Hey world!

Ever stop and think about the future we’re actually building? Not the perfect version we picture in our heads, but the one we drift toward through the small choices we make every day. When we scroll past a problem, follow the crowd because it’s easier, or normalize something that feels a bit off, we’re shaping tomorrow. This dystopia unit made me pause and think about that more seriously: not just where we might be headed, but the future we want to create.

This unit followed our work on authoritarianism, where we learned what happens when power is concentrated and people lose their freedoms. Dystopia took those ideas and pushed them further, exploring what happens when real issues like control, surveillance, and the loss of individuality are taken to the extreme. And suddenly these “fictional futures” didn’t feel so fictional anymore.

To kickstart the project, we all had to read a dystopian novel. I ended up reading a classic called 1984. I originally wanted to read The Handmaid’s Tale, but I was assigned my second choice instead. I’m really glad I read it though. I haven’t finished a book in a while, and this one pulled me in and made me want to read till the very last page. There was one part where it got wordy and a little slow, but Orwell paints such a vivid picture of totalitarianism that it stays with you. Big Brother watching your every move. Independent thought being punished. Love treated as rebellion because it gives people a sense of freedom. The themes in the novel feel uncomfortable yet familiar.

Take surveillance, for example. In 1984 telescreens monitor citizens constantly. Today, social media and online companies quietly track almost everything we do. Our clicks, purchases, location and interests are collected and used to predict our behaviour. When this information is harvested for political purposes, it can be used to influence our choices and ultimately distort democracy.

The book also shows how deeply privacy and freedom are connected. In Orwell’s world, privacy doesn’t exist. Every facial expression is monitored and every action can be punished. When people know they’re being watched at all times, they become too scared to question anything, creating a society defined by fear and obedience… exactly the conditions a dictator needs to turn people into pawns in their game of power.

Another major theme is language. In 1984, the Party in power reduces the meaning of words so that ideas themselves disappear. If you erase words, you erase the ability to think freely. The main charachters’ tiny act of rebellion—hiding from the cameras to write in his diary—shows how powerful it is just to record your own thoughts. Use your brain! You can see modern parallels in attempts to rewrite or sanitize history. Even something as small as altering museum or national park signs can affect how people understand the past.

After finishing our novels, we brainstormed current problems and fears in our own world. We were going to have to create our own dystopian short stories!

 

One issue that really stands out to me is consumerism. Fast fashion and the constant pressure to buy more disconnects us from the people and systems behind what we purchase. It’s not sustainable for the planet or for future generations, and we’re the ones who will live with the consequences.

 

 Image Credit: Calum Heath

I loved the opportunity to write our own stories because there were so many directions we could take it. With almost no strict guidelines, we were free to be creative as long as we wove in some kind of societal criticism. Since environmental issues matter a lot to me, I imagined a world so damaged that people had to live under huge sky domes to survive.

Writing the story was much harder than brainstorming it. I had way too many ideas at first and no clear plot or ending. All I really had was the themes and a setting. I hoped the story would just unfold as I wrote, but it didn’t. I had to step back, reflect and think about the exact message I wanted readers to take away. For a short story, being focused is essential; otherwise, the impact gets lost. After many revisions and fighting through a writing slump, I finished a story I’m proud of. I was successfully able to weave in a little thread of hope in my story, just like how I had wanted. Read my final story here!

This project taught me a lot. At the beginning, I said that I wanted to communicate my ideas clearly and use my creativity to build a story with a message. I think I achieved that by staying on top of the reading, taking notes on important quotes and connections, and contributing meaningfully to our book chat. One area I still want to grow in is finishing my thoughts more completely and pushing myself to think one step deeper: What is the story really trying to say? What is the author warning us about? Why does it matter today? Moving forward, I will push myself to really finish my thoughts by questioning and connecting my ideas.

Overall, this unit was fascinating. It connected the world we live in now with the world we could end up in if we ignore the issues around us. And that, made this project feel very important. Please read my story if you have a few minutes to spare! 

Thanks for reading! See you 🔜 for winter exhibition!