Society's Role In Dystopian Literature

Alumni giving rates at private historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) lag behind the national averages of all private institutions of higher education (Robinson, n.d.). The average alumni giving rate among private HBCUs is 11% (Robinson, n.d.), while all private colleges and universities yield a 20% rate (Malhere, 2015). A culture of philanthropy among HBCU alumni has not been prevalent, although many of the institutions have been producing graduates since the late 19th century. Simply put, alumni have not lived up to what they should do to support their alma maters (Cohen, 2006). HBCUs have traditionally relied on large institutional fundraising sources, such as foundations and corporations. Historically, however,

What makes the modern American society so different from the dystopian world? Different governments give us different societies. There are several differences and similarities in the governments between the modern American society and the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and The Selection by Kiera Cass. In the culture of Fahrenheit 451, the government didn't want people to read books to gain knowledge, so they banned all the books from them; in Harrison Bergeron, their government was lowering everyone to make them all equal; the book The Selection was giving each individual a specific number to represent their wealthiness, though it did depend on your family and your gender the same time.

Dystopian novels, defined as a novel genre centered around corrupted government control, usually have similar patterns in their main plots. 1984 by George Orwell is about a government known as “The Party”. which controls every aspect of everyone’s lives, Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is about a man who rises above the government’s control, which is in pace to make everyone totally equal, and Idiocracy, directed by Mike Judge, is about a man with average intelligence, who travels 500 years into the future to discover that he is the smartest man in the world. The one thing that all of these dystopian novels have in common is that the plot centers on the corruption of the control regarding the elites of the societies portrayed in the

In America, the government spends a lot of money on the education system. Yet some schools or universities may have an advantage in funding which can provide

Individuals with exceptional talent, exceptional motivation, or an exceptional bloodline, are commonly dubbed as the “elite”. These “elite” students often seek prestigious educational institutions to expand their opportunities to a new level. Preparatory schools like Hotchkiss and Saint Paul’s School fit the definition of prestigious institutions. The lessons these schools provide are very valuable to alumni, propelling them to a greater level of educational enlightenment, and preparing them for college and beyond. However, the leg-up these schools grant extend only to those enrolled, and may even detract from the education of the “masses”, or society as a whole. Hotchkiss and Saint Paul’s have a combined endowment of over one billion dollars, money that could be used to greatly improve some of the most impoverished school districts across the United States. Money is not the only resource taken up by these schools. Additional elements drained from public schools include dedicated faculty, a level playing field, and even the bright students themselves, as schools now lack certain role models to demonstrate motivation and success on multiple stages.

“Much like today’s universities whose appetites for appearances in corporate-sponsored “big money” football bowl events; Harvard may have used the non-student to please regatta sponsor Elkins Railroad”

According to Lewis and Zaidane, “The cost of college prevents many low-income Americans from even seeking a higher education. Forty-eight percent of adults aged eighteen to thirty-four without degrees told the wall street journal that they can’t afford to go to college” (588). This evidence shows that people are struggling to pay for college and some people are afraid of enrolling in to a college because of the cost. Nonetheless, Allan and Thompson discuss that most of the students who go to Harvard do not end up paying full price, and most students take advantages of taking grants and scholarships (581). However, their information is not true because they only talked about Harvard University, and they did not mention how many students get scholarships or take grants.

“Ivory Tower,” is a new documentary that explores the growing student debt crisis in America as well as an depth look into some popular institutions around the country and what they are doing right.. or wrong in some cases. The movie goes right in and starts to cover some ground on Harvard University, the first American college, and its history. It mentions it is the “source of DNA” for all colleges and how it influences every single higher education institution in the country. I was incredibly surprised to find that Harvard provides full coverage scholarships to anyone it deems in need of financial assistance and is among only 1.25 percent of colleges in the nation to offer full need-based scholarships, according to the film.

The next generation of the United States is in huge trouble. Slowly in front of our eyes America is becoming a dystopian society. Although, the United States was created to be close to perfect, as years go by we can see the dangerous reality of how far the US is from being perfect. Our society is going through a tough time right now and while it may not seem that our country is in trouble we will soon realize. So how does our modern society relates to a dystopian society? A dystopian society is an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. Dystopia is also a term that that defines a corrupt government that projects a false image. This relates to the modern American society because it relates to how citizens are treated by the government. Our government enjoys throwing false images to the citizens of the country. The government also enjoys hiding things from the citizens to make everything seem better than it actually is in reality. Characteristics that a dystopian society lack are freedom, self-control, and individualism. Although, it is hard to accept the fact that our country is headed towards a downfall, we have to realize that our society is becoming a dystopian society.

Dystopian DevicesWhen writing a novel, authors use distinct literary devices to aid in making the genre of their story apparent to their reader. Specifically, many use these literary devices to draw attention to details that establish a dystopian genre. A dystopia is somewhere where people lead dehumanized and fearful lives (Merriam-Webster). Furthermore, in dystopian societies, propaganda, societal oppression, and totalitarian control often elicit fear and obedience. An example of this is the novel 1984 written by George Orwell. This novel contains ambiguous symbols such as Big Brother, the Godlike ruler of Oceania. Aspects such as this contribute to the nature of dystopian genres. After analyzing concepts such as the all knowing Big Brother and the telescreens that are required by the government, the reader notices dystopian aspects. Accordingly, the setting of the city and symbols in everyday life expand the readers view of dystopian aspects. Orwell uses literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and euphemisms in order to portray a dystopian genre through the use of Big Brother, the city Oceania and its citizens, and other concepts in the novel. The government in 1984 controls its population by creating a setting where no one has the freedom to act without a someone watching them. The government does this by requiring all citizens of the Party to own a telescreen. By monitoring the activities of members of the party, the government can keep citizens obedient and

Intellectual Integrity is being disciplined and true to one’s self along with holding others to the same standard. Having this type of virtue, one has to have the constant mind set and demeanor in order to maintain and influence others. Moreover, setting this virtue as a high priority along with maintaining will encourage others to do the same. I experience this as a leader in the military wanting and expected to maintain a high-level of integrity and I expect the same from my leaders, peers, and subordinates. Consequently, if we compromise our intellectual integrity, we become inconsistent and unconsciously contradictive; this brings mixed messages to the audiences and causes our thinking and actions to be an intellectual hypocrisy (Paul

"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”-To Kill A mocking Bird. Although rarely mentioned in the book, the idea of killing a mocking bird appears very significant in Harper lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, hence the title. Lee uses this idea of the literal killing an innocent bird as a representation for the major underlying theme of racism. To Lee, the mockingbird represented the innocent inhabitants of Maycomb Alabama who, through racism, suffered hate, persecution, and murder.

When you type drugs into Google, you get first, a website that tells about all the different types of drugs someone could want. Second, you get articles about how drugs are messing with everyday life. Today’s culture, people like to joke about the topic of drugs like it’s no big deal, but in reality, drugs continuously keep being a problem for Americans and keep growing into a bigger one. It is disgusting to see how many drugs are ruining so many people’s lives and making America gross while doing it. It makes one wonder, what would America be like with fewer drugs? If there were fewer drugs in America, the crime rate would decrease, there would be fewer deaths and people would live happier healthier lives. With better education on drugs, the crime rate would decrease making America better.

A dystopia the darkest form of government, a utopia gone wrong, a craving for power, struggling for fewer rules. The dystopia is factual the worst possible form of a government. Its the struggle to be so perfect that it fails. There are typically two types of dystopias first a monarchy. A monarchy is a group of people controlled by a king or queen, and they make every last decision. What they want they get. A monarchy is typically born like this example from lord of the flies. “He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things. He talked to them, urging them, ordering them"(Golding 58). This shows that a monarchy starts by one just taking over from the start rather than being a

Indeed, the best works of literature are those which are of relevance to our lives today. Through their relevance, these novels continue to persist and endure on. Through their relevance, we can better comprehend the messages, the themes, and the ideas that are imbued in them. Rather than literature being contradictory and in conflict with the truth and unpleasant reality of daily life, it becomes a weapon through which we can be educated about the existential crises facing our world today. In fact, the statement above could not be more far and distant from the reality of literature today. It is fatally flawed. Literature, whilst at the surface, seems whimsical and amusing is, at its very core, a medium through which we are enlightened