The appeal of dystopian Fiction

         Having gone through a lot of dystopian novels over the course of the semester, I would say that this is the most exposure I have gotten to the dystopian genre. Dystopias definitely interest me because I have actually had exposure to them in pop culture and other means and I have always found them appealing because of how ominous they are. They carry this sense of doom that people are in denial of.

What I like about the dystopian novels

     Looking at the first dystopian novel we read in class, The Hunger Games, I would say that it had a very huge impact on pop culture. All of a sudden everyone wanted to have a mockingjay pin or there would be online quizzes testing which district would suit you. Having to read it in class gave a deeper meaning than just seeing it as a form of entertainment. It became a topic with different layers that we could dissect and talk about. If we take a look at the environment of the hunger games, it is terrible and foreboding and it was not the best conditions for anyone to live in. However what I like is that it made Katniss harness her strengths in order to survive.  By learning to hunt with an arrow, she was able to show the judges her archery skills and that somehow gave her an advantage in the games. Video of Katniss shooting an apple in front of the judges 
       There is this saying; "Desperate measures call for desperate actions" I would say this applies to almost every dystopian novel I have come across. When humans are exposed to a life that is less than ideal, they try to tap into their inner strengths in order to survive and we see this as an awakening of the characters in the novels. They have to become stronger and better than their usual self in order to survive. However this would not happen if  they were living in a happy and ideal society. I would say that is the greatest appeal of dystopian novels; Being able to watch characters transform themselves from ordinary and mediocre to extraordinary leaders and much better versions of themselves. This is something to keep in mind and it is that we really do not know what we are capable of until we are pushed to our breaking point. 

Technology in Dystopian environments

     Also technological advances in dystopian novels make it all the more appealing. I am naturally a curious person, so being able to see what someone thinks of the technology in the future is something I appreciate. In Ready player one, we are introduced to the OASIS and that is unlike anything we have in our world. So it stretches your imagination to think of the possibilities that science and technology will harness in the future.

Final Project Proposal

      Now that I have talked about what is appealing to me about dystopians. I would delve into my visual project. I believe I would base my project on a character in an imaginary dystopian society and I would take viewers through a journey of their life. In a way this wold be a way to portray how the living conditions of this dystopian world takes a toll of them from birth through death. This may come in form of a metamorphosis cycle or a video diary of the most important events in this character's life. This will help to visualize how one goes from being ordinary to having more skills and abilities because of the environment you are put in. 

Works Cited
Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.


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