Lesson 1: Introduction to Dystopian Fiction Date: 16

In/OnNaron of the long-lived Rigellian race was the fourth of his line to keep the galactic records.

He had a large book which contained the list of the numerous races throughout the galaxies that had developed intelligence, and the much smaller book that listed those races that had reached maturity and had qualified for the Galactic Federation. In the first book, a number of those listed were crossed out; those that, for one reason or another, had failed. Misfortune, biochemical or biophysical shortcomings, social maladjustment took their toll. In the smaller book, however, no member listed had yet blanked out.

What genre of

fiction is this?

How do you

know?

Lesson 1: Introduction to Dystopian FictionDate: 16th November

Science Fiction and Dystopia Naron of the long-lived Rigellian race was the fourth of his line to keep the galactic records.

He had a large book which contained the list of the numerous races throughout the galaxies that had developed intelligence, and the much smaller book that listed those races that had reached maturity and had qualified for the Galactic Federation. In the first book, a number of those listed were crossed out; those that, for one reason or another, had failed. Misfortune, biochemical or biophysical shortcomings, social maladjustment took their toll. In the smaller book, however, no member listed had yet blanked out.

This is classic science fiction.

It uses language related to space and science to tell a story set in another world.

Science fiction is actually a reasonably old genre. This extract from War of the Worlds is from 1897.

What science fiction features do you notice?

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was

being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as

his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised

and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the

transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency

men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their

empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No

one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of

them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to

recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied

there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome

a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are

to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this

earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the

twentieth century came the great disillusionment.

Classic science fiction has developed something of a reputation for being slightly silly and embarrassing...as well demonstrated by this adaption of the 1934 comic Flash Gordon.

What clichés of science fiction can we see here?

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6B9nkrSuMI

However, a sub section of science fiction covers some of the most popular books and films of recent times; dystopian fiction.

You may not know what “dystopian” means but there’s a good chance you have read a dystopian book or seen a dystopian film.

We’re now going to watch the trailers for 3 dystopian films. You should be able to copy and paste these links.

As we watch, jot down any similarities you notice between them. We can then create a list of the key features of dystopian fiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QILNSgou5BY

Clip 1: Elysium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyLUwOcR5pk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJnMQG9ev8

Clip 2: District 9

Clip 3: Mad Max

Key conventions of dystopian fiction-copy this list into your book

• A future society which has collapsed.

• A society where one group oppresses another.

• Lack of freedom.

• People returning to savage behaviour.

• Tyranny.

• The use of technology as a weapon.

• Shortage of supplies/essentials for quality of life.

• A heroic figure who promises change.

• Fear of a totalitarian regime.

Extracts

• Look through extract 1 in the extract booklet. The extracts are from The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games.

• Where do you notice these dystopian characteristics?

• Which language creates these characteristics?

• Annotate at least 4 quotes from each extract.

Final task

Why do you think dystopian fiction is so popular?

Write your answer in your book.

Lesson 2: Exploring context Date: 17th November

What does this image show?

What do you know about this event?

LO: To explore the context of post-war dystopian literature.

The nuclear bomb

• The picture you have just seen was a picture of the first time a nuclear bomb was used in warfare.

• It was dropped in Japan by the American air force at the end of world war 2.

• It is an event that is often considered to have changed the world.

Why are we focusing on this?

• The period after the second world war saw a rise in dystopian literature.

• Much of this literature was based on fear of a nuclear war.

• In order to understand why this literature was written, we need to understand how people reacted at the time.

The pilot who dropped the bomb wrote this in his diary. What do you think he meant by this?

“I honestly have the feeling of groping for words to explain this... My God what have we done?”

Hiroshima-aftermathTask- what vocabulary would you use to describe the following scenes? List in your book.

Task- now you are going to be shown the front cover of books and films created after the Hiroshima bombing. These pictures are also in your extract booklet. Annotate them to show how they show the feeling of fear and paranoia common at the time.

Plenary- answer the following question

•How did the rise of nuclear warfare affect society?

Lesson 3: Exploring textsDate: 18th November

LO: To explore how historical events are presented in text.

IN/ON

What do you imagine this story is about?

Empire of the Sun

The plot of Empire of the Sun concerns a British boy (Jim) living in Shanghai. When the Japanese army invade the city during World War Two, Jim becomes separated from his family and has to fend for himself. He eventually becomes imprisoned in a camp where he witnesses the war from a distance.

Empire of the Sun

Although the book wasn’t published until 1984, it was actually based on JG Ballard’s own life during the war. He was a young boy living in Shanghai when the war started and he and his family spent two years in a prison camp.

How do you imagine he reacted when the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Today, we are going to analyse an extract from Empire of the Sun. • We are going to focus on how it depicts the bombing.

• What steps would you follow to analyse an extract you’ve never seen before?

Suggested steps

• What is the overall impression created in the text?

• How is it created? – Identify 3 or 4 key phrases which create this impression.

• How do these phrases create the impression?- Explore the implications of language/methods used.

Key vocabulary- the words below may help you annotate. Can you define them?

• Otherworldly-

• Ominous-

• Surreal-

A Japanese soldier patrolled the cinder track nearby. He walked across the grass and stared down at Him. Irritated by the noise, he was about to kick him with ragged boot. But a flash of light filled the stadium, flaring over the stands in south-west corner of the football field, as if an immense American bomb had exploded somewhere to the north-east of Shanghai. The sentry hesitated, looking over his shoulder as the light behind him grew more intense. It faded within a few seconds, but its pale sheen covered everything within the stadium, the looted furniture in the stands, the cars behind the goal posts, the prisoners on the grass. They were sitting on the floor of a furnace heated by a second sun.

Jim stared at his white hands and knees and at the pinched face of the Japanese soldier, who seemed disconcerted by the light. Both of them were waiting for the rumble of sound that followed the bomb-flashes, but as unbroken silence lay over the stadium and the surrounding land, as if the sun had blinked, losing heart for a few seconds. Jim smiled at the Japanese, wishing that he could tell him that the light was a premonition of his death, the sight of his small soul joining the larger soul of the dying world.

How does the writer use language to describe the nuclear bomb attack?

Use these steps to answer the following question:How does the writer use language to describe the nuclear bomb attack?

• What is the overall impression created in the text?

• How is it created? – Identify 3 or 4 key phrases which create this impression.

• How do these phrases create the impression?- Explore the implications of language/methods used.

Lessons 4 and 5:creating a description

IN/ON

• What adjectives would you use to describe this scene?

LO: To practise descriptive writing.

Today’s plan

• Based on your reading of Empire of the Sun from yesterday, you are going to create a dystopian description.

What details do you notice in this picture?

Create a mind map for 5 key details (e.g the wrecked car) and list adjectives/descriptive details to describe them.

Now, you need to create a final plan- follow the steps below- decide on the key details you are going to describe about each section and decide what order you are going to put them in.

Focus 1 (e.g the bridge):

Focus 2:

Focus 3:

Focus 4:

Focus 5:

Now, take 45 minutes to write up your description.

Focus 1 (e.g the bridge):

Focus 2:

Focus 3:

Focus 4:

Focus 5: