Young Adult Dystopia centered on a female

In the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries, Henry James coined a phrase, the New Woman, a phrase meant to indicate women of affluence and sensibility who exhibited an independent spirit and acted according to their own wishes, in short, women who resisted the traditional patriarchy. Although they tended to resist the societal norms, the did so in what many would deem a more passive or submissive way; while refusing to marry and follow traditional female roles, they did not seek to redefine the roles of women as a whole, rather seeking to focus on their own independence within the spheres they normally inhabited. Not until the 21st century did young women protagonists show a more conscious attempt to explore their liminality (being between states, a state of transition). The New Woman

The Newer new woman Reviving Ophelia As a therapist, Mary Pipher was becoming frustrated with the growing problems among adolescent girls. Why were so many of them turning to therapy in the first place? Why had these lovely and promising human beings fallen prey to depression, eating disorders, suicide attempts, and crushingly low self-esteem? The answer hit a nerve with Pipher, with parents, and with the girls themselves. Crashing and burning in a “developmental Bermuda Triangle,” they were coming of age in a media-saturated culture preoccupied with unrealistic ideals of beauty and images of dehumanized sex, a culture rife with addictions and sexually transmitted diseases. They were losing their resiliency and optimism in a “girl-poisoning” culture that propagated values at odds with those necessary to survive. Told in the brave, fearless, and honest voices of the girls themselves who are emerging from the chaos of adolescence, Reviving Ophelia is a call to arms, offering important tactics, empathy, and strength, and urging a change where young hearts can flourish again, and rediscover and reengage their sense of self.

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist hardcore punk movement that originally started in the early 1990s, in Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, noticeably in Olympia, Washington. It is a subcultural movement that combines feminist consciousness and punk style and politics. It is often associated with third-wave feminism, which is sometimes seen as its starting point. It has also been described as a musical genre that came out of indie rock, with the punk scene serving as an inspiration for a musical movement in which women could express themselves in the same way men had been doing for the past several years. Riot grrrl bands often address issues such as rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, racism, patriarchy, and female empowerment. In addition to a music scene and genre, riot grrrl is a subculture involving a DIY (do it yourself) ethic, zines, art, political action, and activism. The Riot grrrl movement quickly spread well beyond its musical roots to create vibrant “zine” and World Wide Web-based movement, complete with local meetings and grassroots organizing to end ageism, homophobia, racism, sexism and, especially, physical and emotional violence against women and girls. Riot grrrls are known to hold meetings, start chapters, and support and organize women in music.

Dystopian Characteristics 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 live in a dehumanized state. • Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality/dissent are bad. http://facweb.northseattle.edu/jclapp/Children's%20Literature/Discussion%20Questions/Dystopias%20 Characteristics.htm What they left out: Dystopias feel familiar to us but also offer a sense of hope. An ordinary person, the protagonist is the one to provide the hope. Dystopias are preceded by an apocalyptic event. There is an oppressive government.

The 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. http://facweb.northseattle.edu/jclapp/Children's%20Literature/Discussion%20Questions/Dystopi as%20Characteristics.htm

Conflicts young women in dystopia face As young people stand up and rebel, they learn their own limitations; it is questionable to them and to others whether they have the power and strength to lead a larger rebellion. They struggle between the larger concerns facing them and their sexual feelings. Adult femininity no longer means the awakening of the sexual self. The risks and the rewards are not clear. Patriarchal rules no longer apply. The protagonists must make up their own. They are simultaneously faced with the development of identity and an identity thrust upon them by the demands of the dystopia. But they also must sacrifice their own needs with the needs of others. In a situation in which there seems to be little or no hope, they are looked to to provide the hope for those closest to them and for the society.

Blood Red Road Discuss and answer these questions in groups: What do we know about the story so far? Characters? Relationships between them? Setting? Time period? Events? Conflicts? What should we know in order to understand the beginning of the story?

Dystopian novel and the Patriarchy. Find quotes, passages from Blood Red road that correspond to a point from either Tyson’s or Liberman’s articles. How does this novel indicate a typical patriarchy in many ways.

Dystopian Novel and the break from the typical patriarchy. In what way does Blood Red Road diverge from a typical novel in which the partriarchy rules? What could we find to argue with quotes from Tyson? What are the non-traditional conflicts that the story poses?

Homework Read Dustlands: Blood Red Road, to page 80 1st short paper due