be faced with consequences like how the “Old People” of the past did. Tribulation is believed to be a period of time where the people of earth made too many mistakes, broke too many rules, that angered God, causing Him to destroy all of earth to give people a chance to start a new...
Words: 1036 - Pages: 5
