Snowpiercer: Dystopia, Life, Order, and Disorder

The easiest way to interpret the film Snowpiercer is to analyze its unique visual style. The YouTube channel, "Every Frame a Painting," does a nice job of breaking the narrative down into very simple terms:

Here is a more in-depth analysis of the film:

The film is a unique take on the concept of dystopia, and it shares many things in common with both The Handmaid's Tale and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

The following is a list of 20 questions concerning the film, Julius Caesar, and The Handmaid's Tale. You must respond to 5 of the 20 questions in a Power Point presentation that you will present to the class.

You must select at least one question that concerns Julius Caesar and at least one question that concerns The Handmaid's Tale.

You must explain your interpretation/answer fully!

1. Is Wilfred a bad guy?
2. Is the train necessarily a corrupt organism? 
3. Does the order of the train resemble the order of the natural universe? 
4. Why do both The Handmaid's Tale and Snowpiercer begin with some sort of environmental disaster? 
5. How is the film, Snowpiercer, similar to the play, Julius Caesar?
6. Is Gilliam akin to Cassius?
7. Is Curtis akin to Brutus?
8. Is Wilfred similar to Caesar?
9. Can a society exist without a "tail section?" 
10. The inhabitants of the front of the train are controlled with pleasure. Is this the case in reality now? Explain how this works.
11. Why do you think Gilliam works in conjunction with Wilfred?
12. Does war keep the ruling class in power?
13. Are revolutions a societal form of natural selection? 
14. Do leaders invent conflict to control populations?
15. Will the residents of the "tail section" ever usurp power?
16. At the end of Snowpiercer, will a new society form that resembles the train?
17. Is humanity simply the sum of its parts, as Wilfred implies, or do the needs of individuals truly matter?
18. What happens in a world without leaders--without Wilfreds?
19. What is the message of Snowpiercer?
20. How are the residents of the "tail section" similar to the handmaids in Gilead?

We will be in the library computer lab on Thursday, May 14th and Friday, May 15th.

Your presentations must be completed by Monday, May 18th. Class presentations will then follow.