Title: Creative Dystopia Project Hand-in box
Course: BC - Literary Studies 11 - 1.1 > Section: Unit 4 - Dystopian Literature

In this unit we have encountered some sobering and eerie visions of humanity’s potential futures, through the novels 1984, The Hunger Games, The Road, Fahrenheit 451, and Gattaca. Yet despite their darkness, each one has offered a semblance of hope, usually through the efforts of the central protagonists, who refuse to comply with the demands of their circumstances.

As noted in the Gattaca forum, fire is an ongoing literary symbol, often of hope and goodness throughout these texts, urging us to think about ways we can similarly be agents of hope and redemption in the world we find ourselves. The personal application of ideas from these genres are thus rich with potential, and perhaps in some senses offer a more hopeful human vision than texts like Lord of the Flies and Macbeth.

With these ideas in mind, you will now have a chance to apply some personal and creative thinking to these genres we have spent significant time with, in the culminating assignment of this unit. Below are four assignment options, from which you will choose one option and write a well-developed creative response, applying concepts you have engaged with from throughout your time considering dystopian and post-apocalyptic texts.

Choose one of the following, and write a 750-1000 word creative response in which you will create your own dystopian or post-apocalyptic world, with some glimmers of hope and human redemption:

1. Resistance Publication - Design an underground newspaper front page, blog, website, radio transcript, or video broadcast that describes a new dystopian premise that you have conceived, including what the situation is like for citizens, what obstacles need to be overcome, and a call to action and resistance from the reader. Feel free to include images, colour, and other visual elements in addition to your text. Seek to incorporate a robust portrayal of both despair and potential hope in your work.
2. Short Story - Conceive of a dystopian or post-apocalyptic premise that features a central protagonist and their experience in the world you’ve created for them. Be sure to include significant world-building elements for your concept, and a story arc through which your character traverses, experiencing conflict and some kind of resolution. This can be written in first or third-person, in a traditional story format, as a series of journal entries, as a graphic novella, or any other similar format you want to engage.
3. Open Letter to a Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic World - Write a letter to a future inhabitant of a dystopian or post-apocalyptic world that you have conceived, describing to them the differences between your world and theirs, seeking to capture the beauty of your present world in contrast to theirs. At the same time, attempt to draw on the common humanity you share with them, offering them hope for how they might change their situation or reality. This can be in the form of a classic letter, audio broadcast, video recording, or any other creative format you choose.
4. Choose Your Own Adventure - Pitch an idea of your own to your teacher (not covered in the first three options) that incorporates your conceiving of a new dystopian or post-apocalyptic premise, and some kind of robust human engagement with it.

Once your assignment is done, submit it below.

Your project will be marked according to the following rubric:

 | Not Completed | Emerging (Unsatisfactory) | Developing (Satisfactory) | Proficient (Very Good) | Extending (Excellent)
 | 0 | 4               5 6             7              8 9            10
Creativity/ Originality/ Uniqueness | Not completed | Dystopian premise and execution are not articulated in any kind of satisfying way. | Dystopian premise and execution are attempted, but are quite minimal or very derivative. | Dystopian premise and execution are good, but somewhat derivative. | Dystopian premise and execution of ideas is sophisticated and deeply satisfying.
Density/ Quality/ Depth of Themes | Not completed | Human themes of despair and redemption are barely present. An almost non-existent portrayal of the human experience. | Human themes of despair and redemption are minimally explored. A flat portrayal of the human experience. | Human themes of despair and redemption are explored to some extent, but could use some added exploration. A sound portrayal of the human experience. | Human themes of despair and redemption are deeply explored and articulated in poignant and satisfying ways. A robust portrayal of the human experience.
Consistency/ Completion of Criteria | Not completed | Assignment guidelines are not met, with inadequate length, detail, and virtually no world-building elements to your dystopian vision. | Assignment guidelines are barely met, with short length, minimal detail, and fragmentary world-building elements to your dystopian vision. | Assignment guidelines are met well, with good length, detail, and world-building elements to your dystopian vision. | Assignment guidelines are met and surpassed, with robust length, detail, and world-building elements to your dystopian vision.
Writing Conventions (Grammar/ Spelling) and Language Proficiency | Not completed | Writing mechanics and sophistication of language are not passable. Errors sideline the effectiveness of the piece entirely. | Writing mechanics and sophistication of language are wanting. Errors deeply detract from the overall quality. | Writing mechanics and sophistication of language are good. Errors minimally detract from the overall quality. | Writing mechanics and sophistication of language are very polished and compelling. Prose and language greatly enhance the overall quality.
Total /40