Pre-learn some vocab:
to "coin" a word
Just as we can create money by "coining" it, we can create words.
Forms of Government and Types of State:
Oligarchy
Monarchy
Representative Democracy
Participatory Democracy
Parliamentary Democracy
A Republic
A Federation
Anarchism
Feudalism
Have you ever heard of this book?
What about this one?
Have you ever imagined an ideal world? The genre of dystopia – the ‘not good place’– has captured the imaginations of artists and audiences alike for centuries. But why do we bother with all this pessimism? Alex Gendler explains how dystopias act as cautionary tales – not about some particular government or technology, but the very idea that humanity can be molded into an ideal shape.
Link:
How to recognize a dystopia
Lead in
1. Do you think it's good for nations to have strong identities?
2. What makes a nation strong?
3. What is a good ethos for a society?
Openness? Fairness? Diversity? We are the best? Opportunity? Work hard?
Check you know the answers to these questions.
1. Who ruled Plato's Republic?
2. Who coined the word "Utopia"?
3. What is one of the earliest examples of dystopian literature? Which groups of society did the book satirise?
4. What keeps people happy in Brave New World?
5. How do the following people tend to see the world?
Politicians
Technocrats
Moralists
Rationalists
Pause and discuss
5. What were the two common promises of modern utopian political movements?
6. Which novel influenced the novel 1984?
7. What is the movie Dr Strangelove about?
8. What does The Handmaid's Tale warn us about?
9. What anxieties have more recent dystopian fictions explored?
10. What do dystopian visions all have in common apart from pessimism?
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