Utopia Vs Dystopia

Introduction:

L- Lead in

A - Answer

M – Method

Intro should provide context for your text (name, author, period, and context). Also address key terms of question, provide a thesis statement for your argument. List the method of your response

Body paragraphs

T – Topic sentence (address a specific key point related to your thesis)

E - Expand

E – Example

E – Explanation

L – Link back to theses statement

Conclusion

Combine arguments from body paragraphs

Address your thesis statement as resolved

Conclusion should offer a final thought on the topic

THEMES:

• Love
• Friendship
• Adventure
• Drugs
• Utopia/dystopia
• Breakdown of society

Essay Question: Alex Garland’s The Beach may be described as a narrative descent from paradise to hell. Discuss how the texts themes relate back to this idea of the beach as a paradigm of ‘paradise lost’?

Destruction of nature: 

Destructive elements of tourist, when Americans came into drug field after getting map from Richard, they ran around in dope fields thinking it was all theirs and they were shot dead.

Over population of the island which destroyed the island.

Selfish nature of backpackers -Richard never calling his parents

Not caring environment- cigarette flicked when he used to care about environment.

Not caring about people dying, not risking taking someone to hospital as they didn’t want to risk getting the island found out.

CHARACTERS: Richard

Richard confides in the reader that this is the moment he considers that everything changed. That he went from being him to being someone else. Everything that happened after this seemed to be ‘coloured’ by everything else that was going on around him. The example he uses is that the person he became flicked his cigarette butt away, whereas the normal Richard would have buried it – he hates littering. He is at a loss to explain it.

VALUES & ATTITUDES:

STYLE/TONE

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Breakdown of civilisation:

CHARACTERS

VALUES & ATTITUDES

STYLE/TONE

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Utopia vs Dystopia (Paradise vs Hell)

Introduction:

Themes are conveyed in texts to highlight certain aspects of the world. It is from the certain readers understanding of these themes, where different interpretations are made. The Beach, written by Alex Garland in 1996, is a fictional story of a young backpacker's search for a legendary, idyllic and isolated beach untouched by tourism, and his time there, in its small, international community of backpackers. Through the use of narrative conventions, such as characterisation and setting, the audience explores the themes that the backpacker lifestyle is a life of selfishness, paradise vs reality, and that excessive tourism erodes the natural environment.

Theme – The backpacker lifestyle is selfish:

Through the introduction and development of characters throughout the novel, the selfish attitude that backpackers possess is highlighted. Shortly after Daffy commits suicide in the hotel room neighbouring Richard, Etienne and Francoise, their disregard for such a traumatic event is muted behind their desire over the then mysterious map of a beach. Etienne, in his first encounter with Richard says, “I suppose someone dying is always a bit strange”. The lack of sympathy shown towards Daffy is shown specifically in the words “suppose” and “bit strange”. The lack of urgency and concern associated with the choice of words is a clear indication that the backpacker is more concerned with their own priorities, than the life of another human being. Richard’s actions to refrain from handing over the map to the authorities because he “didn’t want some foreign police investigation f…ing up” his holiday, “didn’t care about the guy’s death” and because he considered Thailand as “a country with drugs and AIDS and danger”, demonstrates the backpacker’s willingness to embrace risk, in search for a great reward or positive consequence. This is further implied in the action itself; refraining from handing over evidence to police during an investigation is an action on the fine line between risk taking and stupidity and committing a crime. Through the characterisation of Richard and Etienne, specifically their actions and dialogue, we can see how the backpacker upholds a selfish behaviour.

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