Dystopian Fiction

The real world consists of a variety of objects ranging in size, shape, and color. Through their relationships with other objects, these objects are given a purpose. And while everything may not be directly related, everything and everyone is indirectly related in some way. The more direct connections an object has, the more power and influence it carries over others. This concept of New Materialism, as referred to by Jane Bennett, is known as "Thing-power". Within the novel Ready Player One, Ernest Cline distributes a generous amount of Thing-power to objects that in turn help shape the dystopian environment. A large part of the novel takes place in a virtual reality called the Oasis. As the real world deteriorates, people use the Oasis as a distraction to escape from the real world and its problems. So much so, that the two worlds begin to merge. Education, politics, even finances and the economy, become sustained primarily through the Oasis. The vi...

Within the Hunger Games , it becomes very obvious the state of oppression the citizens of Panem are being subjected to beneath the gaze of the Capitol. This cultural hegemony is partially due to the panoptic surveillance that the Capitol enforces. And while the Capitol relies on surveillance as a strategy to promote and maintain control over the citizens of Panem, they are able to strengthen its effectiveness by associating disobedience with sovereign power and violence (Connors). An image of the Capitol of Panem in all of its glory. And if we look even closer at the effectiveness of the surveillance and its ability to manipulate the public, we're able to notice a distinction between the rich and the poor Districts. However, effectiveness isn't directly related to wealth. Instead, it's related to technology. Granted, the Districts with more money will be able to have access to more advanced technology, because they can afford it. Whereas in District 12, they...