Welcome to this life!
Utopia VS. Dystopia Research Introduction:
In Lois Lowry's The Giver, Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. In order to establish this perfect utopian world there are sacrifices one must make. There are no choices.
Every person is assigned a role in the Community. Life is defined for you and every decision that must be made is pre-determined. In The Giver, the citizens are protected from making the wrong decisions and choices (by having no voice or ability to choose for themselves). Life is structured, and everyone is expected to follow the rules and do as they have been told. When Jonas turns twelve he is singled out to receive special training from an old man known as The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of true pain and pleasure of life. Now it’s time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. As The Giver transfers the memories, Jonas discovers the disturbing reality about his "utopian" world.
In Scott Westerfield's The Uglies, teens are given plastic surgery once they turn 16 years old. The result is perfection. Who wouldn't want to live in a world that made everyone flawless?
Or is this society as "beautiful" as it first seems?
Both of these novels present worlds that seem too perfect to be true.
In reality, they are far from utopian settings. The reader will discover that both novels are set in dystopian worlds - worlds and societies that are the opposite of paradise or perfection.
About This Project: The following short-term research-based performance tasks are based on dystopian themes. You can find the dystopian theme present in Lois Lowry's The Giver, Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, and many other popular teen, pre-teen, and young adult novels.
What are the differences between a utopian society and a dystopian world?
For Teachers
This research-based performance task is appropriate for all secondary grade levels from 6th-12th grade and supports both Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced ELA Assessment.