Film Adaptations

Dystopian themes are one of my personal favorites in both literature and film. 1984 has long been taught in English classes, but has clear connections to the social studies. Similar in nature is V for Vendetta, a graphic novel by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd that was recently adapted into a live action film. V for Vendetta creates a world in which England is run by a totalitarian government and America is in ruins due to a long term war. A masked hero named V rallies a resistance to the brutal government, exposes its crimes, and eventually brings about its destruction. Both the graphic novel and the film offer a rich resource for any social studies class. Here are a couple ideas on how this resource can be utilized.

Students could explore themes of resistance throughout American or world history. Using V as an example, they could create a VoiceThread that gives examples of resistance movements and the individuals that led them. One example could be the anti-war movement that formed in reaction to America's involvement in Vietnam. Showing images of protests and war, students could relate the events of the 60's and early 70's, to the images and ideas in V for Vendetta. Students should also reflect on the moral nature of resistance movements. When is acceptable or appropriate to form resistance movements? Are there any events or trends in society today that the students feel that strongly about. What is the role of violence in these movements? Students will be able to express a very strong opinion in the images that they choose to incorporate in their voice thread and the words they choose to go over them.

Using the graphic novel as springboard, students could also create a graphic novel or comic depicting an historical example of a resistance movement. This would require them to do research into an event that they are interested in exploring. Teachers could also require them to write a short defense of why they chose the to draw the images they did and how that effectively portrays the resistance movement. Just as in the previous exercise, students should be wrestling with the nature of these movements. They should give justifications for call to action that the characters felt.