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Titel
9
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Forløb 8: Dystopia and Utopia - - EXAM
This course will have a two-fold focus:
1) how dystopian fiction mirrors society and how it both warns us about possible future dangers and encourages us to be critical thinkers. The genre is highly popular, and reasons why are examined.
Dystopian fiction contains utopian elements, and hence these two aspects are interconnected.
2) How societies are affected by leaders' rhetoric (with a focus on retorical devices and argumentation), and the dangers of fake news and propaganda, which have developed over time.
Materials:
- Carson and Titcombe: Fake news: What exactly is it – and how can you spot it? (article, 2018)
- George Orwell:'s 1984 excerpts from the novel written in 1948)
- The Hunger Games by Gary Ross, 2012 (film)
- Scenes from the miniseries "Years and Years by Russel T. Davies (HBO, 2019)
- The Dystopian Genre may never die, Jackie DiBartolomeo, July 19, 2021 (opinion piece)
Supplementary materials:
• Handout about Utopian and Dystopian characteristics
- article about Trump's rhetoric
Useful terminology:
Utopia, dystopia, totalitarianism, individualism, lack of freedom, propaganda, control of information, fake news, surveillance, dehumanization, illusion
Useful terminology:
Utopia, dystopia, totalitarianism, individualism, lack of freedom, propaganda, control of information, surveillance, dehumanization, illusion
Kompetencer ift. lærerplan
- Fortolke tekster I en historisk sammenhæng
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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.
• Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials.
• Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means.
• Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.
The Dystopian Protagonist
• often feels trapped and is struggling to escape.
• questions the existing social and political systems.
• believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he
or she lives.
• helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world
through his or her perspective.
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