Definitions
What is Dystopia?
A dystopia is an imagined society where life is unpleasant or oppressive, often due to totalitarian control, environmental disaster, or technological domination.
Features often include surveillance, loss of individual freedoms, propaganda, rigid social classes, rebellion, and a protagonist who questions or resists the system.
What is Utopia?
A utopia is an ideal or perfect society — dystopias are the opposite, often showing how utopias can go wrong.
Identify ONE type of control that may be found in a Dystopian society.
- Government/Bureaucratic
- Technological
- Corporate
- Philosophical/Religious
What type of control is this:
One or more large corporations control societies through products.
Corporate Control
How is language or information controlled in dystopian worlds, and why is that significant?
Controlling language (like in 1984) limits free thought and controls reality. If people can’t express rebellion, they can’t imagine it.
Society is controlled by particular ideologies and enforced by a dictator.
What role does fear or violence play in maintaining control in dystopian texts?
Fear keeps people obedient — they might fear punishment, death, exile, or losing loved ones. Public executions or torture are sometimes used as warnings.
Identify ONE significant aspect of the Dystopian Protagonist's personality
- often feels trapped
- questions the societal or political system
- believes that there is something terribly wrong with society
- helps the audience to recognise the negative aspects of their world
Why do authors use dystopian settings to explore real-world problems?
They allow authors to exaggerate current issues like climate change, government control, or inequality in order to make readers reflect on where society might be heading.