Dystopian Group Project 2015

Dystopia: dys·to·pi·a - (dĭs-tō'pē-əә) noun

1. An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from

deprivation, oppression, or terror.

2. A dystopian society is one in which the conditions of life are miserable, characterized by

human misery, poverty, oppression, violence, disease, and/or pollution.

THE ENTIRE PROJECT HAS THREE PARTS: • Parts I and II are to be completed in a PowerPoint or Google Docs/Google Drive format. Due Monday, February 2nd

• Part III (an essay) is to be completed on paper and uploaded to turnitin.com. Due Monday, January 26

Notes:

• This project is to be completed in groups of three; each person is responsible for one

limerick each, four dystopian tenets slides each, and parts of one combined group essay.

• Each presentation must have an opening slide with a famous quotation – slide # 1.

• Each presentation must have an ID slide with the names of all group members in

alphabetical order – slide # 2.

• Each presentation must have a thesis statement slide – slide # 3.

• The 12 dystopian slides may be presented in order of your choice.

• You must send your project to me in a pdf PowerPoint presentation or Google Doc/Google

Drive presentation via the clevelandhs.org website or ritahall1984@gmail.com.

• Save your file as: III-Unwind-Abraham (the name of the person who is first alphabetically

in the group) or IV-Unwind-Barnes). The Roman numerals refer to the class periods.

Part I – The Limericks

• Begin your presentation with three limericks. The subjects are to be selected from the “Hot

Topics” issues list in part III. • Hot topics cannot be repeated: the ones you choose for your limerick cannot be used in

your essay.

• Limerick format and requirements are included at the end of this document. Part II – The Tenets

Task: Prove that Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is a dystopian novel by discussing the 12

dystopian tenets included in the notes that follow.

• Each dystopian tenet slide must include a relevant citation from the novel with the page

and paragraph number exactly like this: (143:3) – which means your citation is on page

134 and paragraph 3.

• This is an example of a citation example: “Funny, but the Bill of Life was supposed to

protect the sanctity of life. Instead it just made life cheaper.” (53:5)

• Be sure to use citations properly with the end punctuation mark before the end quotation

mark followed by the page and paragraph citation in parenthesis.

• Title slides, with the name of the upcoming tenet, should precede each dystopian tenet

slide.

• ✮ There should be no more than two slides on a single dystopian tenet subject.

• Slide(s) should have images (background and/or other) and explain how the dystopian

tenet is presented in the novel in a bulleted narrative (full sentence) format.

• Do not use background images that make reading difficult to see. If you use a

“busy” background, be sure to place the narrative where it can be easily read.

• Slides may have brief musical accompaniment and animation; however, it is not required

• Timing for the slides’ special effects (animation) should not exceed 10 seconds.

Part III – The Essay Note: The Essay is to be completed on paper; it is not to be included in your PowerPoint presentation. The essay must be uploaded to turnitin.com.

Essay Assignment: Create your own prompt: make sure the proviso is applicable to your prompt and thesis. Proviso: The situations in Unwind are futuristic, yet they are realistic and identifiable with events

or issues from our past and present.

Prove your thesis by using three bulleted items from the Hot Topics list as evidence to support

your overall claim. Remember, the three hot topics must relate to your thesis and incorporate the

proviso.

For each hot topic you choose, discuss each numbered item that follows in a separate paragraph: (See outline.)

1) the hot topic item as it appears in the novel (fiction), 2) the hot topic item as it existed in the

past (real world history), 3) the hot topic item as it appears in the present (current events), and 4)

the hot topic item as it may appear in the future (probable implications of the items in years to

come).

In your conclusion (paragraph “five” – actually paragraph 14), discuss why these issues have

continued to be “hot topic” issues for so long.

Hot Topics:

1. Abortion

2. Adoption

3. Suicide bombers

4. Genocide

5. Refugee camps

6. Underground Railroad

7. Hiding from the enemy (i.e. the Jews in World War II)

8. Organ donation

9. Teen cliques

10. Pro-life

11. Pro-choice

12. Teen runaways

13. Evangelists

14. Red Cross blood drives

15. War profiteers

16. Racism

17. Homophobia

18. Teen angst

19. Orphans and orphanages

In this overall project (parts I, II, and III), you will discuss 6 of the 19 hot topics: 3 as topics for the limericks, and 3 as

topics in your essay to prove your theses.

Tenets of Dystopian Literature

1. Traits of a Dystopian Society

2. Society

3. Social Groups

4. Nature

5. Political

6. Economics

7. Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction

8. The Back Story

9. The Hero

10. The Conflict

11. Climax and Dénouement

12. Destroying Dystopia

Common Traits of a Dystopian Society

The only trait common to all dystopias is that they are negative and undesirable societies, but

many commonalities are found across dystopian societies. In general, dystopias are seen as

visions of "dangerous and alienating future societies," often criticizing current trends in culture. It

is a culture where the condition of life suffers from deprivation, oppression, or terror.

Society

Most dystopias impose severe social restrictions on the characters' lives. This can take the form

of social stratification, where social class is strictly defined and enforced, and social mobility is

non-existent (see caste system).

Social Groups

In a typical dystopia, there is a total absence of any social group besides the state. Even more

than religion, family is attacked by dystopian societies. In some societies, it has been completely

eradicated, but clearly at great effort, and continuing efforts are deployed to keep it down.

Nature

The society frequently isolates the characters from all contact with the natural world. Dystopias

are commonly urban, and generally avoid nature, as when walks are regarded as dangerously

anti-social in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. In Brave New World, the lower classes of society

are conditioned to be afraid of nature, but also to visit the countryside and consume

transportation and games to stabilize society.

Political Dystopian politics are often characterized as one of several types of governments and political

systems. Examples are bureaucracy, socialism, communism, chaos, excessive capitalism,

fascism, totalitarianism, dictatorships and other forms of political, social and economical control.

Utopian politics are often considered as idealistic in practice towards the society in which they are

dictated and enacted. Dystopian politics, however, are considered flawed in some way or have

negative connotations amongst the inhabitants of the dystopian world. Dystopian politics are

portrayed as oppressive.

Dystopias are often filled with pessimistic views of the ruling class or government that is brutal or

uncaring ruling with an “iron hand” or “iron fist.” These dystopian government establishments

often have protagonists or groups that lead a “resistance” to enact change within their

government.

Economic

The economic structures of dystopian societies in literature and other media have many

variations, as the economy often relates directly to the elements that the writer is depicting as the

source of the oppression. However, there are several archetypes that such societies tend to

follow.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction

As the overwhelming majority of dystopias are set in projected futures, dystopia is generally

considered a subgenre of science fiction.

Back Story

Because a fictional universe has to be constructed, a selectively-told back story of a war,

revolution, uprising, critical overpopulation, or other disaster is often introduced early in the

narrative.

This results in a shift in emphasis of control, from previous systems of government to a

government run by corporations, totalitarian dictatorships or bureaucracies.

Because dystopian literature typically depicts events that take place in the future, it often features

technology that is more advanced than that of contemporary society. Usually, the group in power

controls the advanced technology, while the oppressed population is limited to technology

comparable to or more primitive than what we have today.

The Hero

Unlike utopian fiction, which often features an outsider to have the world shown to him, dystopias

seldom feature an outsider as the protagonist. While such a character would more clearly

understand the nature of the society, based on comparison to his society, the knowledge of the

outside culture subverts the power of the dystopia. The story usually centers on a protagonist

who questions the society, often feeling intuitively that something is terribly wrong.

The Conflict In many cases, the hero's conflict brings him to a representative of the dystopia who articulates

its principles.

There is usually a group of people somewhere in the society who are not under the complete

control of the state, and in whom the hero of the novel usually puts his or her hope, although

often he or she still fails to change anything.

Climax and Dénouement The hero's goal is either escape or destruction of the social order. However, the story is often (but

not always) unresolved. That is, the narrative may deal with individuals in a dystopian society who

are unsatisfied, and may rebel, but ultimately fail to change anything. Sometimes they themselves

end up changed to conform to the society's norms or a hero succeeds in resolving conflicts or

otherwise changes things for the better.

Destroying Dystopia

The ability of the protagonists to subvert the society also subverts the monolithic power typical of

a dystopia. In some cases the hero manages to overthrow the dystopia by motivating the

(previously apathetic) populace.

If destruction of the dystopia is not possible, escape may be, if the dystopia does not control the

world. Sometimes, this escape leads to the inevitable: The protagonist making a mistake that

usually brings about the end of a rebel society.

Essay Composition Notes: ロ Essay must be computer-generated.

ロ Use the proper heading. List each person’s name on a separate line – alphabetically. The

rest is the same. See formatting example below.

ロ Skip two spaces after the heading for the title line.

ロ The title for the essay is – Unwinding the Past, Present, and Future

ロ The title line for the essay must be centered and bolded.

ロ Skip four spaces after the title line to write the prompt.

ロ Bold your prompt and place it in a box as pictured below.

ロ Skip four spaces after the title line to begin the essay.

Essay due: Monday, January 26, 2015

ロ Font size should be 12-pt. (Arial, Times, Times New Roman, Helvetica, and other

common, reader-friendly fonts)

ロ Be sure to italicize the title of the novel when used throughout the essay.

ロ Margins must be justified and set to 1” (one inch on all sides – top, bottom, left, right).

ロ In your formatting palette, be sure to set the alignment paragraph spacing at: 0 (zero)

before and 0 (zero) after to ensure proper spacing.

ロ Essays must be single-spaced.

ロ Skip two spaces between paragraphs. Do not indent.

ロ In the thesis statement, be sure to include the title of the novel, the author, and your

assertion (your statement of fact or opinion about what you will prove in the essay).

ロ The thesis paragraph must be presented in the method taught thus far.

ロ For citations from the novel, be sure to enclose the citation in quotation marks – including

the end punctuation mark. For example: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United

States of America.” Remember, the end punctuation mark (a period, a question mark, etc.)

goes before the end quotation mark.

ロ This is a five-paragraph essay in topic structure only; however, the entire essay is 14

paragraphs long. See outline below.

ロ Include the word count in the bottom, left-hand corner exactly like this: [word count: 700]

ロ For the word count, be sure to include every word in the entire document - heading, word

count and all.

ロ Upload your essay to turnitin.com by Wednesday, February 4, 2015

ロ Print a hard copy to turn in at the beginning of the period on Monday, February 2, 2015.

This EXAMPLE is for formatting only. Do not use the prompt in this example. Create your own.

Abraham, Sally Mersudio, Bob Palmer, Maria English 10H, II October 10, 2013

Unwinding the Past, Present, and Future Essay

Prompt: Write an essay in which you present arguments for the relevance of Neal Shusterman’s novel Unwind as a “must read” for teaching high school English and social studies. The essay starts here.

ESSAY OUTLINE

I. Thesis Paragraph

Paragraph # 1 Thesis Paragraph

II. Hot Topic # __

Paragraph # 2 1) the hot topic item as it appears in the novel

Paragraph # 3 2) the hot topic item as it existed in the past (real world history)

Paragraph # 4 3) the hot topic item as it appears in the present (current events)

Paragraph # 5 4) the hot topic item as it may appear in the future

III. Hot Topic # __

Paragraph # 6 1) the hot topic item as it appears in the novel

Paragraph # 7 2) the hot topic item as it existed in the past (real world history)

Paragraph # 8 3) the hot topic item as it appears in the present (current events)

Paragraph # 9 4) the hot topic item as it may appear in the future

IV. Hot Topic # __

Paragraph # 10 1) the hot topic item as it appears in the novel

Paragraph # 11 2) the hot topic item as it existed in the past (real world history)

Paragraph # 12 3) the hot topic item as it appears in the present (current events)

Paragraph # 13 4) the hot topic item et as it may appear in the future

V. Conclusion

Paragraph # 14 Discuss why these issues have continued to be “hot topic” issues for so

long.