top of page
FUTURISM & CULTURE
^^^^
FUTURISTIC CINAMATICS IN THE FILM ADAPTATION OF THE GIVER
^^^
FUTURISTIC ELEMENTS IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
FUTURISMS IMPACT ON THE UNIT
Futurism is the central, shared theme between the two texts that this unit examines. Over the course of the last semester, I have learned about the importance of examining literature from the lenses of the future by means of examining the past and the present. The approaches that I have learned have greatly affected how I will choose literature in my future classrooms.
​
Our studies in ethnic futurism have also greatly affirmed my love of graphic novels as a form of literature. A very popular genre in graphic novels is science fiction and futurism. Through this course, I have begun an extensive search on multicultural perspectives in graphic novels and comic books. Multicultural, futuristic graphic novels have become my favorite reads - and literature I will absolutely integrate into my curriculum in the future.
EXAMINING CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
One big difference between the texts that are studied in this unit is the stark contrast in inclusion of multicultural perspectives. In The Giver, the idea of culture is completely erased from the society. In it's place, "sameness" is what the community strives towards creating; a complete lack of individuality or aspects of collective people that make them different from others.
​
In the other text, Nigerian culture is brightly portrayed in the setting of Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria. The culture of Nigeria is examined greatly within the storyworld of the novel.
The great thing about pairing these two novels together is the ability to compare and contrast a world with culture and a world without. The sameness of the community in The Giver provides a means in which students search for what cultural elements of a community are missing within the sameness. This will lead them to think of all the elements that make different cultures unique, and then identify the unique characteristics of Nigerian culture in E.X.O.
​
Paired together, these novels allow readers to understand the importance of culture in creating individuality.
​
NOTE: SEE MORE in the tab "From Text to Reality"
New Genres and New Voices
E.X.O. was specifically chosen as not just a culturally diverse text in comparison to the sameness of The Giver, but also as a textually diverse text with it's format as a graphic novel. I have strong faith that graphic novels are taking over the literary world and that they are something that future English language arts teachers need to pay attention to as an up and coming genre, just as we must pay attention to ethnic futurism as a up and coming genre.
​
Although graphic novels are in their own a genre, they are really a hybrid between genre and format. Inside the genre of graphic novel are several genres that are represented. In E.X.O., this genre is ethnic futurism.
​
E.X.O. is a mix of both of these genres: graphic novel and ethnic futurism. This allows E.X.O. to be both a new genre and new voice in literature.
​
In the same sense, The Giver also is a great new voice for students to hear. This futuristic novel, and the concept of sameness vs. culture allow students to analyze this new and unique voice: a voice without culture.
IMAGINING FUTURES, RETHINKING PASTS, & BEING ACTIVE IN THE NOW
This course will help students imagine the future in a variety of ways. Students will consider the two alternative futures of the novels in comparison with one another. This calls students to consider other possibilities for the future as well, keeping in mind the social and environmental injustices of our current and past history.
​
Our past and current decisions, and how they will affect the future will be a central topic of the unit. Students will examine how social injustices such as inequality, racism, poverty and other social injustices will influence our futures by understanding the reasoning behind the enforced sameness, and fear of individuality within The Giver. They will examine the motives of Wade Williams and the social injustices that he encounters in Nigeria in E.X.O., and consider how those shape the society that Wade Williams lives in.
​
This unit will also urge students to think about how the current state of the world will affect the future. In the unit, students will think critically about how social and ecological issues may drive us towards a dystopian or otherwise problematic future such as those they see in the novels. Students will be required to propose solutions they may see for these issues in order to ensure a better future than those portrayed in the stories.
bottom of page