What Role Does Morality Play In Dystopian Literature

Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.

Dystopia is common theme which dates hundreds of years in literature worldwide. Dystopian novels and short stories often depict a society repressed by a totalitarian government which comes to power after a cataclysmic occurrence, wielding unforgiving power and control over inhabitants for their own good. These dystopias are often perceived by the average citizen as a normal or unavoidable way of life, sometimes even a better way of life, yet there is often a single person or group of protagonists who question the justification of such living arrangements and threaten upheaval of the utopia sold by the ruling class.

Dystopian fiction is very popular with modern teens because of the craziness of the societies created. They relate to this text because they feel like they are always being told to do just like the charaters in these societies. These texts are all about a alternant reality that is pretty messed up.

Literature is the window to realizing the negatives of society and how destructive certain norms can be. Readers are brought into a completely different story than their own, but by using similar issues in today’s world, the readers can actually learn from the story and its overall message. All writers write for a purpose, whether it’s for a new meaning to life, to live a different life than our own, or to impact others on an emotional level by teaching them to see the importance of the little things. As a reader, you search for pieces of literature that interest you whether you find the story like your own, or wish you lived the life in the story. By using issues in today’s within their works, authors are able to grab the reader's attention long enough for them to get across what they wanted to get across. Often in many works of literature, writers use societal issues as their basis for the work’s themes and symbols. By doing so, this allows the reader to question the morality behind social norms and how impactful certain ideals can be in people’s lives.

Literature is an essential part of the center of a person’s life. It provides a certain assurance and “feeds the soul” of one. Whether it be a book, TV, or even an advertisement, literature exists everywhere. A person is able to develop many skills by studying literature, and expand the horizon of their learning. An immeasurable amount of insight and knowledge can be gained from the study of literature which contributes in providing readers with an understanding of the past, and a philosophical assimilation of the moral behind a writing piece.

”Dystopian elements are conveyed in a variety of texts. Examine how the reader is challenged or confronted by dystopia in at least two texts you have studied in class.”

Literature is an influential and integral part of modern day society. Each excerpt, short story and novel has the potential to shape us, instilling values and principles into each reader. Julius Caesar teaches us the dangers of excessive pride, The Giver tells us to embrace the human condition, and many other compositions reveal knowledge that we can apply to modern society and our daily lives. Still, every person reads specific pieces of literature to which they can truly connect. Mine are The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Dystopian Fiction Argumentative Essay Why do authors write dystopian fiction? Authors write dystopian fiction so they can warn us about the future. Dystopian fiction is “...a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in 'a dark, nightmare world.' The term dystopia is defined as a society characterized by poverty, squalor or oppression and the theme is most commonly used in science fiction and speculative fiction genres”(www.questia.com). In this essay I will be writing about how, it often has possible results from current events/issues, History repeats itself, and how the author writes the story to be interesting with many hidden messages within the story.

A dystopia is a futuristic and imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. There is a benefit or need for Dystopian Literature because it shows how real life societies can create illusions

As the era of literature slowly declines, the expert critiques and praise for literature are lost. Previously, novels were bursting at the seams with metaphors, symbolism, and themes. In current times, “novels” are simply short stories that have been elaborated on with basic plot elements that attempt to make the story more interesting. Instead of having expert critical analysis written about them, they will, most likely, never see that, as recent novels have nothing to analyze. Even books are beginning to collect dust, hidden away and forgotten, attributing to the rise of companies such as Spark Notes. An author deserves to have his work praised, no matter how meager and the masses should have the right to embrace it or to reject it. As

SA 2 American Society may have many aspects that draw parallels with dystopian novels, but the most important one by far has to with the centralization of power and wealth in society. A common motif in dystopian literature is the large and powerful government, or ruling class, which oppresses the people enough to make it a dystopia. In the United States, a large amount of influence and power is in the hands of a relatively few number of people, effecting areas of society such as media, politics, education and social norms while the growing progression of technology aids in the submissive nature of the general population. Thus, many more obvious dystopian features of society such as surveillance and media slanting are direct outcomes of these

Indeed, the best works of literature are those which are of relevance to our lives today. Through their relevance, these novels continue to persist and endure on. Through their relevance, we can better comprehend the messages, the themes, and the ideas that are imbued in them. Rather than literature being contradictory and in conflict with the truth and unpleasant reality of daily life, it becomes a weapon through which we can be educated about the existential crises facing our world today. In fact, the statement above could not be more far and distant from the reality of literature today. It is fatally flawed. Literature, whilst at the surface, seems whimsical and amusing is, at its very core, a medium through which we are enlightened

Literature, a body of written works, is something that I sometimes find myself leisurely immersing in. It allows for the limitations of my own ordinary situations to be seized momentarily whilst I let mind be free and my own imagination wander. The pursuit of self-discovery is present within many forms of literature and can be told through plots and central characters. I often discover new societal universal longings that arise from the novels pages which encourages me to reflect on my own sense of self. The unique interpretations and individual thoughts made by readers allows for a diverse range of reactions to literature. It allows for the words on a page to transform from still words, into a journey of personal expedition, where individuals deepen their connections to the characters as well venturing on a self-discovery expedition. I can relate with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s claim that “you discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong”. I have recently read both a novel, The light between oceans by M.L Stedman, and a memoir, Reckoning by Magda Szubanski, that have allowed me to reflect upon my own sense of self and question my own societal universal longings.

Literature is an imitation of societal values and is thus a reflection of the human experience of a time period. Written works emphasize the elements of culture, by means of characters, particular events, setting and theme, specific to the time period in which it was composed. Furthermore, literature mirrors the troubles or hardships of society and projects the core values that define said society. Thus, as culture has changed over time, literature has remained a critical facet in representing time periods of the past. Essentially, the culture of a time period is manifested through writing in the projection of society’s values, symbolism of the center of community and literature itself.

literature reveals to the reader political and societal problems that need addressing.  In the dystopian novels The