First, select two dystopian works from the list of texts we’ve studied this semester. Make sure your thesis statement is as specific as possible and is not simply answering the question “what is the dystopia in ____?”. The paper should be five pages in length.
Themes to Consider for the Seminar Paper:
Fahrenheit 451
• Freedom of Thought vs. Censorship
• The Dark Side of Technology
• Obedience and Rebellion
• The Subjectivity of History
• Memory and the Past
The Minority Report
• The Dangers of Technology
• Crime and Punishment
• Corporate Greed
• Memory and the Past
“To Serve the Master”
• Android vs Human Rights
• The Meaning of “Human”ness (or “what makes a human human?”)
• Social and Class Hierarchy
Westworld
• The meaning of “human”ness
• Android vs Human Rights
• Agency and Free Will
• The Dangers of Technology (virtual reality)
1984
• Totalitarianism
• Censorship
• Propaganda
• The Subjectivity of History
• Memory and the Past
• The Nature of Reality
• Repression and Loss of Identity
• Political Loyalty
• Social and Class Hierarchy
• The Dangers of Technology
• The Power of Language
“The Chromium Fence”
• Repression and Loss of Identity
• Political Loyalty
• The Dangers of Technology
• Conformity
“Amaryllis”
• Agency and Free Will
• Memory and the Past
• Repression and Loss of Identity
• Social and Class Hierarchy
• Loss of Identity
• Crime and Punishment
• Individualism and Collectivism
• Obedience and Rebellion
• The Human Spirit
• Discrimination
“The Lottery”
• Tradition and Conformity
• Memory and the Past
• Repression and Loss of Identity
• Social and Class Hierarchy
• Loss of Identity
• Obedience and Rebellion
• Agency and Free Will
Animal Farm
• The Power of Language
• Totalitarianism
• Revolution and Corruption
• Obedience and Rebellion
• Social and Class Hierarchy
• Memory and the Past
• Individualism and Collectivism
• Agency and Free Will
• Political Loyalty
• Censorship
• Propaganda
• The Subjectivity of History
