Lesson video

Hello, everyone, and welcome to your lesson on understanding dystopias.

I'm Miss Sutherland and I'll be guiding you through the lesson today.

So our learning objective for today is to be able to describe the features of a dystopian setting and our key words for today are futuristic, society, suffering, injustice, and convention.

We're gonna start off by learning a little bit about dystopian and utopian settings.

Setting is the time and place in which the story takes place.

A story can take place in the past, present, or future, and it can take place in a fictional or real setting.

So what type of setting is a dystopia? This may be an unfamiliar word to you, but by breaking it down, it can help us.

Dys means bad or difficult, and topia means place.

So based on that, what do you think the characteristics of a dystopia might be? Pause the video and have a think.

A dystopia is a fictional futuristic society in which there is great suffering and injustice.

Well done if you said any of that.

So what do you think the conventions of a dystopia might be? Pause the video and have a think.

The first convention of a dystopia is suffering.

The citizens of a dystopia may be treated in a really cruel way, leading them to suffer and feel lots of pain.

Rebellion is the second convention.

Because of the harsh ways in which the people are treated, some people want to go against authority figures.

Third convention is fearful citizens.

Not everyone in a dystopia would rebel.

In fact, a lot of people in a dystopia are very scared to go against authority figures and would live their lives in fear.

The fourth dystopian convention is destruction of nature.

Typically, in a dystopia, we would not see much greenery at all.

Nature would very much be neglected.

There'd be lots of pollution, and we could see the effects of climate change in a dystopia.

The fifth dystopian convention is injustice.

Typically, dystopian societies are not fair.

There'll be one group of people having a lot and another group of people barely surviving.

Lastly, lack of freedom.

People in a dystopia are typically not free to have their own dreams and ambitions and pursue them, and they are also not free to say what they please.

And these six things can be defined as dystopian conventions.

True or false? A dystopia is a real place in today's world.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said false.

A dystopia is not a real place in today's world.

Now why is that? Is that because a dystopia is fictional and futuristic or is that because a dystopia is somewhere you can go and visit? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said it's because a dystopia is fictional and futuristic.

A dystopia cannot be a real place in today's world, because a dystopia is fictional, made up, and futuristic, set in the future.

True or false? A dystopia is an ideal society.

Pause a video and have a think.

Well done if you said false.

A dystopia is not an ideal society.

Why is that? Is it because a dystopia has great suffering or is it because a dystopia is fair for everyone? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said it's because a dystopia has great suffering.

A dystopia cannot be an ideal society, because an ideal society would not include great suffering.

Which of the following is not a dystopian convention? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said equality.

Equality is not a dystopian convention.

In fact, many dystopias include inequality.

Now each of the sentences below on the right demonstrates one convention of dystopian literature.

I want you to match the convention on the left to the appropriate sentence on the right.

Pause the video and have a go.

Let's go through some answers.

So, the destruction of nature is shown in the sentence, "Where plush grass adorned with flowers used to grow, skyscrapers now towered into the polluted sky." We can see the destruction of nature there, because there are no more flowers and there is no more grass.

There are only high-rise buildings and a polluted sky, showing how nature has been destroyed.

Lack of freedom is shown in the sentence, "Trapped in a sterile room, she longed to see her family again." We can see that character doesn't have freedom, because of the word trapped.

And lastly, fearful citizens.

Fearful citizens is shown in the sentence, "Hastily, he scanned the surroundings for any threats." That word scanned is telling us that person is looking out for the danger around them and must be scared.

Well done on that task.

I now want you to choose a convention below and write an example of a dystopian sentence that matches that convention.

So you could choose rebellion, injustice, or suffering.

Use the sentence starters to write a sentence that matches your chosen convention.

Pause the video and have a go.

Let's go through some examples of what you could have written.

So for rebellion, your sentence might look something like, "She risked her safety every day, organising secret meetings and treading impossible paths to finally expose the truth." Injustice might look like, "Opulent estates with manicured lawns and ostentatious vehicles took pity on rows and rows of dilapidated buildings." We can see the injustice in that sentence, because there are some luxurious houses with amazing gardens who are looking down upon rundown buildings.

And lastly, suffering.

"Their empty eyes and scarred hands spoke of the gruelling hours that they were forced to work." Your sentences might not look exactly like that, but as long as you showed your chosen convention in your sentence, well done.

So we've talked about dystopia, but what about utopia? Utopia is the antonym of dystopia.

That means it's the opposite.

So can you predict what a utopia might be? Pause the video and have a think.

A utopia is an imagined place in which everything is fair and perfect.

Well done if you said any of that.

So what might it be like to live in a utopia? Pause the video and have a discussion.

Let's go through some answers.

Utopias involve freedom.

People are safe and happy in a utopia.

Nature thrives in a utopia and is very much looked after.

And lastly, utopias are peaceful places, not violent ones.

We can see there that the characteristics of a utopia are very much the opposite of a dystopia.

True or false? A utopia is characterised by suffering.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said false.

Utopias are not characterised by suffering.

Why is that? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said it's because a utopia is perfect and fair.

A perfect and fair world cannot be characterised by suffering.

Now I want you to change the words and phrases in bold to create a utopia.

At the moment, these sentences reflect dystopia.

"Slowly, he trudged through the polluted city to work." "A group of weary people with hollow expressions spoke with caution in hushed tones." "Throughout the city, a web of cameras track the citizens' every move." Change the words and phrases in bold to create the opposite effect, to create a happy and vibrant society, utopia.

Pause the video and have a go.

Let's go through some possible sentences.

"Leisurely, he walked through the vibrant city to work." "A group of carefree people with animated expressions spoke in upbeat tones." And finally, "Throughout the city, vibrant flowers and towering trees glistened in the sun." Your sentences might not look exactly like that, but that's okay as long as your sentences reflect a utopia with carefree people, with nature thriving, and with peace.

Very well done.

We are now going to look at dystopias and our society.

Discuss, why might writers create dystopian worlds? Why might they want to write about a dystopian world? Pause the video and have a think.

Writers often create dystopian settings to illuminate suffering and injustice in the society that we live in.

Now, I want you to think about what are some examples of suffering and injustice in our society? Pause the video and have a think.

Here are some examples of suffering and injustice in our society.

Well done if you said any of those.

Why do you think it's important to illuminate some of these issues? Again, pause the video and have a think.

By illuminating injustice and suffering in our society, dystopias may help people reflect on their harmful actions and give a voice to marginalised groups.

For example, Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" is a dystopian story where those from poor districts are entered into brutal games in which they fight.

This is watched by wealthy members of the Capitol for entertainment.

I want you to discuss what issues in our society are being highlighted in "The Hunger Games", and why do you think she wrote it? Pause the video.

Have a think.

So Collins highlights the issues of inequality in our society, particularly the disparity or difference between the wealthy and poor, as the wealthy people in "The Hunger Games" exploit those in poverty for entertainment.

And perhaps Collins wrote this to promote more equality between those with different economic status.

Well done if you mentioned any of that in your discussion.

True or false? Dystopian writers are mostly satisfied with their current society.

Pause the video.

Have a think.

Well done if you said false.

Dystopian writers are not mostly satisfied with their current society.

How do you know that? Pause the video.

Have a think.

Well done if you said it's because dystopian writers want to show the suffering in society to help improve society.

Now read the summary of "Noughts and Crosses".

It's another dystopian novel by Malorie Blackman.

Then complete the sentences to explain how Malorie Blackman uses her novel to comment on issues in our society.

In Blackman's "Noughts and Crosses", the Noughts and Crosses are two different racial groups.

The Noughts are discriminated against, experiencing poverty and suffering, whilst the Crosses are superior and advantaged.

Have a go at explaining how Malorie Blackman uses her novel to comment on issues in our society.

Use the sentence starters to help you.

Off you go.

Here are some possible answers.

"Noughts and Crosses" highlights the societal issues of racism and inequality, as one race is regarded more highly than another.

And this novel may have been written to expose the damaging effects of racism in order to foster a more inclusive and equitable society.

Well done if you wrote any of that in your answer.

Now we're going to look at recognising dystopias.

Let's read this dystopian description and see if we can tell how exactly it is dystopian.

"A sunken woman trudged home along the dusty streets.

She wore frayed clothing coated with grease and sweat that gaped around her emaciated body.

Most people thought about what they might have for dinner on the way home from work, but her only thought was if there would be any.

The forest was scant.

Crops had dried up, wildlife had fled, and she could not risk asking a neighbour for food.

It was barren land full of barren hearts." Now I'm gonna annotate this response to show you exactly how it meets the dystopian conventions.

Firstly, we can see suffering, because this woman is clearly malnourished.

Her clothes are not fitting her emaciated body.

We can also see the destruction of nature.

The forests are bare.

There's hardly any crops and the animals have run away.

It's clear that mankind has not treated nature very well.

We can also see fearful citizens.

This woman could not risk asking a neighbour for food, probably means she's scared of what might happen if she did that.

Choose three conventions that you can look for in a text to decide if it is dystopian.

Pause the video.

Have a go.

Well done if you said we can look for suffering, destruction of nature, and inequality.

We can't look for freedom, because typically in dystopias, people are not free.

Now it's over to you.

We are going to read this dystopian text, and it's your turn to then annotate the elements of a dystopia.

So, "Tn the suburbs, ash clouds permeated the sky, their fury growing as the evening dragged on.

The people too dragged their frail bodies through the endless, monotonous, but necessary cycle of sewing, folding, ironing.

Every day was the same.

Their joints ached and their stomachs growled and their hearts yearned.

It was as if all colour and energy had been drained and injected into the city centre.

In the centre, sun scorched, stomachs bulged, and people lazed." Pause the video.

Have a go at annotating the dystopian conventions in that text.

Let's go through what you might have found.

So in that first sentence, we can see natural destruction in the form of pollution.

The colour of the clouds suggest this is a very polluted city.

We can also see suffering in that phrase, "Dragged their frail bodies," because these people are clearly weak.

We can see injustice.

These people have to work endlessly, and every day seems the same.

That doesn't seem very fair.

Therefore, we can say that's injustice.

Again, we can see suffering in the sentence, "Their joints ached, their stomachs growled, and their hearts yearned." This is because the people seem to be very hungry, but also mentally suffering in that phrase, "Their hearts yearned." And lastly, inequality.

"In the centre, sun scorched, stomachs bulged, and people lazed." That is a very different place to what's being described at the beginning of the extract.

It seems people live a life of luxury and relaxation in the centre.

Therefore, this society is clearly unequal.

Well done if you annotated any of that when you had a go.

Let's go through then what we've learned today.

Setting is the time and place a story takes place.

Dystopian settings are fictional and futuristic.

The six dystopian conventions are suffering, injustice, fearful citizens, lack of freedom, destruction of nature, and rebellion.

Utopias are fair and perfect places, the opposite of dystopias.

And lastly, writers often use dystopias to exaggerate the bad or difficult parts of our society.

Thank you for learning with me today, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Well done.