My Definition : An imagined society where people are unable to practice free will and living conditions produce unhappiness.
The definition I created for dystopia was to represent a society where humans are not free and where they feel their rights are taken away. I believe a real life dystopia would be a place where there is an authoritarian figure(s) that rules over the abilities and duties of the inhabitants. I would imagine that they would be controlling and would put rules in place that discourage individuality, creativity, and free will. I think a dystopian society would also make it hard to do things such as dress the way you want to dress, get piercings, tattoos,or practice the religion of your choice. Individuality and going against the grain would be threatening to an authoritarian figure who wants a specific kind of society. When I was in highschool I read 1984 by George Orwell and that book gave me insight to what dystopian societies look like. I found that in this novel the most troubling aspect about the setting was the fact that “Big Brother” was always watching. With Big Brother watching the citizens were not able to make the choices that they wanted to make and it limited individuality and made people feel small . Everyone in society lived in fear and that is one of the main aspects of dystopian societies in my opinion. I also created this definition to explain what I would expect if our current society becomes dystopian. I personally don’t feel that it is now but I could see it heading that direction. I fear that things such as taking away women’s reproductive rights, removing literature from schools, removing important curriculum from teaching plans , and a host of other things are contributing to a dystopian future. When looking at what’s happening politically and socially in 2024 you can identify human rights being taken away and free will being diminished.