Read several other science fiction stories or books written during the 1950s and 1960s. You might look at works by Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, or Ray Bradbury. Why do you think science fiction became so popular during this period? What historical events might have spurred this interest?

View a video of the Star Trek episode, "The City On The Edge of Forever." Compare and contrast the themes in this screenplay with those of other Ellison short stories, including "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream."

Unlike a utopia (an imaginary, ideal world), a dystopia is a form of literature that describes a future, imaginary world that is far from ideal. In a dystopia, current trends are carried out to their most horrifying conclusions. Read one or more dystopias such as Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; 1984, by George Orwell; or The...