Themes in This Perfect Day

Themes: This Perfect Day
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Slide 1: Slide
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This lesson contains 28 slides, with interactive quizzes, text slides and 4 videos.

Items in this lesson

Themes: This Perfect Day

Slide 1 - Slide

Themes in literature
Writers of literature try to convey a message through their stories 
Very often they are not conscious of  all of the messages they convey
To decide which theme or message a story has for you, ask yourself, 'What is this story trying to teach me?' 

Slide 2 - Slide

Basic Plots
The Greeks first said their were a 3 basic types of stories: tragedies, comedies and sagas. Later this number was expanded: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jul/13/three-six-or-36-how-many-basic-plots-are-there-in-all-stories-ever-written
 Next slide famous dystopian writer Kurt Vonnegut on plots:

Slide 3 - Slide

Slide 4 - Video

Building a theme
But beside the plot, there is the message or theme.
The writer uses 4 things to convey this message (among others):
  1. Protagonist (fatal flaw/strength)
  2. Challenge
  3. Setting, including other characters
  4. Symbolism

Slide 5 - Slide

Dystopian Protagonist
• often feels trapped and is struggling to escape.
• questions the existing social and political systems.
• believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives.
• helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.

Slide 6 - Slide

Slide 7 - Slide

Dystopian Protagonist's Fatal Flaw
The Dystopian protagonist is motivated to question the system because of some internal flaw, something that makes him/her 'less' or 'different' than the other people in society.

Slide 8 - Slide

Fatal Flaw Quiz
Choose the fatal flaw for each of the following dystopian protagonist

Slide 9 - Slide

Katnis Everdine
A
not pretty
B
not smart
C
not friendly
D
not popular

Slide 10 - Quiz

Lacie from Black Mirror
A
insecure
B
unattractive
C
weak
D
unintelligent

Slide 11 - Quiz

Harrison Bergeron
A
bad health
B
bad memory
C
too intelligent
D
too agressive

Slide 12 - Quiz

Chip
A
wants to be liked by everybody
B
is seen as different others
C
wants to become a programmer
D
is eager to decide what people do

Slide 13 - Quiz

Confronting the challenge
In a dystopian book, story or movie, some situation challenges the protagonist which plays on his/her fatal flaw. 
By using the strength he/she has developed, the protagonist wins, loses, or a combination of both.

Slide 14 - Slide

Fatal flaw / strength
The fatal flaw usually becomes a strength for the protagonist:
  1. Katnis is not friendly = learns to pretend
  2. Lacie is insecure (bullied) = uses rating system for likes
  3. Harrison is too gifted = joins another gifted person
  4. Chip is seen as different = curious about others who are different

Slide 15 - Slide

How does Katnis Everdine use her strength to solve challenge?

Slide 16 - Open question

How does Lacie use her strength to solve the challenge?

Slide 17 - Open question

How does Harrison Bergeron use his strength to solve the challenge?

Slide 18 - Open question

How does Chip use his strength to solve the challenge?

Slide 19 - Open question

Setting, incl. other characters
Time, place and other characters also build on a theme.

In dystopian fiction, technology place a large part in helping or hindering the protagonist. 

Technological development is usually one of the aspects of society that the writer questions and uses to develop a theme .

Slide 20 - Slide

Slide 21 - Video

Which is Katnis, Lacie, Harrison or Chip ?
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
• Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
• The natural world is banished and distrusted.
• Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.
• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Slide 22 - Slide

Symbolism
A writer uses various actions, persons, colours, places, or objects to represent concepts or ideas about which the writer wishes to deliver the message or theme.

Slide 23 - Slide

Slide 24 - Video

Independent
Conformity/UNI
bracelet
television
1 green eye
Ashi Chip king
breasts beard
whiskey
treatments
old books
coveralls
totalcakes
anger passion
li Peace Karl
tobacco
helpfullness
2 brown eyes
Choice

Slide 25 - Drag question

Choosing a theme
Here are a few topics that are included in the This Perfect Day
  1. Power corrupts versus good intentions
  2. The individual versus collective good
  3. Fake (drugged) happiness versus real (negative) emotions
  4. A privileged elite versus common people
  5. State propoganda versus individual research
  6. Normal versus Abnormal/Sick/Incurable

Slide 26 - Slide

Slide 27 - Video

What message did This Perfect Day have for you?

Slide 28 - Open question