Legend

Like any good dystopian world, Lu’s fictional Republic utilizes many aspects of controlled media. The easiest way to sway an entire population to give wholehearted obedience is to control what they see and hear and make sure there is no room to question the reality presented to them. Lu uses Legend to explore the power of propaganda and how truth may be obscured in the interest of the “greater good” of humanity.

To June, no land is greater than the Republic, and those who oppose it—the Colonies to the east and the Patriot rebels—are jealous of the prosperity of the Republic. June scoffs at how “The Colonies want [them] to think that letting them take over is a good thing. Like they’re annexing [the Republic] or doing [them] some kind of favor” (93). June has always been taught that the Republic is the better country and that the poor, stupid souls in the Colonies are the ones who have less. She is outraged when the captured Colonies spy mocks them for their sham of a country, especially when he claims that the Republic “kill[s] [its] own people and torture[s] those who used to be [its] brothers” (93). June dismisses his claims without thought because she has been indoctrinated since birth by the Republic, and its darker crimes against its own people have been carefully covered up and kept out of the media.