I know that in the past I have talked about utopia. In this case I want to talk about the opposite, dystopia. Here are the definitions for those of you who forgot what utopia and dystopia are. Utopia: “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions” (definition came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Dystopia: “an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives” (definition also came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). So utopia in other words is the perfect and ideal world while dystopia is the opposite (terrible). It is like some of those books we read like “The Hunger Games” or “Delirium” or “The Giver.” Those, in my mind, are what I consider to be the dystopian type of books. It is a way to conceptualize what dystopia is.
I think of dystopia as something dark and maybe sinister in a way. I think this next quote explains the clear difference between utopia and dystopia. Daniel Raj Kumar says, “Utopia is an illusion. Dystopia is the reality.” In other words, utopia is not something that is always true and dystopia is something that is true. Although we view dystopia as something bad there is something beautiful about it at the same time. Ally Condie explains some of that beauty in a great way. She says, “The beauty of dystopia is that it lets us vicariously experience future worlds – but we still have the power to change our own.” In other words, dystopia gives us an opportunity to experience future worlds and also gives us a chance to change our world. I think dystopia gives us a wake up call, whether its real or fake.
The thing about dystopia is that there is a great chance of that happening, especially if we do not take care of today’s world. That is what Lauren DeStefano says. She says, “Most dystopian, classic and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society – a future world that could plausibly happen.” So like I said before, dystopia is something that could possibly happen. I could go on and on about dystopia, utopia and the difference between the two, but I think you all got the difference. I will conclude by saying that utopia and dystopia are not exactly the most simplest of ideas, especially dystopia. It is like asking that “what if?” question. That is dystopia in a nutshell. Here are two poems to enjoy, both visual poetry. I hope you enjoy!!
