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I Love to Read: Fahrenheit 451 -- Create Your Own Utopia Or Dystopia

Big Thought

Fahrenheit 451 presents a dark and oppressive fictional society. Rather than create an ideal society (utopia) to serve as a model for societal improvement, Bradbury created a nightmare society (dystopia) as a warning for what America will look like in 2024. In this activity, you will plan either a utopian or dystopian society.

Create Your Own Utopia or Dystopia

Recommended supplies: paper, pencil, markers, crayons, colored pencils

Utopia directions: create a poster or brochure that outlines your own utopian society. Follow the guidelines below.

  • Utopia name -- be creative and inventive!
  • Rules -- develop a list of at least 10 rules that all community members will follow to create a perfect society.
  • Motto and seal -- create a slogan or motto that inhabitants of your utopia will follow and develop a utopian seal. Think about what images connect to the name of your society and to the rules you developed.
  • Daily itinerary -- How will utopia inhabitants spend their time during the week? Develop a seven-day schedule that community members might follow during a typical day. Your itinerary should be a listing of times and activities.

Dystopia directions: create a poster that outlines your own dystopian society. As Bradbury did in Fahrenheit 451, you are going to first examine what people fear in our society today in order to establish the foundation for your society. Follow the guidelines below:

  • Think: What do people in America fear today? Think of major examples of fear in today’s society (not little ones like spiders or clowns.) In Fahrenheit 451 it was fear of reading books. Some other examples include: terrorist threats, violence in schools, road rage, or the H1N1 virus. What else can you think of?
  • What will your society be afraid of?
  • Name of Your Dystopian Society -- be creative and inventive!
  • List of Rules -- Develop a list of at least five rules that all community members will follow.
  • Motto and seal -- Create a slogan or motto that inhabitants of your utopia will follow, and develop a utopian seal. Think about what images connect to the name of your society and to the rules you developed.
  • Consequences -- What happens to citizens who do not obey the government's rules?

Get the Lesson Plan


Age: 12—18
Cost: FREE
Type: Online

Date + Time

Date(s): 06/18/2018 - 12/31/2022

Time: See Schedule

Registration deadline: n/a

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