Does the ethic of the common good conflict with the preservation of individual rights? What
are the dystopian elements of our modern society? Where and how do these elements extend
into our personal lives?
Essay Prompt: Based on your reading of The Giver, where and how do elements of dystopia
manifest themselves in our modern society?
Respond to the prompt in a 6-paragraph essay in which you include textual evidence from and
analysis of two (2) of the novel’s dystopian themes (defiance/survival,
government/technological control, psychological manipulation, loss of individualism, self-
defense), as well as two (2) examples and analysis of modern elements of dystopia. Tie these
examples together by examining what these dystopian examples reveal about the respective
society’s values, and their impacts on characters within that setting.
Your essay should be structured around the following format:
• Introduction – identify which dystopian themes you will be analyzing in the paper and
explicitly introduce your four major pieces of evidence
• Novel evidence and analysis #1
• Novel evidence and analysis #2
• Real world evidence and analysis #1
• Real world evidence and analysis #2
• Conclusion – as you wrap up the essay, respond to the following questions: Are these
elements of dystopia exclusively harmful, or are they for the sake of the common good?
What do these elements of dystopia reveal about our modern society’s values? How do
these societal values influence your own sense of identity in our modern world?
