Dystopia is a violent and inhumane society that leaders in power heavily control. All the books I have read, and movies I have seen of dystopian societies fit that definition. The citizens are also forced to believe that what they are doing and the way that they are living is normal and that they should not question it because there would be severe consequences. The violence that often occurs is forced upon the population. It is usually required of them to do violent things to each other or go through extreme measures to prove their worth or usefulness in society. The citizens in the society typically live very restricted and uniform lives. In some stories, the citizens even have to wear the same outfit or only certain colors. The leaders in the government are able to control them by using scare tactics. This is often done by telling the people that there is no other way to live because it just wouldn’t work. This is usually because there was some event that occurred in the past that they use as a reminder as to why a normal lifestyle would not work. Individuality and sometimes creativity is often reserved for the elite classes or people in power. This is because it is often seen as a threat if the public is able to think and make decisions for themselves.
Overall I think that dystopian novels allow readers to use their imagination. It is hard to think of living in a world where people act more inhumanely than they already do. I also believe that dystopias show an alternate reality of what could potentially happen if something went wrong. It can also allow readers to appreciate what they already have and maybe even draw connections to what happens in real life. Some dystopian novels were written to exaggerate and critique different laws or political figures.
I would honestly define dystopia as an imaginary place of great reality dealing with great suffering and injustice due to totalitarianism. The two good examples of a dystopia are The Hunger Games and The Brave World. SpongeBob SquarePants would be the third example of being a dystopia as well because the Bikini Bottom is an imaginary world that portrays earth for the sea creature in a unique way.SpongeBob SquarePants is made as a cartoon created by Stephen Hillsburg sea creatures coming to life, but also their version based on realistic things and places just like on earth and also how the sea creatures also live their reality based on how the way they live their life vs how they are being portrayed in society, which is in Bikini Bottom by other sea creatures as well based on the way their reality is dictated from how society portrays them and affect their lifestyle. For instance, SpongeBob SquarePants himself since he was a baby was loved by his parents, but when it came to his early to late childhood his reality and lifestyle truly changed dealing with him having trouble growing up and adjusting in his life. Another movie that is a good example is the Walking Dead that takes place in Atlanta, Georgia,dealing with several people being in society that will represent the survivors or some turning into a zombie from being defeated by one and also the zombie’s is in the cemetery and the reality being portrayed as dark dealing with the zombies overpowering the humans and turning the humans that are affected into zombies, which shows superiority with zombies ruling, which also proves how dystopia can also represent injustice due to totalitarianism, dealing with power being given to the superior, that overpowers the minor population. Therefore, this is my definition of dystopia and how it can be a bad thing, dealing with great suffering and injustice being shown to the minority of the population, due to those who have more power and authority having the power to create their own system and rule in their society. That is how that will indeed serve as great injustice to the minority, due to high control because even though there is high regulation and control, those laws can interfere, dealing with the freedom that minority of the population in the dystopia have.