Melissa Bray

6 May 2019

Final Essay 1: Analyzing the Texts

          Dr. White’s course site defines literary fiction as literature that “offers deliberate social commentary or political criticism that focuses on exploring some part of the human condition.” In our utopia course, I can see every text that we have read fitting into this category because most of them explore social, political, and environmental factors that humanity grapples with and the ways in which we can improve our conditions or our possible fates if we do not. The only avenue that I see our texts detour from literary fiction is that in some of the earlier texts (such as More’s Utopia and Rand’s Anthem) readers are left without much characterization, and instead are made to focus on the issues or solutions at hand in the society. I can see how all of the texts we have covered can also be considered utopian/dystopian, as well as how they could be included in the genre of speculative fiction. Utopian and dystopian novels are most well-known for providing readers either with these “perfect worlds” where everyone works together and is happy (i.e. Utopia, Ecotopia, etc.), or awful, overly-controlled societies that one feels they must escape (Anthem, The Handmaid’s Tale, etc.). Speculative fiction also appears applicable to me since it is considered “an umbrella genre encompassing fiction with certain elements that do not exist in the real world, often in the context of supernatural, futuristic or other imaginative themes” (i.e. sci-fi, fantasy, utopian/dystopian, etc.) (Wikipedia). Novels such as The Dispossessed, Oryx and Crake, etc. are the ones that most helped me relate our texts to speculative fiction since they have elements such as space travel and genetic modifications to create new species, which is generally considered very science-fiction in nature. Dr. White emphasizes in every course how literature is created to entertain and instruct, and each text I have encountered in this course does just that, and just as the future of the world is not definite, neither is a genre of a text.

          The Dispossessed was the most complicated text for me to follow during this course. I understand that it is fiction because people do not live on the moon at this point in time, and I have no issues considering it a literary fiction because it identifies social issues such as segregation, gender, and education. I also felt like it was one of the first texts we encountered where we got to see a more developed character and learn more about their life (rather than just a report or journal of how a different society functions). While the novel is not necessarily considered dystopian or utopian, there are conventions from both that the novel exhibits. For instance, it could be considered utopian because new, “better working” societies have been formed on earth, as well as on the moon. They each have their own social emphases, education practices, and infrastructure regarding jobs and who does them.  But I can also see where the novel converges with dystopian, because through interactions with the other society, our protagonist is able to identify what is wrong with his own as much as he can see what is or isn’t working where he is (particularly issues regarding population and women as property). There is also the recurring symbol of the wall throughout the novel, and symbols are common in all types of fiction in order to draw a reader’s attention to a particular issue or theme. In The Dispossessed, the wall often symbolized separating a society from the outside (which is something that can’t be controlled) and preventing the sharing of knowledge/dialogue. The wall also functioned as a feature that I have seen in our previous texts, especially Utopia, Herland, and Ecotopia, where there is a physical object that separates the “utopia” from the rest of the world (in Utopia there is water, in Herland it is on a secluded cliff surrounded by jungle, and in Ecotopia it is a mountain pass that has guarded gates). Speculative fiction is also applicable with  The Dispossessed because of its employment of science-fiction features primarily regarding space travel and the ability to live on other planets. All of these texts I consider “a literature of ideas,” but I think The Dispossessed is the best example in regards to how if a society does not communicate and share their ideas, that it can grow static and slowly decay. In our modern society we fear change and we are not good at sharing education and ideas (we always want to be the “first” to accomplish or succeed at something), and it definitely serves as a cautionary tale about what direction we could be headed towards unless things change.

          The Handmaid’s Tale was one of my favorite novels this semester because I am always intrigued with tales that center on women and women's’ issues. Again, it is another fiction story, particularly literary fiction, because it definitely has ties to real events, such as the oppression of women in the Middle East, and focuses on women’s issues (women as property), decrease in population due to environmental factors, and too-powerful religious governments. This is another novel that is not necessarily categorized as utopian or dystopian, but I see the greatest ties to a dystopian novel. While the Commanders of this society thought they were creating a utopia, they created an overly oppressive society that most, especially the women, would consider a dystopia. As seen in Anthem, Handmaid’s Tale is full of dystopian features, such as jobs and positions being assigned to people (instead of “street sweeper”-like job titles, women are assigned to the colonies, to be econowives, or handmaids), the separation of men and women (men work, women stay at home, some women are only in company of the men for breeding services, etc.), and people being punished for thinking “outside of the box” that the controlling factor has put into place. (Anthem’s Equality was to be imprisoned/killed for his light box, people in Handmaid’s Tale are killed and hung on a wall for their crimes against the system.) Handmaid’s Tale was by far the greatest novel at providing the reader with ample characterization, not only in regards to the protagonist, but the supporting characters that surrounded her. I find that the novel fits into the speculative fiction genre, not because of any sci-fi or fantasy conventions, but because speculative fiction often “deals with ethical and moral demands made in new worlds to come” (White’s course site). For instance, just because populations are reaching all time lows and fewer babies are born alive, does that give humans the right to select women based on their previous ability or success in breeding and then to imprison and use them for only those purposes? Some would find this appalling, but others might agree that it is something that could be done in order to serve the greater good. As Commander Waterford says, “what is better for some is not better for all,” and while many might be able to get in line with this point of view, there are definitely ethical and moral lines being crossed. It is because of these moral and ethical issues that Handmaid’s Tale could also fit into the category of “literature of ideas,” because these types of situations spark dialogue and debate about ways in which we might deal with situations such as these if they were to occur in our modern world.

          Finally, we finished off the semester with Oryx and Crake, which while I was intrigued and engaged, I feel like I left with more questions than answers, and a burning desire to read the rest of the MaddAddam trilogy. While definitely a fiction, this novel (along with The Handmaid’s Tale) were the most obvious literary fiction to me. Oryx and Crake dealt with issues that I felt were “closer to home” than any of the other novels due to the genetic-engineering factor, and there was even more characterization of the protagonist (Snowman/Jimmy) and his partners in crime (literally! Oryx and Crake). Readers got to get inside Snowman’s head and get a lot more backstory on what led him to the situation he was in when we were introduced to him. Oryx and Crake is another novel that is not necessarily categorized as a utopia/dystopia, but it does implement characteristics of both. For instance, utopias often give readers this “perfect world” where there is modification and improvement to humanity, which can be seen in the company-owned societies. Like in The Dispossessed (and previously mentioned separated utopias), these societies are kept separated and safe by large compound walls, and within them people are provided with everything they could ever need, especially science-projects that help keep everyone fed and looking young! But on the other hand, readers encounter a dystopia because the novel starts off in a land that is devoid of everyone but one human and a tribe of humanoids, environmental and scientifically-induced factors have made much of the world dangerous and uninhabitable, and it is a story of discovery and survival (both common themes in dystopian novels). Speculative fiction is also applicable with  Oryx and Crake because of its employment of science-fiction features primarily regarding genetic modification in humans and other animal and plant species (pigoons, BlyssPluss, the Crakers, etc.). While I would consider all of these texts to be part of “a literature of ideas,” I think Oryx and Crake is the best example in regards to how if a society becomes too scientifically obsessed with genetic engineering and playing God, that we could ultimately set the course to our own demise and destroy ourselves in the process of trying to make ourselves better.

          While these three texts are not technically considered utopian/dystopian, I am glad that they were included in our course texts, and as I have previously explained, I can see how they fit into the central themes and concerns of our course. All of the works present readers with an alternate (potential) reality/world that mankind has created for itself in the novel, and they address particular social (The Dispossessed), political (Handmaid’s Tale), and environmental issues (Oryx and Crake). I think all utopian and dystopian texts can be considered as literature of ideas, even the more contemporary works, because they themselves are ideas about which directions our world could head in, and also because they help generate ideas of how to fix or improve our conditions to either build or prevent these potential worlds. These types of fiction reinforce the theory that the purposes of literature are to entertain and educate because the texts (especially these final three) engage and captivate audiences with conflict-driven and fast-paced storylines and well-developed and relatable characters/supporting characters, but they are also very cautionary and instructive in regards to how different aspects of society (environment, politics, science) can influence and change the world, whether it be for better or worse. These conventions make the texts we have read easy and interesting to both read and discuss, and because of all of the cross-genre connections that can be made, it really has helped me as a reader be able to see that genres do not have definable lines, and that texts are instead a combination of so many genres at once, depending on how you read it and what you identify as you go along.

Final Essay 2: Teaching Utopia

          Many of my recent posts have focused on how to incorporate and teach utopias within a secondary education classroom, and why I believe doing so is important. Therefore, it is not surprising that my final essays would also emphasize this argument. In a previous post I mentioned how dystopian novels are so ironically appealing to teenagers because students are able to relate to them, and essentially view themselves as citizens of a dystopian society because of their lack of power and control when it comes to their lives, especially in regards to being under the constant rule and regulations of their parents and of schools. But I have a vision that with the incorporation of utopias in literary curricula that educators can also show students how one day they will grow up and be able to control their own lives, and how they should embrace their individualism and strengths (that dystopias encourage them to uncover and employ), and apply them to help make the world a better place (which utopias strive to create and maintain).

          As I previously mentioned in this series of essays, I believe students would experience more advantages from a side-by-side comparison and reading of the dystopian and utopian genres because of the educational and sobering benefits of the realization that one cannot possibly be without the other (people cannot have a “perfect utopia” without making the decisions and changes that a dystopia would require). Kathleen Breaux (2009) best communicates the emphasis of my thesis in her final submission when she states, “Although [students] forge their individual fates, [they] do so from among a group of their peers; as they study through collaborative efforts, students will begin to see the utopian virtue of community taking place in their own classrooms. As objective readers, students will have the opportunity to recognize the benefits and the fallacies of a society that focuses solely on the community as a whole, without regard for the individual. Dystopian texts that counter this strictly communal focus and heroize the individual provide an outlet for students’ recognition of the vital importance of their own individuality.” While there are a group of individuals working in a communal setting, particularly a diverse classroom in race, ethnicity, and learning styles, it is also not hard to identify that sometimes what is good for some is not always the best or does not always work for all. “One man’s utopia is another man’s dystopia” is an important lesson to keep in mind and emphasize during the study of utopian and dystopian texts. It is these types of lessons (the world is not one size fits all), alongside adolescents being given the opportunity to consider how they could improve their world (socially, politically, environmentally), that make the utopian/dystopian genres such a significant and worthy area of study.

          While I am a strong advocate of adding utopias to our curricula to accompany the dystopias we already study, there are a number of gains and risks to consider and evaluate before doing so. I feel as though the themes and lessons that I have already discussed in this essay, as well as my previous ones, justifies the gains that students would experience by exposure to utopian texts (instructing them on how to be an individual that can benefit and improve their society). But in doing so, there is also a considerable amount of risk. For instance, I mentioned previously how utopian literature (or at least the texts we have used in our course) have used very colorful language (i.e. a lot of F-bombs) and that many of the texts address uncomfortable or (age) inappropriate situations (i.e. the emphasis on sexual intercourse). In order for utopias to be implemented in a secondary setting, the texts would need to be thoroughly examined for such situations (especially to avoid issues with administration and parents), or another solution would be to just use appropriate excerpts from the particularly racy texts (Ecotopia, The Dispossessed, Handmaid’s Tale, and Oryx and Crake immediately come to mind). There are also a number of risks that come from the subjects that utopias tend to address (and of course most of the backlash would yet again come from administration and parents). Utopian texts often comment on or criticize issues that are political, gendered, social, or environmental, and as we have also addressed in class, there is not a high number of multicultural utopias. Many could find issues with a text if it is felt that an educator is trying to sway a student to believe in particular theories or ideologies, or people could even argue that a teacher is being racially/ethnically insensitive by using texts that do not offer inclusion of (or offer the segregation and abuse of) multiple cultures (i.e. the segregated “Soul City” in Ecotopia, or the race and sexuality-based hangings in Handmaid’s Tale).  While those types of issues are still relevant in our society today, these risks I have mentioned emphasize how utopian literature might potentially alienate, or even offend, the students that educators are trying to use it to help (or the arguments that parents and administrators could use in order to deny an educator’s ability to use utopian texts).

          While there are some risks, as an educator I do believe there is much more reward to studying utopias alongside our usual dystopias. A text can always be edited or “safe” excerpts can always be used in order for students to get from it the beneficial lessons that I addressed earlier and in a previous essay. While what a student reads is important, how it is presented and discussed is even more important so that students can engage with and take away something valuable from the text. A previous utopia student, James Seth, had a wonderful idea about pairing utopian and dystopian novels with current event articles that would thematically match (based on the types of issues that appear in the texts). For example, if I read an excerpt from Ecotopia with my class about Soul City, then I might find an article that discusses current race issues or segregation to pair with the novel passage. Using these types of pairing methods would allow educators to emphasize the relevance of utopian and dystopian novels in our modern world, and can lead to the in-depth questioning of students for how we can create solutions for these types of issues. I also think the way that we have conducted our own course would be the most beneficial for secondary students. For instance, I would like to use the round table or seminar-style discussion model because I believe students will engage more with a text when they are able to openly voice their opinions about a particular text. These discussions can also be supplemented with similar “small” writing assignments that require text analysis, outside research, and the use of peer writings or points made in discussion to help the instructor verify that students are paying attention and engaging with the texts and discussions. The writing assignments would not be housed in a course site like we use in our graduate class, but instead Google Classroom, which is commonly used in most secondary classrooms (or another similar platform, i.e. Blackboard, Schoology, etc.). As long as the texts and the accompanying assignments are high interest, engaging, and presented in a way that our modern teenagers can relate to, there is hope that the literature can serve as entertainment and instruction for them, as it is meant to be.

          As I have mentioned earlier, one of the hardest tasks of a secondary, ELA (English Language Arts) teacher is simply getting a student to read. In order to accomplish this feat, it requires that students are provided with action-packed plots or characters and situations that they can easily relate to themselves or some aspect of their lives. Considering most utopias address issues that concern the habits and fates (or possible ones) of humanity, there is no doubt in my mind that the younger generation can successfully read, understand, and engage with such texts. Utopias open up a wider range of subjects and discussions that are not necessarily found (or at least not easily identifiable to young adults) in other literature, especially a lot that we consider canonical. For instance, when I read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with my freshmen, all they usually pull from it is that “two stupid teenagers thought they were in love and idiotically committed suicide to prove that love.” On the other hand, if I handed them a text (or more likely an excerpt) such as Oryx and Crake, I think the crazy genetic modifications and the idea of “playing God” (and surviving the aftermath) would much more readily captivate their interests. From there, they could pull in prior knowledge or perform research on how humans are attempting to do just that in our own society (test-tube babies, hybrid breeding of fruits, etc.). I also think utopian literature provides an easier way to communicate, and different ways to think, about “rough” or uncomfortable topics such as politics, the state of our environment, and racial/ethnic issues. Therefore, I feel there is a need to implement utopian literature in the instruction of young adults so that they might be able to learn to communicate about social issues and ailments, as well as start trying to figure out resolutions that might eventually make our world a better place to live in.

Final Essay 3: Web Review for Utopia in Secondary Education

          While taking this Utopia course, one of the most valuable components of the class has been the web resources that Dr. White has provided us with. The web reviews each week help supplement and extend the content we read for that class meeting, the online articles and additional readings helped make the texts more accessible (and cheaper!), and past assignments written by other students have not only helped for our own writing assignments but provided current students with ideas and concepts that we might have not thought of on our own, or perhaps did not get the opportunity to discuss in class. I enjoy researching through the past assignments because they have reinforced that my concern is one that has been had by many: where do utopias fit into secondary education and how can we implement them at those grade levels? While addressing these issues I will refer to multiple, previous, final-exam submissions authored by James Seth (2011), Amy L. Sasser (2013), and Eunice Renteria (2015).

          As I mentioned in my previous research and midterm posts, a lot of the “required,” secondary literature is considered dystopian: Anthem, The Giver, 1984, Lord of the Flies, Brave New World, etc. Even a majority of the young adult novels that our students read on their own for entertainment purposes are dystopian in nature: the Divergent trilogy, The Hunger Games trilogy, and the list goes on and on. Authors keep cranking out dystopian, young-adult novels because they can easily captivate audiences with interesting, relatable characters and tons of conflict. What adolescent wouldn’t love those things? As Dr. White has identified several times in class, utopian literature is not always the most fascinating thing to read. For instance, because utopian literature focuses so much on community and the collective good, it is commonly devoid of any major conflicts. Secondly, since utopian literature often focuses on an outsider’s first-account experience in the utopian society, there is not much characterization or development of the characters since the narrative is more like a report of how the society functions. How do we get those same adolescents to read utopias then if they lack conflict/action and intriguing characters? In my experience, students lack the interest in wanting to read in the first place. As Eunice Renteria points out, students read, not because they are interested or passionate about it, but because they have to and because it is for a grade (2015). Since I agree, I have had to turn to other posts in order to figure out how to remedy the downfalls of utopian literature, and how to implement it in a way that would be more engaging for students.

          Renteria (2015) makes a great observation in her post, “One of the reasons why utopian literature should be taught in schools is because it brings students to ask themselves the really big questions in a direct way. For example, how should we live our lives? What is the goal that society wants to accomplish? How should we govern ourselves? Where does authority come from? These are just some questions that students will be confronted with. These questions can help students relate their decisions to the way they contribute to society. Yes, a utopian world is a world of perfection and maybe that will never happen in our world, but we can ask why can’t it be? What is preventing it to be a perfect world?” But we have to find interesting ways to get secondary students to engage with the text and perform at this level of thinking. I think the best way to do this is by teaching dystopian and utopian novels alongside one another, because without one, how can there be the other? For instance, doesn’t a society have to experience dystopia in order to be driven to attempt to create a utopia? Or isn’t a utopia created that a person or group might consider to be a dystopia that they must escape from?

             Amy Sasser (2013) comes up with a wonderful way to introduce these concepts to students: “Rather than asking [students] what they know of utopias, you might ask what their ideal school or city would look like. I have found that any opportunity to relate a difficult subject to something they already know helps students to be more confident in their learning and more willing to continue the journey with an instructor. Some students have probably never considered any practical applications of a utopian society, but many have played video games like “The Sims” where they are the architects of entire cities and must face and overcome unexpected obstacles from natural disasters to water shortages, or from their people having small conflicts to large-scale riots.  This may seem like an extreme example, but tying into what they know and the ideals they have for how life should look. A game like this can show them how quickly even a well-planned society might go awry.” Once students have an idea of utopias and what they are, then it is easier to move forward into the texts. Just as Sasser identifies, it would probably be easier with adolescents to use excerpts from utopian texts. Not only do utopias lack action and character development, but I have noticed throughout the semester that, besides the dryness, many utopias also use very “colorful” language (a lot of F-bombs) and some are increasingly hard to follow (such as all of the made-up terminology that can be found in novels like The Dispossessed). Excerpts from utopian texts would offer students the opportunity to engage in these types of texts and form/express their own ideas regarding society, but while keeping the materials age and learning-level appropriate.

          Aside from teaching utopias alongside dystopias (in order to retain interest while helping students make the connection between the genres) and using appropriate, engaging excerpts, one must also consider how to interact with the texts in the classroom. James Seth (2011) offers some methods in which this can be accomplished. As I have identified in my previous posts, Seth also points out how a teenager’s life can seem very dystopic. They are constantly under the rule of and oppressed by institutions such as their families and the education system. That is why it might be ideal to begin with a dystopian novel with students, so that they can learn the importance of being an individual and have literature and characters that they can easily relate to. On the flipside, it would be important to go into utopias afterwards so that students can learn how to use their individualism to contribute to a better society/world. Seth says, “For in-class discussions and paper topics, I give my class short articles relating to a social problem that gets my students to think, talk, and engage. These texts are not classified as a literature of pleasure, but a motivating literature of ideas, and I choose topics that will initiate conversation and spark debates” which will “expose students to social, political, and cultural knowledge that is not deeply explored in the public school system.” With utopian excerpts and these types of articles that Seth suggests, teachers can lead into the questions earlier identified that Renteria (2015) asks. We can use these texts in order for students to identify what issues our society/world experiences in modern times, and push their thinking into coming up with possible solutions.

          So where do utopian texts fit into secondary education? Alongside dystopian ones so that educators can help students, not only by engaging them, but by helping them identify different social, political, etc. issues that our society/world experiences today, and allowing them to generate their own opinions and ideas about how they can be fixed, or at least made better. How do we implement utopian texts in secondary education? As mentioned, alongside dystopian texts and articles that address similar issues that are occurring in our “real” world (outside of the text). But we must also remember to make utopian texts appropriate for the age and education level of our pupils, and as interesting and relevant to their lives as we can. I would also like to use strategies that I have seen implemented in our own utopia course by Dr. White, such as the web reviews that show students how society has attempted to create real-life utopias, video clips to show how utopias/utopian ideas are prevalent in literature, media, and television, and linking students to other articles and resources to help further their understanding and education. I also think the seminar-style of our course would work well with secondary students, allowing them more time for debate and discussion, rather than strictly lecturing to them. There is nothing in the state of Texas’ curriculum guide (the TEKS) that forbids the teaching of utopias to secondary students. Educators just have to be willing to read them and to find engaging ways to include them in their curriculum. As I mentioned in my own midterm (2019), “Utopian literature serves as a guide to history and issues our world has dealt with in the past, but [utopian] authors are also serving as guides, activists, and educators about possible ways to create a better future for ourselves. Since I teach young adults and our next generation, I find these topics and messages very important and I think it it crucial to expose students to this kind of literature and lessons so that they can carry on and make changes in the “real world” after they graduate;” therefore; I think utopian literature should be required in secondary education in order to increase our odds of helping create a better future.