Description of my Research Paper

Research Paper Proposal

            For my research-based analysis, I plan to explore the theme of dystopia. This is a topic that has garnered quite a following of late, as more and more authors attempt to broach the subject. I will analyze one of the latest dystopian novels to-date: Mockingjay. This is book three in the Hunger Games trilogy, a series that has gained notoriety as one of the most shocking examples of the darker side of human nature. I will explore the two different dystopian societies in the novel, the Capitol and District 13, and I will discuss a "formula" for creating dystopia. The main aspect of this formula is the reigning government's control of the media. A common thread in nearly all dystopias is that of propaganda. My paper will draw on real life examples as well as fictional ones, and will draw conclusions as to the importance of such control. Research has led me to the creation of the dystopian formula which includes control of media, restriction of personal leisure, and control of environment. The control of media is the most crucial as it allows the government to alter the thinking and social patterns of the governed. Just as the Roman empire would make executions and gladiator battles public, the nation of Panem is forced, year after year, to watch the bloodbath that is the hunger games. These very public displays of violence and terror eventually desensitized the population. After many years of these "games" being the social norm, the citizens are quite used to violence and are also cowed from any attempt to revolt. Control of the media is so vital because it allows the government to show itself in the best light possible. Adolf Hitler used this tactic in WWII, the result being that many Germans had no idea of what atrocities were being doled out in the name of their country. The media is used to alter reality, which then effects social patterns, which then effects the individual's morals. You can see this play out in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron,  George Orwell's 1984, and Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series.  My paper will prove that when the Government  has control of the media, then the government will have control of the people.