Dystopia

Dystopia This world ain’t perfect…

What is a dystopia? • Dystopia is the opposite of utopia which means “a perfect society.” • A dystopia would be a futuristic imperfect society that is highly controlled. They often make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system through an exaggerated scenario. • Where have we seen a dystopian story before? – Short stories like “The Lottery” – Contemporary novels like The Hunger Games trilogy

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society • They are ruled by a totalitarian government • 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.

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society • • • • •

Citizens live in a dehumanized state. The natural world is banished and distrusted. Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent is bad. The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. In other words, citizens don’t realize it’s not perfect.

Dystopian Protagonists • Often feel trapped and are struggling to escape their society. • Question the existing social and political systems. • Believe or feel that something is terribly wrong with the society in which they live. • Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world through their perspective.

So what Dystopian story are we reading???

Things to know before reading… • The characters in Divergent live in a futuristic society that is starting to have some problems. • The protagonists are named Beatrice and Three, and they are teenagers that must make some serious choices regarding their future. • In the society of Divergent, every citizen belongs to one of five groups. The groups are referred to as factions.

 faction noun. a group or clique within a larger group, party, government or organization  Abnegation noun. 1. the act of denying oneself of rights, conveniences, etc. 2. the act of giving something up

 Erudite adj. learned or scholarly; characterized by great knowledge  Amity noun. 1. friendship 2. peaceful harmony; mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations 3. cordiality

 Dauntless adj. fearless; courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged  Candor noun. 1. the state or quality of being frank, open and sincere in speech or expression; candidness 2. freedom from bias; fairness and impartiality

• divergent noun. deviating from what is expected; different

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