Unit 4 Disney World:
Cities of Simulation as
Postmodern Utopias
TEACHING LECTURES
Periods 1-2 ( 80 min )
◆ Warm-up Questions:
1. What does Disney World evoke in you?
2. What can we learn from Disney World?
Contents:
★ About the Lesson
 The author gives his critical view on
Disney World from two perspectives: Why
does this park have such a great appeal to
its visitors? And how does modern
technology plays its paradoxical roles in
Disney?
Structural Analysis of Text I:
 This expository essay may be divided into 4 parts as
follows:
1. Part I (Para. 1-4) : the author explains the illusion,
idealized reality and fantasies created by Disney.
2. Part II (Paras 5-7 ) : the author probes the implications of
modern technology in Disney World.
3. Part III (Paras 8 – 9): the author moves on to discuss the
difference between the perfect world as desired by
humanity and that of Disney World.
4. Part IV (Paras. 10-11): the author raises the question
about our relationship with technology and cautioned us
against the greatest negative aspects of Disney World.
★ Detailed Study of Part I (paras. 1-4)
of Text I:
Text Analysis
Paragraph 1
The first paragraph is part of the section in
which the author explains the illusion
(Paragraph 1), idealized reality
(Paragraphs 2 and 3 ) and fantasies
(Paragraph 4) created by Disney.
1)“ In various attractions” ---- In Disney World there
are four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPOCT,
Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom.
Each of the four includes a number of units that
are further composed of a number of attractions.
For example, one of the units in Magic Kingdom
is called Adventureland that is made up of the
following attractions: Jungle Cruise, Pirates of
the Caribbean, Swiss Family Treehouse, and
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. The same is true
of all other units (Frontierland, Tomorrowland,
Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Mickey’s Toontown
Fair) in this and other theme parks.
2)“ On the thrill rides” ---- While riding the rollercoasters and other terrifying machines.
3)“ they defy gravity, moving at speeds and in
ways that seem to violate what common sense
tells them should be possible” ---- Here the
author refers to the attractions in
Tomorrowland. These attractions are: Astro
Orbiter, Tommorrow Indy Speedway and
Space Mountain, all of which demonstrate the
incredibly fast speed at which we travel on the
earth and to outer-space.
4)On the thrill rides, they defy gravity, moving at
speeds and in ways that seem to violate what
common sense tells them should be possible:
When taking the exciting rides on those
machines, they act against gravity, moving
at such a fast speed that is almost
impossible to turn to their common sense
for an explanation.
defy: act against; refuse to obey
 Her beauty defies description.
The doctor has been accused of violating
professional ethics.
 Questions of this kind violate my privacy
and I am not willing to answer them.
Paragraphs 2-3
 These two paragraphs elaborate on the
idealized vision created by Disney World: a
world of perpetual celebration and a world that is
objective and material but seemingly as carefree
as the imagination. This illusion caters to
humanity’s deepest dream ---- “ to escape the
fallen state of society and the self” or “ to
transcend the mundane.”
1) “negative emotions” ( Paragraph 2 ) ---- The
phrase refers to all undesirable emotions such
as unhappiness, disappointment and anger.
2) “ we go on a journey through symbolic
worlds that are objective and material but
seemingly as carefree as the imagination.”
( Paragraph 3 ) ---- In Disney World we
entertain ourselves with the vision that we
are living in fantastic, carefree worlds that
are in reality, objective and solid.
Paragraphs 4
 Another function of Disney World is to render the
possibility of re-creating our surroundings in the form of
an updated version of contemporary romance stories.
That is, Disney World satisfies people’s psychological
needs by dismissing the “dry scientism” with modern art
and technology.
1) “ the disenchantment of the world the rise of science and
the declining influence of religion: ---- the disappointment
of the world/ the loss of belief in the world due to the rise
of science and the diminishing influence of religion.
2) “ an updated version of contemporary romance stories.”
---- a new model of contemporary love stories that are
endowed with human emotions and feelings.
Questions
1) How does Disney World idealize American capitalism
and political history?
 Disney World idealize American capitalism and political
history by creating the vision that people are participating
in a 365-day-a-year holiday in a world full of celebrations,
parades and fund, a world free from negative emotions.
2) Why does visitors have the dream of transcending the
mundane?
 Because people normally find that in the real world most
opportunities are closed to them and most human
motives are concealed, they wish that they could, at
least symbolically, go beyond the mundane world.
Language Work
1. On the thrill rides, they defy gravity, moving at
speeds and in ways that seem to violate what
common sense tells them should be possible:
When taking the exciting rides on those
machines, they act against gravity, moving at
such a fast speed that it is almost impossible to
turn to their common sense for an explanation.
 Her beauty defies description.
 The doctor has been accused of violating
professional ethics.
2. …draws visitors into a world of perpetual
celebration…: Visitors are attracted into a world
where everyday is a festival and celebrations
are going on all the time.
 They lived in perpetual fear of being discovered
and arrested.
 He has hard, cold eyes and his mouth is set in
a perpetual sneer.
3. In Disney World, we transcend the mundane. :
In Disney World, we are free from all the
ordinary and boring matters we have to put up
with in the real world.
 The underlining message of the film is that love
transcends everything else.
4. … most human motives are concealed…: Most
human motives are hidden. We do not know
what other people are thinking about.
 I tried to conceal my surprise when she told me
her age.
 Is there something you are concealing from me?
5. … in the modern age we are witnessing the
disenchantment of the world….: In our modern
time, we see with our own eyes that people are
getting more and more disappointed about what
is going on in the world.
 Disillusionment and disenchantment have now
set in for many people.
Periods 3-4 ( 80 min )
◆ Gist Questions:
1. What, according to the author, is the promise of
modernism? And what is the postmodern promise?
 The promise of modernism is the realistic hope that
technology will bring affluence, power over nature and
rationality, while the postmodern promise is that
technology will allow us to escape the condition of
society and the physical world.
2. What does the author mean by saying “progress
culminates in a utopia of transcendence”?
 The author means that the progress represented by
Disney World reaches its highest peak and enters a
utopia beyond the limits of our physical world.
◆ Contents: Detailed study of Paras 57 of Text I
Text Analysis
 From Paragraph 5 to 7 the author probes the
implications of modern technology in Disney World. In
Paragraph 5 she finds that “ it also shows us the way
technology will give us power over, and freedom from,
the world.” In other words, it can help us enjoy, by
simulation, what we hope to enjoy in reality.
“ objectified fantasies” ---- those fantasies and
imaginations that have been made real in the various
attractions in Disney World.
 In paragraph 6 the author further expounds the idea that
technology is the means to help people transcend the
mundane world.
 “ showcase” ---- a situation or event that is
designed to show the good qualities someone
or some product possesses. The world is often
metaphorically used to indicate a situation in
which something is displayed to its best
advantage.
 “ in place of” ---- in stead of.
 “rationality” ---- The meaning of this world is
opposite to sentimentality and romance.
 In paragraph 7, the author points out the
paradox that is related with the two trends: the
desire to escape the constraints of life through
technology, and the desire to pretend we have
done so in invented worlds of simulation. In this
world of simulation, we succeeded in
transcending the mundane world and change
the decadent state of nature, society and
ourselves.
 “ if the great myth of ‘meta-story’ of America is
the story of progress, then Disney World is a
place that masquerades as the happy ending” --- if the great story of American success is the
story of progress, then Disney World seems to
mark its happy ending.
 “ undoes the fallen state of nature, society and
ourselves” ---- changes the situation in which
nature, society and ourselves have declined.
Language Work
1. …one day we will go into outer space or
travel freely across the globe or evolve a
perfect society…: one day we will be able
to enter outer space or travel feely across
the earth or develop a perfect society.
 Humans evolved from apes.
 Bacteria are evolving resistance to
antibiotics.
2. … technology would usher in an age of
affluence…: technology would bring about
important changes which would lead to an
age of prosperity.
 She ushered us into her office and offered
us coffee.
 Officials quickly ushered the protesters
out of the hall.
3. Disney World is a place that
masquerades as the happy ending, in
which progress culminates in a utopia…:
Disney World plays the part of the happy
ending of the great story of America.
 In this business letter there are a lot o
unqualified people masquerading as
experts.
 She masqueraded as a shepherd.
 Their many years of research have finally
culminated in a cure for the disease.
 Winning first prize was the culmination of
years of practice and hard work.
Gist Questions:
1. What is the difference between the utopia of
Disney World and other utopias in the Western
civilization.?
 The difference between the utopias either
appear in fiction or are put into practice in small
communities, while the utopia in Disney World is
brought to life with simulation and offered as a
vacation paradise.
2. What, according to the author, is the irony of the
utopia in Disney World?
 The irony of Disney World is that it helps people
progress to a better world by means of
regression.
Detailed study of Paras 8-11of Text I
Text Analysis
In these paragraphs the author moves on
to discuss the difference between the
perfect world as desired by humanity and
that of Disney World. He further points out
the irony that Disney World brings this
ideal perfect world to life by “inviting us to
regress to a state of happiness before the
fall from childhood.”
1) “Disney World falsifies our desire for a better
world” ---- Disney World misrepresents our
desire for a better world.
2) “ to regress to a state of happiness before the
fall from childhood” ---- to retreat to a happy and
innocent period before the end of childhood
which marks the beginning of sophistication and
moral decline.
 Here the word “fall” implies moral degeneration.
According to the Bible, the “fall” was the
occasion when Adam and Eve sinned and God
made them leave the Garden of Eden.
Language Work
1. …put into practice in small communities…:
are carried out by small groups of people.
 It seemed like a good idea before we
started, but in practice it was a disaster.
 I can’t see how your plan is going to work
in practice.
 How do you intend to put these proposals
into practice.
2. ….with simplified visions of life that filter
out the difficult truths of the self and
society.: …with simplified imagination of
life from which all the difficult truths of the
self and society have been removed.
The water is filtered to remove any
impurities.
The technology exists to remove all of
these contaminants through filtration.
3. The contradictions inherent in Disney
World are deepened…: The intrinsic
contradictions of Disney World are
intensified.
I have an inherent distrust of lawyers.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with his
ideas.
4. In Disney, we see the ultimate attempt to
rely on technology…: In Disney, they are
going to the extreme in trying to do
everything with modern technology.
 The success of this project relies on
everyone making an effort.
 I rely on you for good advice.
 I’m relying on the garage to fix the car by
tomorrow.
Periods 5-6 (80min)
1. Comprehension questions
1) How does Disney create the illusion or a
“perfect world” for the visitors?
2) How does Disney idealize American
society?
3) Why does the sense of transcendence in
Disney World have such an appeal to
people in the mundane world?
4) What does Disney do to the dry
“scientism” world view of contemporary
societies?
5) What is the promise of modernism offered
by technology? What is the promise of
“postmodernism” which technology can
offer?
6) Why does the author say that Disney
World is a cautionary tale?
2. Oral Activities
1) What is the essence of Disney World?
 Disney world is a showcase for
postmodernism and postmodern society. It
uses simulation to create the illusion that
we can overcome the limits of time and
space, self and society. But many of the
ideas it conveys are false, making it a
realm of illusions in more than one sense.
2) What do you think are the most important
difference between Disney World and most
traditional fairy tales?
 Disney World and most traditional fairy tales
create illusions that we can overcome the limits
of time and space, self and society. But they are
different in at least the following aspects:
 First, traditional fairy tales are about what
happened in the past, but they represent
people’s dream for a perfect world in the future,
while Disney World brings this perfect
world to life by inviting us to regress to the good
old days.
Second, traditional fairy tales are more
personal, both because of the personal
stories that they tell and because the way
they are told, while Disney World is more
impersonal since they are about idealized
utopias created by machines.
Third, traditional fairy tales are educational
in that they normally “teach” us certain
traditional moral virtues, while Disney
World seems to appeal to us with an
idealized way of life, which is in fact highly
Americanized.
3. Text II: Las Vegas: Postmodern City
of Casinos and Simulation
Questions for discussion:
1). Why did Las Vegas start to reinvent itself in the
image of Disney?
 As other parts of the nation started to compete
with Las Vegas by legalizing gambling, Las
Vegas has had to go through a transformation to
attract more tourists.
2) Is Las Vegas a clone of Disney?
 No, it isn’t. Instead, it has created a new
variation of Disney, which reveals the changes
that are taking place in postmodern culture, at
least within the realm of simulation and themed
attraction. In fact, Las Vegas has turned itself
into a city which combines adult and family
oriented entertainment.
3) What distinguishes Las Vegas from
Disney?
 Disney is famous for a controlled and
monitored park with well-organized from
of transportation, while what Las Vegas
offers sis a bumper-to-bumper chaos of
the Las Vegas trip, lines with fantasy
buildings that bear no relation to each
other.
4) What characterizes the Luxor Hotel?
 The Luxor hotel is one of the city’s monument
to simulation. In the Luxor, we can see many
of the qualities that define Disney World but
with a different feature. Like Disney, it creates
visual spectacles that are intended to evoke
emotions such as surprise, amazement, and
wonder. But like many similar attractions, it
appears to suffer from an identity crisis: it can’t
seem to keep its theme together, i.e., it has an
odd mixture of themes. Indeed, what the Luxor
offers sis simulated attractions. It my include
references to an ancient civilization or history
but the view of the past it offers certainly isn’t
genuine.
5) What is the significance of this essay?
The significance of this essay lies in the
fact that, with the prevailing of simulation
culture, we should watch out for rising
simulation confusion, i.e. the confusion of
a semi-realistic imitation for the object it
imitates.