“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” (Kofi Annan) A dystopia is a futuristic, imagined universe in which people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives. After reading the dystopian novel Gathering Blue, I discovered that the setting also lacked the powerful knowledge described in the quote by Kofi Annan. Through analyzing other dystopian novels, I noticed the majority of the societies were lacking in citizen knowledge as well. Therefore, dystopian societies represent an uneducated population by attempting to eliminate familial bonds, disregard proper education systems, and instill propaganda.
The dystopian society in which Gathering Blue takes place features …show more content…
An illustration of this idea in the text of Gathering Blue can be enclosed in the idea of the beasts. According to the text, “She felt a small shudder of fear. Fear was always a part of life for the people. Because of fear, they made shelter and found food and grew things. For the same reason, weapons were stored, waiting. There was fear of cold, of sickness and hunger. There was fear of beasts.” (Lowry, 2) Because fear is a powerful emotion, many dystopian societies attempt to appeal to fear in populace to prevent independent, logical thinking. Provided that propaganda is instilled subtly, citizens often times view the governing body as the protagonist of their commonality, rather than the corporate control seeking rulers readers often see. This allows societal leaders to essentially control the independent thought of citizens, which produces the lack of education. In addition to examples found in gathering blue, propaganda usage can once again be found in the Hunger Games. As cited from the text, “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion.” (Collins, 16) Propaganda in the Hunger Games is presented different than that of Gathering Blue but produces similar results. The intention of the games is to remind the districts to fear the capital, but also to demonstrate the generosity of the capital. Because the governing body plays to citizen fear and gratitude, much of the populace views the capital as the respected protagonist of the regime. As a result, the societal leaders are able to avoid recognition for unjust actions, and continue to ignore the education of citizens. Therefore, dystopias feature a lack of populace education through
The dystopian society in which Gathering Blue takes place features …show more content…
An illustration of this idea in the text of Gathering Blue can be enclosed in the idea of the beasts. According to the text, “She felt a small shudder of fear. Fear was always a part of life for the people. Because of fear, they made shelter and found food and grew things. For the same reason, weapons were stored, waiting. There was fear of cold, of sickness and hunger. There was fear of beasts.” (Lowry, 2) Because fear is a powerful emotion, many dystopian societies attempt to appeal to fear in populace to prevent independent, logical thinking. Provided that propaganda is instilled subtly, citizens often times view the governing body as the protagonist of their commonality, rather than the corporate control seeking rulers readers often see. This allows societal leaders to essentially control the independent thought of citizens, which produces the lack of education. In addition to examples found in gathering blue, propaganda usage can once again be found in the Hunger Games. As cited from the text, “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion.” (Collins, 16) Propaganda in the Hunger Games is presented different than that of Gathering Blue but produces similar results. The intention of the games is to remind the districts to fear the capital, but also to demonstrate the generosity of the capital. Because the governing body plays to citizen fear and gratitude, much of the populace views the capital as the respected protagonist of the regime. As a result, the societal leaders are able to avoid recognition for unjust actions, and continue to ignore the education of citizens. Therefore, dystopias feature a lack of populace education through