Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students learn about the concept of "dystopia," a nightmarish society in which conditions are extremely bad for most of its inhabitants. Students read a novel that presents a dystopian society and contemplate issues such as: What constitutes an ideal society? What is the individual's role in society? Students then produce a work of visual art (a book cover) that reveals the themes of the novel.

Length of Lesson:

Five 45-minute periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 11-12.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• understand the concept of dystopia.
• read and analyze a novel about a dystopian world.
• research and read articles pertaining to their selected novel.
• discuss and write about common themes of dystopian literature.
• produce a work of visual art (a book cover) that reveals the themes of the novel.

Supplies:

• VCR or DVD player
• Posterboard (one per student)
• Paint, markers, and/or ink

Instructional Plan:

Note: This lesson can be taught in conjunction with the lesson Utopian Visions.

Warm-Up

Show students a segment of one or more films that present a dystopian world. Examples include: Gattaca, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Blade Runner, and The Truman Show. Select a clip that depicts, at least in part, a "positive" image of the dystopia (such as the idyllic opening scenes from The Truman Show ). Then show a scene highlighting one of the more negative aspects. Note: Be sure to preview the video clips to ensure that they are appropriate to view in class.

Have students discuss the characteristics of the fictionalized world. What are the positive elements of the society? What elements are more sinister and/or disturbing?

Tell students that for centuries, philosophers, writers, scientists, and others have posited ideas of what would constitute an "ideal" society. (See the ARTSEDGE lesson Utopian Visions for a further exploration of this topic.) However, others have explored the more disturbing, opposing vision of a "dystopian" world, in which the majority of inhabitants are oppressed and/or terrorized by a repressive governing body or socioeconomic structure.

Have students view the New York Public Library's online presentation Utopia: The Search for the Ideal Society in Western Civilization. Have them pay particular attention to the images in the Dreams and Nightmares portion of the exhibit, which contains both positive and negative visions of a utopian/dystopian societies. Tell students to view and read about the images, taking notes on their impressions. As a class, discuss the range of images presented. What kinds of "ideal worlds" do they represent? On the whole, do the images seem to be inspirational or disturbing?

Tell students that many writers have produced cautionary tales, in which humankind is plunged into a society that may look inviting on the surface, but is in reality a nightmarish dystopia. Explain to students that they will each select and read a novel that depicts a dystopian world. They will be responsible for answering questions about the book, reading and summarizing critical articles about the novel, and producing an art product based on the book.

Note: Much of the work in this lesson will take place outside of class. You may wish to build in checkpoints to ensure that students are progressing as they should.

Distribute the Dystopian Worlds Reading List to students, and allow them to select a book.

Independent Activities

Once students have selected their books, distribute the Journal Entries handout. Explain to students that they will be keeping a journal as they read their books. Establish deadlines for completion of the journal entries.

Have students find two to three articles of literary criticism that discuss their selected novel. They should produce a short summary of each article, and include a brief statement about whether they agree with the argument presented in the article. Again, be sure to establish deadlines for completion.

Students may look for articles of criticism in the library or on the Web. A good starting point for Web research is The Internet Public Library: Literary Criticism, where students can search for articles by author or title.

Closure

As students approach the end of their novels, devote one to three class sessions for group discussions. In the first half of the class sessions, divide the students into groups according to the novels they are reading. (You may need to make accommodations if only one student is reading a certain book.)

In the second half of the session, gather the entire class together for a group discussion. It may be helpful to generate a list of topics to discuss in each session, such as the role of government in the novel, gender roles, representations of rebellion or heroism, ideas of good and evil, etc. (Alternatively, you may ask students to brainstorm a list of topics they wish to discuss.)

Discuss any common themes that emerge from these dystopian novels.

Assessment:

Distribute copies of the Dystopia Assignments handout and have students complete one of the following essays and design an original book cover:

>Essay 1:

Choose one important character in the novel and write a character analysis that includes the following information: the character's appearance, actions, ideas (what the character thinks), manner (how the character acts), reactions of others to the character, and feelings of the character throughout the course of the novel. Do the character's feelings/ideals change? Why is he/she important to the novel? Would you like this character if you met him or her? Explain Would you like to be this character? Explain. How well does/would your character fit into a dystopian society? How well would he or she fit into our society?

Essay 2:

What message did you get from this book? For whom was the novel written? What point was the author making about dystopian societies? Do you think the author was successful in getting the message across? Why? What were the good and bad points about this novel? How realistic is this novel so far as its use of the dystopian concept? Make any additional comments you'd like reflecting your reaction to the novel as a whole and its relationship to both our society today and a dystopia.

Book Cover:

You are an artist. You receive a call from a book publisher, informing you that the novel you read for this unit is about to go into a new printing. The publisher wants you to produce a new cover for the book, according to the following crtiteria. The book cover should:

• grab the reader's attention,
• visually set the tone of the novel,
• and convey the message or theme of the novel, without necessarily being a literal interpretation of characters or scenes.

You may use any materials you wish to produce the book cover (ink, paint, computer graphics).

Extensions:

Have students select and view a movie that deals with dysstopian themes or subjects, and write a review comparing and contrasting it to their novel.

Have students write a short story (about 500 words) based upon a theme, subject, or character(s) from the novel they read.

Have students find one or more songs that relate to the theme or subject of the novel they read. Have them analyze the lyrics and explain how they relate to the novel. Alternatively, assign students to write a song based on the novel.

Pair students who have read the same novel. Have one student act as a reporter and "interview" the other student, who should portray one of the characters from the novel. If possible, record or videotape the interview.

Have students write a newspaper story (approximately 250 – 350 words) about one of the incidents from the novel they read. Remind the students to give no opinion, just the facts. They may include "quotes" from other characters and a photo, if they wish. They must also write a headline.

Have students write and perform a brief autobiographical monologue (approximately 350 words) from the perspective of one of the characters in the novel. Tell students that they may draw inferences about the character's past, family, or cultural background, but that these must be consistent with the characterization in the novel.

Sources:

Print:

• Bradbury, Ray. Farenheit 451.. Ballantine Books, 1995.
• Huxley, Aldos. Brave New World. Perennial Books, 1988.
• Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Laureleaf, 2002.
• McCullough, Colleen. A Creed for the Third Millennium. Avon, 1986.
• Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classic, 1990.

Media:*

• Nicol, Andrew (dir). Gattaca. Columbia/Tristar Studios, 1997.
• Scott, Ridley (dir). Blade Runner. Warner Studios, 1982.
• Spielberg, Steven (dir). AI: Artificial Intelligence. Universal Studios, 2001.
• Spielberg, Steven (dir). Minority Report. Universal Studios, 2002.
• Weir, Peter (dir). The Truman Show. Paramount Studios, 1998.

*Note: Preview all films before using them in the classroom, to ensure that they are age-appropriate.

Authors:

• Brenda Kukla, Educator
  Collins Hill High School
  Suwanee, GA