DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE UTILIZED FOR MANS SALVATION AND NOT

DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE UTILIZED FOR MAN’S SALVATION AND NOT IT’S DOWNFALL MATHEW TORRES

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen I decided to do my project on Dystopian Literature, specifically on how we can use Dystopian Literature as a warning signs to prevent it from happening in our present time. Questions that I hope to answer is: ● Does having prior knowledge about dystopia enough to prevent it from happening ? ● Are Dystopian elements often put in place as a ruse in order to achieve a false sense of Utopia?

Envision a world where the earth is slowly dying, where the grim conditions are consequences of man’s pure greed. A world where an infectious disease could be spread through a mere cough or a sneeze, murdering millions in its path. A society where people are targeted solely, based on their race, gender, or belief. Or a political system that is based on division, to brainwash, and to control. While this may sound like the setting of Dystopian Literature, this world is not confined to the pages of science fiction books. This world is not in some futuristic time…. This world is our world set in the here and the now.

Why do writers choose to write about Dystopia? “Like other Dystopian Literature Writers, Octavia Butler perceives dangerous tendencies in contemporary society and intensifies them in her imagined futures in order to forewarn of the perils of latent in the present and to encourage readers to think and act to prevent possible dystopian futures” (Stillman, 15). The writers provide the tools and it is up to the readers to decipher the codes and act.

What do Dystopian Literature teach its readers? Lauren In Parable of the Sower “I’m trying to learn whatever I can that might help me survive out there. I think we should study books like these”(Butler, 58). Faber speaking to Montag in FAHRENHEIT 451 “So now do you see why books are hated, and feared? They show the pores in the face of life”(Bradbury, 79). Dystopian Literature Writers empower their characters with the tool of knowledge, to survive and not to forget the errors of the past.

What can be accomplished “And the oppressed thirst and fight for basic rights, such as freedom of speech, expression and association” (Jean Card, America Dystopia). This year marked a momentous movement, Black Lives Matter, protesters all around the world united to fight for injustices for African Americans and people of color. Against the same authorities that are put into place to protect them, instead are abusing their powers.

The Warning Signs What can happen when people lose sight of what is important, and allow to buy into someone else’s vision of a Utopia. Maybe come up with a slogan, to bring back a false sense of hope, while separating its own citizens. “Trump’s presidency represented a threat to American democracy, anyone who ever thought Trump could unleash a Civil War saw those fears closer to being realized” (Ghitis, Trump’s America Dystopia has Reached a New Ominous Cliff, CNN).

The Results Can Dystopian Literature be utilized for man’s salvation? The response is yes and no, while man has no control of natural disasters, or of pandemics, human beings have the power to fight for their basic human rights, to keep history from repeating itself. Inspiration comes from the words written inside of books, just as the Dystopian Writers empowered their characters with the power of knowledge, so do they empower their readers. I’m not saying that everyone will take heed from their words. But the ones that do will inspire others to fight, and to survive. Human beings often get lost in the vision of someone else’s Utopia, creating dystopian elements in order to single out the undesirables of society and creating a collective. But if Dystopian Literature has shown its readers anything is that you can’t stop individuality and their weapon of choice is knowledge.

Worked in text Citations: STILLMAN, PETER G. “Dystopian Critiques, Utopian Possibilities, and Human Purposes in Octavia Butler's Parables. ” Utopian Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, 2003, pp. 15– 35. JSTOR, www. jstor. org/stable/20718544. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020 Butler, Octavia E. Parable of the Sower. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2007. Print Bradbury, R. (2013). Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury. New York, NY: Simon &Schuster. Card, Jean. “America the Dystopia? ” U. S. News & World Report, 13 May 2016, 11: 45 am, www. usnews. com/opinion/articles/2016 -05 -13/could-america-and-the-world-become-a-real-version-of-dystopian-fiction. Ghitis, Frida. “Trump's American Dystopia Has Reached a New and Ominous Cliff. ” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 June 2020, 8: 53 pm, www. cnn. com/2020/06/01/opinions/trump-american-dystopia-protesters-tear-gas-ghitis/index. html.

Images Works Cited: Thought Provoking Political Dystopian Books https: //res. cloudinary. com/jerrick/image/upload/fl_progressive, q_auto, w_1024/v 1 dn 0 cpje 6 svxmhxws 52. jpg Black Lives Matter Image: https: //s. abcnews. com/images/GMA/bellevue-nurse-protest-gty-ps-200605_hp. Main_16 x 9_992. jpg Parable of the Sower image: https: //media. s-bol. com/gp 3 Ky. O 5 wl 8 g. Z/135 x 210. jpg People in clean suits spraying a subway tunnel: https: //www. sciencenews. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/031120_jl_coronavirus-pandemic_feat_15001028 x 579. jpg

Images work cited: MAGA Hat: John Middlebrook/CSM Shutterstock https: //deadline. com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/maga-hat. jpg? w=681&h=383&crop=1 Octavia Butler’s image: Science Fiction made black girls heros https: //miro. medium. com/max/4272/1*0 -YBXy. K-u. KCVfm_3 SEk. VZQ. jpeg Fahrenheit 451 Book https: //i 5. walmartimages. com/asr/f 98 b 4023 -4 e 80 -4 f 23 -8 d 0 d 6 c 5 ead 3 be 39 e. b 1 b 798 b 953 abcc 62 d 59 bfc 977 f 683 ce 8. jpeg? odn. Width=612&odn. Height=612&o dn. Bg=ffffff