Imagine a community, a seemingly perfect society, with one fatal flaw: the inhabitants lack any control over their own lives. A Utopian society claims to offer an idealized world, although, as seen in literature examples, fails to succeed.The popular young adult novels Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are set in so-called Utopian societies, offering different takes on the classic utopia/dystopia genre.
In Divergent, the female protagonist, Tris lives in a community with utopian goals and lofty ideals. In Tris's city, the government gives people medication, so they do not question authority. While the drugs work for many, for Tris and few others, the dose fails. Divergent groups the town up into five factions. At a young age, children are tested to see what faction they should be in. In Divergent, the people control the government but in The Hunger Games the government is run by the wealthiest people in the community, and those people do not care what happens to the other people. These individuals, considered "divergent" cannot be controlled by the government medication doses. The government seeks to control, to ensure these people do not destroy their Utopian society. For this purpose, the government's
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Tris’s love for Four is the driving plot point of Divergent. She does not care if she is not supposed to be with Four, she is going to be with him. This romantic dynamic causes Tris to risk her life multiple times for the sake of Four and their potential life together. Divergent presents a more realistic way of showing what people would do to survive, and how far people may go to protect those they love. While The Hunger Games tackles issues of control and corruption, it remains fictional, offering a virtual work and a hypothetical vision of the extremes of human
In all aspects a utopian society is a society that is place to achieve perfection, and that is the society that both the “Uglies”, by Scott Westfield and “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, was striving for. In both of these stories, the government had control over the people’s choices, freedoms, and their natural abilities. Yet both government strive for a perfect society, the methods they use to achieve this goal were different from each other.
Utopian literature is characterized by being a place where you are free and everyone is free. Most people in a utopia are happy. However, in the story of “The Pedestrian” and “The Lottery,” the rebel rebels against the system and is punished as a result. In both stories, it seems there is a utopia but as the rebels speak out it, it is revealed that the society is, instead, a dystopia.
The authors therefor saw the ‘utopian’ societies to be a trap for weak minded publics, and that once in place, such systems would be able to perpetuate indefinitely due to the efficiency at which they protect and propagate themselves. Through fear, diversion and sedation the utopia can maintain a strong grip on the people it encompasses before anyone realizes the sacrifices made. The popularity of these books does rule out the possibility of such a society coming into existence in the future, however. The state of people is not about to change, and their ignorance will continue regardless of the harshness of the wake up calls issued.
The definition of a dystopia is a futuristic universe where oppressive societal control and creating an illusion of a perfect society (or rather a Utopia) are maintained through either corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. A lot of popular books and movies we see today are created from this concept, and often have a character who defines the rules within the dystopian setting. The book Fahrenheit 451 and the movie The Hunger Games both contain a dystopian genre which go by the definition of a dystopia.
Several types of societies exist in today’s world, dystopias - miserable societies of oppression- and utopias - ideal societies of political or social perfection. Dystopias are illustrated in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which extensively follow the characters, Katniss Everdeen and Guy Montag, and their quests to rebel against government control. The Giver by Lois Lowry, an ostensibly utopian community, succumbs to the typical, corrupt dystopian society, where the government is in total control of every aspect of the community. Although each novel, on the surface, has a diverse plot, they share a comprehensive idea: the effects of the government on society. In The Hunger Games, the government, referred to as the capital, forces each district to select a male and a female to fight to the death, to keep the nation, Panem, in
The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451 are both great examples of dystopian fiction. A dystopia is a fictional world that takes place in the future that is supposed to be perceived as a perfect society, but it’s actually the opposite. Other things that a dystopian society might display are citizens both living in a dehumanized state and feeling like they’re constantly watched by a higher power. Dystopias are places where society is backwards or unfair, and they are usually are controlled by the government, technology, or a particular religion. The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451 are both in the dystopian fiction genre because the societies within them show the traits of a dystopia. Both of them also have characters that go against the flow of the normal world.
Before World War I, the literary term known as the Utopia emerged. Many people believed that society would be happier if the individual made sacrifices for the “common good”. However, the war changed all of that. Society began to fear governments in which everyone was the same and was ruled by a dictator. Thus, the genre of the dystopian novel emerged. “Dystopian novels show that any attempt at establishing utopia will only make matters much worse.” (Dietz, 1996) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell are considered classic examples of this genre by such critics as Frank Dietz, Beaird Glover, and Donald Watt. These distinct novels both warn against utopia through the portrayal of the protagonist begins as part of a society in which the individual is non-existent, come into contact with influences that cause their rebellions, and eventually come into contact with some upper hand of the government.
A dystopian text often consists of a society that is based on a utopian ideal of a “perfect” society. Despite being a fictitious setting, the more realistic a dystopian text seems, the more disturbing it is for the audience. The novel The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, takes place in the Republic of Gilead that was formerly the state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts has been reformed to a place where puritan traditions and beliefs are the only customs allowed. Gilead and its totalitarian government oppress women to the extent where rape is a norm in their society. The novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is about a contest held in the country of Panem, where twelve teenagers are forced to fight one another until only one survives the battle. The people of Panem are mandated in watching this contest, as a reminder of the previous uprising that was stopped by their totalitarian government called the Capitol. Atwood depicts Gilead in a way where it is almost possible for the society in Gilead to
Everyone in the factions has a place, everyone has one genetic trait, all except the divergent. In the book Divergent there are five factions, each faction was made up by one personality trait. The traits were Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peace), Candor (honesty), Dauntless (brave), and Erudite (intelligent). After taking a serum that stimulates the brain to produce simulations in which the different simulation eliminated one faction. The main character Tris ( originally named Beatrice Prior) did not eliminate four factions but had an inconclusive result, as she only eliminated two factions out of the five possible factions. It is later revealed that the factions were created within a fenced city to protect it from the outside. The outside is full of constant violent war; this is caused by damaged genetics that causes th...
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.”, a very well known quote from the book series The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, Pg 19). The Hunger Games Trilogy written by Suzeanne Collins has become enormously popular. The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay are the three works that make up the series. A major motion picture was released titled The Hunger Games, after the first book in the series, and it instantly became a box office hit. Those who have not read the books may be left wondering why a book series focused on kids ages 12-18 are put into an arena and fight to the death is creating such a commotion. Not only are the books popular among adolescents, many adults have also found the series captivating as well. With books so focused on violence, there must be an underlying factor that draws readers in and makes them feel so passionately about the characters in these books. In all three books, but particularly in the first, Suzeanne Collins captivates readers by creating such vivid and emotional relationships between the characters. Suspense is created by the anticipation of not knowing what will happen between the characters. A strong bond between sisters, a broken mother-daughter relationship, and a love triangle are some of the main relationships built and focused upon throughout the book that draw readers in.
In both books they share some traits, even though they may not look anything alike they are. both of these novels are dystopian novels and many characters share similarity’s.
Dystopian societies are about control and power. Some want to create a perfect society, and therefore must have a strong hold on their citizens to make sure their emotions don't get in the way of a utopian dream Others just want absolute and complete control over the people. However, in order to completely understand the reason for a dystopian society, it is important to first to understand the purpose of government, and understand the mind of the person in control of such a terrifying society. Whether someone can understand why these societies are put into place, they can be identified by its unique characteristics like the ones found in Orwell;s 1984, Huxley’s Brave New World and Shyamalan’s The Village.
Complete governmental control develops as an apparent theme of both 1984 and The Hunger Games. 1984 uses the concept of big brother for the sole purpose of instilling a dependence on the government for every aspect in the citizens’ lives. Similarly, the capitol of Panem in The Hunger Games censors information from the people so that any idea of revolution will be instantaneously
In a dystopian society, the government watches and dictates everything. It is the opposite of a perfect world in the sense that careers and social status are pre-destined. The government of this society does everything in its power to make the citizens believe that this is the most ideal place to live. The word “dystopia” ultimately roots back to the Greek word “dys” meaning bad and “topos” meaning place (www.merriam-webster.com). Citizens in a dystopian society rarely question their government. Many citizens are brainwashed and others are just too frightened to speak out against injustices evident in their society. The Hunger Games and The Giver are perfect examples of dystopian texts d...
Various countries that have unstable governments mirror the same types of social structures. The regimes of North Korea, Sudan, and Somalia has great disparity between their respective social classes. The poor in these countries have very little compared to the rich, and the reason behind much of this is the inadequate or over-enforcement of the laws of the land. These recent occurrences influenced author Suzanne Collins to compose a dystopian novel derived from the oligarchical structure of these variety of sovereign states. The Hunger Games suggests that the hierarchical manner in which social classes are organized is determined by the governmental decisions.