. "dangerous and alienating future societies" - criticizing current trends in the author’s culture. - possible deprivation, oppression, or terror.

."dangerous and alienating future societies"

- criticizing current trends in the author’s culture.

- possible deprivation, oppression, or terror

- Caution: Although these are common characteristics, dystopias are very different and often stray from these guidelines. Think about it as a form of protest, if you always protest in the same way then people stop listening to you.

A futuristic, imagined universe in which op-pressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through cor-

porate, 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.

• 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 live in a dehumanized state. • Citizens have a fear of the outside world. • 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.

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. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man.

• Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil.

• Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. •

Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot.

Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.

►Back story: war, destruction, revolution, uprising, over

population, disaster

►Results: shift from the good old days (often before

industrialization) to corporations, totalitarian dictatorships, and bureaucracies

Futuristic World►Technology

Advanced technology that is controlled by those in power.

The oppressed have little control and use of technology.

Author's statement: ►We have gone too far with technology and it

will destroy our world.

►Degenerative Society Lower standard of

living than contemporary society for lower and middle class members.

As in most societies, the upper class has all of the control and enjoy a higher standard of living.

• 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 recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.

►Unlike Utopias, the protagonist is often living within the system.

►Goal: escape or destruction of the social order

►Recognition of the negativity of development of society►Break free from social restrictions

►Success of the hero? Often the story is unresolved

and the changes that are desired are not achieved

Sometimes the hero even changes to conform to the society which they, themselves are trying to change.

► Class is largely determined by: Occupation Education and qualifications Income Wealth or net worth

►Caste System: “traditional,hereditary systems of social

restriction and social stratification (being the arrangement of social classes enforced by law or common practice, based on endogamy, occupation, economic status, race and ethnicity.”

►Upper Class: Usually develop a lifestyle which further

separates them from the lower classes through devices such as:►Costume and grooming►Manners and cultural refinement►Political standing: church, government, social

clubs, use of honorary titles►language