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A literature essay on a dystopian society
Dystopian novels are not only read to entertain readers, but they are also to indicate the characteristics and ideas of the ordinary setting
A literature essay on a dystopian society
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Suraj Patel
Mr. Metaxatos
Period 7
12/7/15
A Dystopian Society
We have all read dystopian book or movie, whether it’s the new The Hunger Games movie, or a classic, like Animal Farm. Dystopias have become more complex and realistic, but they continue to share similar characteristics with dystopias written in the past. A dystopia is a society in which humans suffer and live in oppression. On the other hand, a utopian society where everything is perfect: the government is stable, the people have rights, and there are laws that benefit the common people. As seen in the societies in Hunger Games, Animal Farm, and in dozens of others, utopian societies can easily become dystopian, often as a result of corrupt leaders and government.
All dystopias have one thing in common: the use of propaganda to manipulate the people. In dystopias, utopian societies are just an illusion. The characters think that they are living in a utopia; they think
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In the movie Divergent, the people are living in one big society in a city that is closed off by tall walls. They are trapped in the society by the leaders. The are brainwashed and told that the walls are there to protect them from the outside world. The leaders built the wall so they people don't see how bad their life style and society is. In the book, no one is really allowed to leave the society because the natural world is banished for the protection of the people. They completely banish the world outside of the society. In the movie Soylent Green, the upper class area is protected by big fences from the lower class area. There is a visible line of poverty. In dystopias, the leaders make up lies to prevent the people from seeing the truth in how they are being treated. In all dystopias, there is a wall, either figuratively or literally, preventing the people from seeing the outside
In both books they share some traits, even though they may not look anything alike they are. both of these novels are dystopian novels and many characters share similarity’s.
The book The Hunger Games is full of critical scenes. A critical scene is a type of scene that is necessary for the book to have a story. One very important critical scene is when Prim was chosen at the reaping. When she was chosen Katniss decided to take her place as a tribute. Why did Katniss take her place? What could have happened if she didn't take her place?
Authors of dystopian literature often write in order to teach their audience about issues in the real world. Dystopian
Society will never be perfect. Equality will never be sustained. A dystopian society will always have corruption of government. Corruption is present all around the world but is swept under the rug. Abridgment of human rights happens every day in our country or another. Oppression is the cause for all the sadness in our world. There will be always selfishness in dystopia. One must sink for another to rise, but “good doesn’t mean good for everyone. It means worst for someone.”
A dystopian text is a fictional society which must have reverberations of today’s world and society and has many elements and rules that authors use to convey their message or concern. Dystopian texts are systematically written as warnings use to convey a message about a future time that authors are concerned will come about if our ways as humans continue, such as in the short stories called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury. Dystopias are also written to put a satiric view on prevailing trends of society that are extrapolated in a ghoulish denouement, as in the case of the dystopian film Never Let Me Go directed by Mark Romanek. Dystopian texts use a variety of literary devices and filming techniques to convey their message, but in all three texts there is a main protagonist who questions the rules of society, and all citizens carry a fear of the outside world who adhere to homogenous rules of society.
Dystopia represents an artificially created society to where a human population is administered to various types of oppressions, or a human population lives under the order of an oppressive government. The novel Fahrenheit 451 and the film V for Vendetta both effectively display this dystopian concept in their works. The nature of the society, the protagonist who questions the society, and the political power that runs the society are examples of how the novel and the film efficiently capture the main points of a dystopian society. The authors of the novel and the film use their visions of a dystopian future to remark on our present by identifying how today’s society is immensely addicted to technology and how our government has changed over the past decades. Furthermore, the authors use our modern day society to illustrate their view of a dystopia in our
Yamato, Jen. Burning Questions.“The Hunger Games and Real World Parallels: “Can kids all become Katniss Everdeen”. Movie Line. March 13, 2012. Web. May 04, 2012
The hero’s journey is a useful tool in analyzing narratives of all kinds, from myths to movies to everyday life. One of the most iconic stages in the Hero’s Journey is the ordeal, otherwise known as the belly of the whale or the cave, in which the protagonist has reached their darkest and most hopeless point – things cannot get worse. Once the hero gets through the main ordeal, their journey home is much more sedated. This can be paralleled to the encompassing plot structure, in which there is a climax, and then the intensity of the story winds down again. This stage is one of the most universal in the hero’s journey, because without conflict and climax, there is no drive or reward within the story. Popular movies such as The Hunger Games,
Throughout 1984 and Divergent, conformity and obedience force the characters to go to great lengths in order to follow the basics and rules of the government. Throughout Orwell’s 1984, the individuals of the society hang onto every word, law, and thought of Big Brother. The citizens focus primarily on the Ministries and Party, not forming connections or relationships with others. Each member of a party have certain jobs and clothing assigned to them, separating them for others to easily detect. The same concept lies within the factions of Divergent. Each faction has a different job, and different colors to wear in order to display their role in society. The leaders of each Faction also hold the phrase “faction before blood,” depicting the same messege Big Brother enforces in 1984. Both governments want the individuals to stay within their parties, and do the jobs assigned to them. However, both novels include characters refusing to conform and obey to government rules. In 1984, Winston Smith resents Big Brother, using his knowledge from the Minitrue to reveal the lies the government spreads. Because of the disatisfaction Winston shows towards his government, O’Brien follows him, tortures him, and brainwashes him into conforming like the others. In Divergent, the government leaders label Beatrice Prior as a “divergent,” or one who possesses more than one
In a not-too-distant, some 74 years, into the future the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 13 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games; these children are referred to as tributes (Collins, 2008). The Games are meant to be viewed as entertainment, but every citizen knows their purpose, as brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts. The televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eradicate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. The main character throughout the series is a 16-year-old girl from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen.
Jinato Hu once said, “Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today.” In dystopias individuality is not accustomed to, and as a result society turns ruthless. In many dystopian communities one figurehead or concept is worshipped. Technology, happiness, or the idea of equality being praised expresses that humanity downgrades.
The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand and the movie The Hunger Games directed by Francis Lawrence and Gary Ross are popular among teens because they can relate to them by the high expectations put upon them. In a dystopian novel or movie, there is a dystopian protagonist. A dystopian protagonist is someone who often feels trapped, struggles to escape, questions existing systems, believes or feels as if something is wrong in the place they live in, and then helps the audience realize the effects of dystopian worlds. These are both good examples because it takes us on a walk through the protagonist's life and only then do we see what dystopian really is.
Dystopia is a term that defines a corrupt government that projects a false image. Thus, in a dystopian society, making belief and comfort that the society is proper to its followers. One good example of dystopian society is the Hunger Games. The terms that describe that dystopia towards the Hunger games are a “hierarchical society, fear of the outside world, penal system and a back story” (“Dystopia”).
The Hunger Games, a film based off of a novel written by Susan Collins, was released in March of 2012. The film, and the book it was based on, chronicles the struggles of a girl named Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in a poverty stricken province or “District”, until untimely circumstances forces her to play in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial like contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. A contest that was set up by an oppressive and authoritarian government, and has thus far been sustained via the forced obedience of the rebellious Districts, the brainwashing and conditioning of Districts 1 and 2, and the conditioning of the residents of its Capitol. The movie has a variety of messages, most especially in regards toward social control and social conditioning. With these ideas in mind, a case could very well be made that The Hunger Games, throughout its two hour long run time, shows a very realistic look at a socially conditioned society and what humanity can become with the right amount of conditioning and control by an authoritarian force.
Utopia Vs. Dystopia Each person has their own vision of utopia. Utopia is an ideal state, a paradise, a land of enchantment. It has been a central part of the history of ideas in Western Civilization. Philosophers and writers continue to imagine and conceive plans for an ideal state, even today.