Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Many forms of artistic work, such as films, TV shows, novels, and short stories, are set in a dystopian future. How does a utopian future compare with a dystopian future? What elements are present in a dystopian future? Why would an author set a novel in a dystopian setting?

Teaching Suggestion: Parable of the Sower is set in a dystopian American society, where many of the public infrastructures people depend on are no longer present because of the Effects of Mass Privatization. This question will help students connect the themes in the novel to the real-world issues Butler addresses through this dystopian lens.

• a MasterClass article that discusses and defines dystopian fiction

2. The state of California’s diverse, dry topography lends the region to many natural hazards. What are the major natural hazards the people of California face on a regular basis? What steps, if any, are taken to prevent or be prepared for these hazards? What mechanisms are in place as a response? Conduct some basic research if needed to answer.