The Rise of Dystopian Literature | Teen Ink

The Rise of Dystopian Literature

February 5, 2019
By jhennessy96 BRONZE, Lowell, Indiana
jhennessy96 BRONZE, Lowell, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Dystopian literature

Why do you think that dystopian literature is so popular to teens in our society today? Dystopian literature is not to entertain readers it's to show them how a dystopian society works. Dystopia means the opposite of a utopia, which a utopia is a perfect society.  I think this style of writing is so popular because it makes the reader think about interesting topics that seem realistic, and how life would be if there society was like a dystopia.


 One reason Dystopian literature is so popular because teens can pretend that they are in a dystopia well reading or watching a dystopian literature piece. A quote that supports my reason is,  “Think of it like this: Teen readers themselves are characters in a strange land. Rules don't make sense. School doesn't always make sense. And they don't have a ton of power “(Nadworthy). This supports my reason because it is saying that teen readers are the characters in a dystopian literature book or movie. Another quote that supports my reason is, “The concept of dystopian literature is to not only entertain readers, but to let them understand the ideas and characteristics of a dystopian society”(The Rising Popularity of Dystopian Literature). This supports my argument because it is telling you that interesting isn't the only reason why it is so popular.


Another reason Dystopian literature is so popular because the theme the book has can help them solve a problem the reader might have. A quote from Harrison Bergeron, Harrison Bergeron is a short story where the government limits everybody so they are equal. “And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times ” (Kurt Vonnegut). This supports my reason because it is telling you that if your smart or better than someone you have to wear handicap radio, and i feel like it a lot of teens would want to know what it is like to wear that your whole life. Another quote from Harrison Bergeron that supports my reason is, “The rest of Harrison's appearance was Halloween and hardware. Nobody had ever born heavier handicaps.” This supports my reason because I feel like the reader would want to know how the government controls the society and limt’s people that are better fit than others.


 My last reason on why dystopian literature is so popular because most dystopian literature is in a teenager perspective, and it gives teenagers something to dream about or a set a certain goal. A quote that supports my reason is, “Young adults, with the drama and the hormones, are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be in life. With dystopian novels, the character is perceived as someone with independence and ambition” (The Rising Popularity of Dystopian Literature). This supports my reason because it is saying that dystopian novels are in a teenager perspective, and it shows that it gives teens a different life when they are reading a dystopian novel. Another quote that supports my reason is, “The readers, especially in young adult dystopian literature, can take themselves to an alternate universe in which the character lives and feel like they are in the story”(The Rising Popularity of Dystopian Literature).  This supports my reason because it is saying that when teen’s read a dystopian literature novel they go into another universe, this is because most Dystopian Literature novels are written in a teenager perspective, teenager perspective is important because it gives the teen’s something to visualize and most teen’s find that applying.


In conclusion, I believe that dystopian literature is so popular in teenage society today because it gives the reader another life when they are reading in it, Also it could help them get through problems in life. I also think that, when teens read a dystopian novel, they want to see how life would be if they were in the character's shoes.


The author's comments:

I wrote this aritcle because it was an assighment in my Literacy movement class. We had to write about why dystopian literature is so popular.


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