Future Plans “Our future will be shaped by the assumptions we make about who we are and what we can be.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Utopia in Fiction Definition: the creation of an ideal society Example: The Jetsons (1962) Set in 2062 Technological utopia: flying cars, robot maid, conveniences available at the push of a button During the Cold War, the show offered “the reassuring yet escapist vision of an "ideal" American family changed only by technology”

Utopia Examples continued “Imagine” by John Lennon (1971) Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us, Above us only sky. Imagine all the people Living for today... Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace... Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people Sharing all the world... You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one.

Dystopia in Fiction Definition: society that is, in some important way, undesirable or frightening Used to highlight a problem in present day: A flaw (or flaws) in human nature A criticism of current society (priorities, way of thinking) Scrutinizes power structures Serves as a warning of what the world can become if we do not adjust our behaviour Exaggerates the consequences in order to make the problem clear

Dystopian Examples Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953): follows Guy Montag, a fireman, in a society where books, and the ideas they represent, are burned to prevent disruptions in society “A book is a loaded gun” Bradbury was deeply affected by governments suppression with artists, writers and poets during World War Two (particularly in Germany and Russia), and Cold War United States

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932) explores a society in which a perpetual flood of irrelevant and trivial information distracts and pacifies the people, diverting attention from political issues "One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them" Huxley was interested in the results of linking science, technology and politics, arguing that such a link will likely reduce human individuality

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) follows Winston Smith who lives in a totalitarian society that controls its people through regulating and limiting their access to information, fear and constant surveillance “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever” Orwell wrote his novel after the dangers of totalitarian governments had been played out to tragic effect in World War II, and the arms race during the Cold War

2014-15: we are really into dystopias.

So Many Questions What do these modern examples of dystopias have in common? Consider: How are their lives different than ours? Who/what is the source of their struggles? How do they react to this new world? What is the outcome? Why are dystopian stories more popular than utopians? Why are we interested in dystopians now more than ever?

More Important Question: Why why why are we still reading 1984?!

Constant Surveillance 1984 sales explode following the US NSA scandal in 2013 http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/orwell-or-obama In 2013 in Waterloo Region, local schools and governments employ more than 1,800 surveillance cameras at their facilities See “Surveillance camera boom sparks privacy concerns”

Attacks on Language

Complacent Citizens In 2011, the Presidential State of the Union address attracted almost 43 million television viewers, while the Super Bowl was watched by over 111 million people, its largest audience in history A majority of eligible Ontario residents didn't cast a ballot in the 2011 federal election, marking the first time turnout in the province dipped below 50 per cent. This marked a new low, though numbers have steadily declined

Final Pro Tip on Dystopias Remember, dystopias are written as warnings with the purpose of drawing attention to a present day problem Identify the warning and you have found a large part of the theme/thesis Orwell himself said, “I write because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing”