Candice Cruz
Dr. Warner
English 112B
December 6, 2011
Unit of Study: Free Will
in Dystopias
Introduction:
Dystopias
are an important literary genre because they explore societies gone wrong. They usually are set in the future,
involve technology, and deal with sociological problems. Although the problems depicted are often
extreme, worst-case scenarios, they can be related back to real-world issues. Examples of this include overpopulation-
China�s one child policy, government monitoring- increased surveillance
(especially in London), and the rise of totalitarianism in the twentieth
century- Stalinist Russia, Maoist China, and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The study of dystopias is vital to a well-developed
understanding of the modern world because it forces readers to challenge rather
than except the practices of the fictional universe and to make practical
connections.
Exposure
to this genre is important for young adults because it allows them to
critically analyze society and technology.
The fictional scenarios allow readers to consider the potential
consequences of different political systems, social norms, and abuses of
technology. This distancing from reality
puts them in a better position to critique their own culture and values, and to
imagine where they might be headed.
This unit focuses on free will versus determinism whether it is
governmental, genetic, etc. The
protagonists of dystopian novels often question their society and try to escape
or change it. Their attempts are
often unsuccessful, and the following activities seek to examine why- what are
the controlling factors that prevent the characters from making their own decisions?
Launching
the Unit:
I
would introduce the unit to a high school class by watching the film Gattaca. This movie presents a dystopia where
your genes are put in a database and are used as qualifications for the job you
may perform. The protagonist
Vincent Freeman wants to be an astronaut, but his genome makes him
ineligible. He gets around this by
using someone else�s DNA, and succeeds in going into space.
I would then lead a discussion
of the movie by asking:
a. What did you notice about the society?
b. What do you think of eugenics? Moral or immoral? What do you think of Vincent�s parent�s
decision to use the technology on one son and not the other?
c. What did you think of the ending?
d. How is Vincent�s freedom infringed upon
by genetic discrimination?
e. Do you think it is okay for parents to
use prenatal screening for genetic defects?
Afterwards I would have them
write a one-page journal about their opinion of eugenics and where they think
the line should be drawn between what is and isn�t an acceptable use of
reproductive technologies.
This introduces dystopias,
biological determinism, and demonstrates how this issue connects to today�s
world. I hope that this visual will
inspire them to learn more about different types of dystopias.
Centerpiece
Work:
I chose
George Orwell�s 1984 for my canonical
work. Unlike Vincent, Wilson (the protagonist 1984)
doesn�t overcome the rules of his society, he is
crushed by it. 1984 is a cultural icon for an
oppressive dystopia. Words like
Orwellian, doublethink, and the slogan �BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU� (Orwell 2)
have entered into our vocabulary to represent concepts from the novel. The story takes place in the police
state of London, Oceania. In this
society �the party� controls all aspects of life. They create the language, the history,
and monitor citizens in their home through telescreens. They prohibit individuality, sex, and
even free thought- a punishable offense and the worst possible crime. The only opposition to the party is �the
Brotherhood� which Wilson seeks to join only to find out that it is a
fabrication of the party to apprehend dissenters. Wilson and his lover Julia are then
tortured and brainwashed so that they betray one another and have no feelings
for one another when they are released.
I
would teach this novel as a class.
The activities I would assign in relation to the novel are to bring in
articles or historical examples that connect to the text as we are reading
it. The students will share these
at the beginning of class to promote discussion before we actually examine the
novel. These would include
a. Current events; for example if I were
teaching the novel right now the students could bring in articles relating to
the wall street protests and how this is an example of Americans exercising
their First Amendment rights.
b. Historical figures/events; any example
of political prisoners or events in history such as the Red Scare will
demonstrate how the issues in the novel are not that distant from contemporary
problems.
I
would also devote part of one class period to drawing either a scene from the novel
or what they imagine Oceania or Big Brother look like. Then I would have them present the
drawings and explain them to the class.
My
final assignment for this work would be a take-home essay on one aspect or
theme in the novel.
Expanding
the Unit:
1984 remains one of the most
disturbing works of literature I have read. The isolation and powerlessness of the
characters is so absolute. I didn�t
mention it before, but the children in 1984
are encouraged to spy on their parents, showing how the party�s pervasive
influence pits families against one another. When I was in high school, these types
of books were what I read for fun.
I think it appealed to my teenage rebellious phase and I could relate to
anti-authority and anti-conformity sentiment. However, because Wilson is thirty-nine
years old, and Warner�s Adolescents in
the Search for Meaning suggests that young adults share in the selection of
reading material, I will give the students options for the next novel. Among these options will be books that
reflect the characteristics of young adult fiction discussed in Literature for Today�s Young Adults by Donelson and Nilsen. These characteristics include fiction
with teenage protagonists, told from their viewpoint, and with them making
commendable accomplishments. After
reading one of these novels the students will write a book report and make a power-point
presentation to be presented to the class. This is the list of dystopian literature
I have compiled, but there are of course others that would also be acceptable (Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Utopia, etc.):
1.
Anthony Burgess�s A Clockwork Orange: Set
in futuristic London, the protagonist is fifteen-year-old gang member named Alex
who undergoes social engineering i.e. brainwashing to cure his violent
tendencies. This novel surrounds
the issue of �What does God want?
Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness?� (Burgess A Clockwork 95). By the last chapter
Alex�s brainwashing is reversed.
He was offered a settlement by the government of a well-paying job in
the music industry. He gets tired
of his gang and his old ways, and starts to imagine a more peaceful, mature
future where he is a husband and father.
2.
Anthony Burgess�s The Wanting Seed: This main issue in this novel is
overpopulation. The novel opens
with the main characters Tristram Foxe and
Beatrice-Joanna having lost a son because establishment is more concerned with �one
more half-kilo of phosphorous pentoxide to nourish
the earth� (Burgess The Wanting Seed 4). The government tries multiple,
horrifying solutions to overpopulation.
It tries first to promote homosexuality and discourage parenthood. It eventually resorts to allowing
women to have as many children as they want, but draft them into imaginary wars
and recycle the corpses for food into tinned �bully�. Tristram
tries unsuccessfully to expose the government�s tactics.
3.
M.T. Anderson�s Feed: According to ENotes.com, Feed
is a futuristic dystopian society that is run by corporations. Most people have �the feed�, a computer
implant that connects their brains to the internet. One of the effects of this technology is
that the characters can communicate instantly with one another. This also leaves them susceptible to
constant advertisements, hackers, and malfunctions. The protagonist, an average teenager
named Titus, meets Violet on a vacation to the moon. Unlike Titus, Violet received the feed
when she was a little older, about seven years old, because her father was
initially against it. She wants to
fight the feed, but it ends up killing her. This novel�s theme is easily relatable
because of the role of the internet in most people�s
everyday life.
4.
Ally Condie�s Matched: According to ENotes.com, the
protagonist of the novel is Cassia.
This is the first novel in an ongoing trilogy. She just turned seventeen and is only
now beginning to question �the Society� that makes all the decisions in her
life- what to eat, where to work, when to die, and who to love. This novel presents a female�s
perspective (this is significant because I only came across one other dystopia
where the protagonist was a girl).
Like 1984, the Society
actively erases the past and Cassia knows little about other societies that
exist (the �Outer Provinces�).
Another characteristic that the novels have in common is the struggle of
the protagonists to gain knowledge of how their community works, while
maintaining their safety.
Works
Cited
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York, NY: Norton, 1986. Print.
---. The Wanting Seed. New
York, NY: Norton, 1976. Print.
Donelson, Kenneth L., and Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young
Adults. Boston,
MA:
Pearson, 2006. PDF. 20 Nov. 2011.
"Feed: Summary." ENotes - Literature Study Guides,
Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 20 Nov.
2011.
Gattaca. Dir. Andrew Niccol. Columbia Pictures Corporation,
1997. Film.
"Matched: Summary." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 19
Nov.
2011.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.
Warner, Mary L. Adolescents in the Search for Meaning:
Tapping the Powerful Resource of
Story. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006. Print.