Dystopia
This world ain’t perfect…
What is a dystopia?
• Dystopia is the opposite of utopia which means
“a perfect society.”
• A dystopia would be a futuristic imperfect society
that is highly controlled. They often make a
criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or
political system through an exaggerated scenario.
• Where have we seen a dystopian story before?
– Short stories like “The Lottery”
– Contemporary novels like The Hunger Games trilogy
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
• They are ruled by a totalitarian government
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of
society.
• Information, independent thought, and freedom
are restricted.
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the
citizens of the society.
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant
surveillance.
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
Characteristics of a
Dystopian Society
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Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
The natural world is banished and distrusted.
Citizens conform to uniform expectations.
Individuality and dissent is bad.
The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian
world. In other words, citizens don’t realize
it’s not perfect.
Dystopian Protagonists
• Often feel trapped and are struggling to escape
their society.
• Question the existing social and political systems.
• Believe or feel that something is terribly wrong
with the society in which they live.
• Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects
of the dystopian world through their perspective.
So what Dystopian story
are we reading???
Things to know before reading…
• The characters in Divergent live in a futuristic
society that is starting to have some problems.
• The protagonists are named Beatrice and
Three, and they are teenagers that must make
some serious choices regarding their future.
• In the society of Divergent, every citizen
belongs to one of five groups. The groups are
referred to as factions.
 faction
noun. a group or clique within a larger group,
party, government or organization
 Abnegation
noun. 1. the act of denying oneself of rights,
conveniences, etc. 2. the act of giving something
up
 Erudite
adj. learned or scholarly; characterized by great
knowledge
 Amity
noun. 1. friendship 2. peaceful harmony; mutual
understanding and a peaceful relationship,
especially between nations 3. cordiality
 Dauntless
adj. fearless; courageously resolute, especially in
the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged
 Candor
noun. 1. the state or quality of being frank, open
and sincere in speech or expression; candidness
2. freedom from bias; fairness and impartiality
• divergent
noun. deviating from what is expected; different
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