Dystopian Literature What is a Utopia A place

Dystopian Literature

What is a Utopia? ● A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions ● TRANSLATED MEANS BOTH “GOOD PLACE” AND “NOWHERE”

What is a Dystopia? ● Futuristic, imagined universe ● Oppressive societal control ● TRANSLATED MEANS “BAD PLACE. ”

Characteristics of Dystopian Society ● Propaganda is used to control citizens ● Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted ● Citizens are under constant surveillance and have a fear of the outside world ● Citizens live in a dehumanized state

Characteristics of Dystopian Society ● The natural world is banished and distrusted ● Citizens conform to uniform expectations ● Individuality and dissent are bad ● Society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world

Types of Dystopian Controls ● Corporate control: One or more of the large corporations control society through products, advertising, and the media Examples: In Time Minority Report

Bureaucratic Control Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials Examples: V for Vendetta The Hunger Games

Technological Control Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means Examples: The Matrix Terminator I, Robot

Philosophical/Religious Control Society is controlled by a philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government Examples: A Handmaid’s Tale The Book of Eli

Dystopian Protagonist ● Often feels trapped and is struggling to escape ● Questions the existing society and political systems ● Believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with society in which he or she lives ● Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective

• BY MID-CENTURY, NEARLY 60% OFAMERICANS WERE MEMBERS OF THE MIDDLE CLASS; THEY HAD MORE DISCRETIONARY INCOME. • THE INCREASE IN PROSPERITY AFTER THE WAR LED TO AN INCREASED PASSIVITY AND CONFORMITY. • CONSUMERISM = SUCCESS • JOBS WERE PLENTIFUL • THE ELECTRONICS AND THE COMMON ADAGE INDUSTRY BECAME THE LARGEST INDUSTRY. TELEVISION HAD A WIDESPREAD IMPACT IN AMERICAN HOMES. 5 TH OF THE TIME PERIOD WAS: “FOLLOW ORDERS, AND YOU WILL SUCCEED. ”

AMERICA MEDIA VIEWING FACTS • 96% OF CONSUMERS AGE 65+ WATCH 30 MINUTES OR MORE OF TV EACH WEEK, COMPARED WITH OF 79% 18 -TO-24 YEAR-OLDS. • 75% OF 18 -TO-24 YEAR-OLDS WATCH DIGITAL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, WHEREAS JUST OLDS DO SO. • 20% OF 65+ YEAR-

AMERICAN VIEWING FACTS CONTINUED • 96% OFAMERICANS HAVE A MOBILE PHONE AND 82% HAVE A SMARTPHONE. • 96% OF 18 -TO-24 YEAR-OLDS GO ONLINE REGULARLY COMPARED WITH 53% OF THOSE 65+. • 46 % OFAMERICANS SAID THEY CHECK THEIR SMARTPHONES FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WHILE THEY’RE STILL IN BED. • • • 83% OFMILLENNIALS SAID THEY KEEP THEIR SMARTPHONES ACTIVE ALL DAY AND NIGHT.

OVERALL… • •