05/03/23 1

Room for Debate: Room for Debate: Dystopian Themes Dystopian Themes

in Young Adult in Young Adult LiteratureLiteratureMs. BokpeMs. Bokpe

05/03/23 2

DefinitionsDefinitionsDystopianDystopian

An imaginary place An imaginary place where people lead where people lead dehumanized and dehumanized and fearful lives.fearful lives.

05/03/23 3

UtopianUtopian

UtopiaUtopia is an ideal is an ideal community or or society possessing a perfect possessing a perfect socio--politico--legal system. The . The term has been used to describe term has been used to describe both both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal that attempt to create an ideal society, and fictional societies society, and fictional societies portrayed in portrayed in literature. .

05/03/23 4

Post ApocalypticPost Apocalyptic

Is concerned with the Is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as such as nuclear warfare, , pandemic, , extraterrestrial attack, , impact event, , cybernetic revolt, , technological singularity, , dysgenics, supernatural phenomena, divine , supernatural phenomena, divine judgement, climate change, resource judgement, climate change, resource depletion or some other general disaster depletion or some other general disaster

05/03/23 5

Warm Up!Warm Up! 1. Young adults crave stories 1. Young adults crave stories

of broken futures because of broken futures because they themselves are uneasily they themselves are uneasily aware that their world is aware that their world is falling apart.falling apart.

05/03/23 6

Strongly AgreeStrongly Agree Agree SomewhatAgree Somewhat Disagree SomewhatDisagree Somewhat Strongly DisagreeStrongly Disagree

05/03/23 7

2. Teenagers who are loving the 2. Teenagers who are loving the dystopian themes are generally dystopian themes are generally the ones who don’t have to face the ones who don’t have to face it […] Would we be so enamored it […] Would we be so enamored with dystopian fiction if we lived with dystopian fiction if we lived in a culture where violent death in a culture where violent death was a major concern? It was a major concern? It wouldn’t be escapism.wouldn’t be escapism.

05/03/23 8

3. Schools are places where 3. Schools are places where teens are subject to dress codes, teens are subject to dress codes, have few free speech rights, and have few free speech rights, and are constantly under are constantly under surveillance, where they rise and surveillance, where they rise and sit at the sound of a bell. Is it sit at the sound of a bell. Is it any wonder that dystopian any wonder that dystopian novels speak to them?novels speak to them?

05/03/23 9

4. The current popularity of 4. The current popularity of dystopian tales also owes a dystopian tales also owes a lot to Internet-age marketing.lot to Internet-age marketing.

05/03/23 10

5. We want to hold on to our individuality, our 5. We want to hold on to our individuality, our humanity, our ability to love and connect to humanity, our ability to love and connect to others, […] but in today’s global communica-others, […] but in today’s global communica-tions network we can’t avoid facing over-tions network we can’t avoid facing over-whelming obstacles. The more we whelming obstacles. The more we understand how small and powerless we understand how small and powerless we really are against the immense forces that really are against the immense forces that control our existence, the more we yearn to control our existence, the more we yearn to feel meaningful. And so we read again and feel meaningful. And so we read again and again about the child of dystopia who makes again about the child of dystopia who makes us feel hope for humankind.us feel hope for humankind.

05/03/23 11

05/03/23 12