How to Recognize a Dystopia
From TED-Ed
00:06 - 05:34
5m 28s

The genre of dystopia – the ‘not good place’– has captured the imaginations of artists and audiences alike for centuries. But why do we bother with all this pessimism? Alex Gendler explains how dystopias act as cautionary tales – not about some particular government or technology, but the very idea that humanity can be molded into an ideal shape.

Comments

Please sign in to write a comment.
Video Transcript

Related Clips

What makes a good horror story? Hideous monsters and fountains of blood might seem like a good place to start, but as horror author H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Writers harness that fear not by revealing horrors, but by leaving the audience hanging in a state of suspense. Victoria Smith gives some tips for adding suspense to your writing.
In the future, the Cybermen take over the earth by using technology to attach to humans and are still looking for ways to keep upgrading.
Wall-E observes the effects of technological advances on society. The citizens enjoy many conveniences, and as a result live an easy, yet dystopic, existence.
Has profanity
Nevermore Academy holds their annual competition for the Poe Cup. The various teams racing in the competition must choose their team name based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story. Each team is depicted bringing their short story of choice to life through their chosen competition strategy.
Nevermore Academy crafts an advertisement to promote the school. Throughout the advertisement, Edgar Allan Poe is depicted as one of Nevermore's famous alumni. The ad highlights Nevermore's inclusiveness on all things weird, supernatural, and horrific, all of which are ideals found in Edgar Poe's writing. Throughout the tour, symbols of Poe's work are seen in the raven sightings scattered throughout the video, as well as a statue of Poe holding a book and raven.