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Utopia as a social model
An essay about Utopia
An essay about Utopia
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like living in a world in which everyone is governed? A world where there are rules for everything and penalties for breaking those rules? Where there is no pain, love nor hate, no color and everyone is equal? Would you want to live in such a society or would you prefer to be given the chance to choose living in a world where all the bad is present with all the good? In her novel, the Giver, Lois Lowry explores a world where there is mainly an illusion of all that is good, overshadowing that which is bad, giving readers an insight into what life is like in a Utopian society, in contrast to life in a Dystopian society. The society in which ‘The Giver’ is set appears to be a Utopia, the perfect world, as …show more content…
Time for the citizens to face the reality of the past. Together, they concoct a plan which involves Jonas’s escape to Elsewhere, so that the memories from the past can be restored to the community. Jonas asks that the Giver leaves with him, but the Giver tells him that He has to remain in the community to help the people to cope with the memories when they are restored. He also shares that he would like to be with his daughter, Rosemary, the girl who had been selected to be the Receiver, ten years ago, but had asked to be released when the memories of loneliness and pain had inundated her. Jonas decides he has to leave with Gabriel, a baby who had been staying in his family dwelling. Gabriel is scheduled to be released the following day as he is underdeveloped for his age. He has the same pale eyes as Jonas and the two have grown attached to each other. The Giver will make it appear as if Jonas had drowned in the river so ample time will not be spent searching for him and he will be forgotten quickly. Jonas, who had stolen his father’s bicycle, sets out at dusk, with Gabriel, on his quest to find Elsewhere. The Giver gives Jonas strength and courage to sustain, as well as food supplies and
Utopia seems like a wonderful idea where everything is perfect and no one suffers. Three stories address this topic and show how even the best ideas have their downside. The Giver tells of a society where everything is the same and no one has to worry about making a wrong decision. Fahrenheit 451 tells of a society that bans book in the interest of preventing unhappiness. The society in Logan's Run is full of pleasure but only for 30 years. In practice though, these utopias present each of the protagonists with a problem where they question how perfect their perfect worlds really is.
“How could someone not fit in? The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.” (Lowry, 48) In Lowry’s novel, The Giver, eliminating choices and feelings caused their society to be worse than our society today because you don’t have any choices and you don’t get to experience the feeling of joy and happiness.
At this point, Jonas has realized what release really means. He finds out that the little baby Gabe that has lived with his family is being released at the very next morning. And the large plan that has been made with The Giver, to get rid of sameness within his community can’t be carried out because he knows that he must save Gabe’s life. He starts to really understand what it means to truly live and truly love. He knows he loves Gabe and, therefore he must sacrifice himself in order that Gabe might live. So, he quietly leaves in the middle of the night, and takes Gabe with him and they leave the community. Jonas is running for their lives because he knows they’re being hunted down. He hopes that they will just give up and assume that maybe
Jonas decides to leave and change the lives of his people so that they can experience the truth. “The Giver rubbed Jonas’s hunched shoulders… We’ll make a plan” (155). Their plan involves leaving sameness and heading to Elsewhere, where Jonas knows the memories can be released to the people. He has a connection with Gabe, a special child who has experienced the memories, unlike the rest of the community. Jonas has a strong love for Gabe, and he longs to give him a better life. “We’re almost there, Gabriel” (178). Even with a sprained ankle, Jonas keeps pushing forward because he wants everyone to experience what The Giver has given him. He wants them to have a life where the truth is exposed. His determination allows him to make a change for a greater future in his community. This proves that Jonas has the strength to change his community for the
Living in a perfect world is like living in an anthill. An ant does not think on it’s own, make it’s own decisions, and doesn't really have any own identity, just like the utopians. It is not worth living in a perfect world. The utopian society we are introduced to in the book, The Giver, has many different characteristics that make the perfect life unbearable. Examples of these things are The Receiver, the community, and the chief elders.
Life is a very valuable asset, but when lived on someone else’s terms its nothing but a compromise. The seemingly perfect image of Utopia which combines happiness and honesty with purity, very often leads in forming a dystopian environment. The shrewd discrepancy of Utopia is presented in both the novel ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry and the film ‘The Truman Show’ directed by Peter Weir. Both stories depict a perfect community, perfect people, perfect life, perfect world, and a perfect lie. These perfect worlds may appear to shield its inhabitants from evil and on the other hand appear to give individuals no rights of their own. By comparing and contrasting the novel ‘The Giver’ and the film ‘The Truman Show’, it can be derived that both the main characters become anti-utopian to expose the seedy underbelly of their Utopian environment which constructs a delusional image of reality, seizes the pleasures in their lives and portrays a loss of freedom.
Once Jonas begins his training with the Giver, however, the tendencies he showed in his earlier life—his sensitivity, his heightened perceptual powers, his kindness to and interest in people, his curiosity about new experiences, his honesty, and his high intelligence—make him extremely absorbed in the memories the Giver has to transmit. In turn, the memories, with their rich sensory and emotional experiences, enhance all of Jonas’s unusual qualities. Within a year of training, he becomes extremely sensitive to beauty, pleasure, and suffering, deeply loving toward his family and the Giver, and fiercely passionate about his new beliefs and feelings. Things about the community that used to be mildly perplexing or troubling are now intensely frustrating or depressing, and Jonas’s inherent concern for others and desire for justice makes him yearn to make changes in the community, both to awaken other people to the richness of life and to stop the casual cruelty that is practiced in the community. Jonas is also very determined, committing to a task fully when he believes in it and willing to risk his own life for the sake of the people he loves.
Throughout history, people have made numerous futile attempts to create an Utopian society. The term "Utopia" depicts an imaginary ideal state. Such a state is described in The Giver. In The Giver, Jonas's community believes in the renunciation of personal property, rights, one's unique characteristics and of binding personal relationships (such as marriage). This society is believed to be perfect, free of pain and sorrow; everything is under control and "same".
society, everyone wears the same clothes, follows the same rules, and has a predetermined life. A community just like that lives inside of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and this lack of individuality shows throughout the whole book. This theme is demonstrated through the control of individual appearance, behavior, and ideas.
Lois Lowry’s The Giver considers something the world takes for granted: personal empowerment. These simple day-to-day decisions create what the world is. Without self-empowerment and right to believe in a personal decision, what is the human race? The world can only imagine, as Lois Lowry does in The Giver. She asks: What if everything in life was decided by others? What if spouses, children, the weather, education, and careers were chosen based upon the subjects’ personality? What if it didn’t matter what the subject thought? Jonas, the Receiver, lives here. He eats, sleeps, and learns in his so-called perfect world until he meets the Giver, an aged man, who transmits memories of hope, pain, color, and love. Jonas then escapes his Community with a newborn child (meant to be killed), hoping to find a life of fulfillment. On the way, he experiences pain, sees color, and feels love. Irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing are three literary devices used to imply the deeper meaning of The Giver.
Perfection is something that people have been trying to achieve since the beginning of humankind. The Giver and Pleasantville are two of the many fictional societies that try to reach this so-called perfection. Both societies limit or eliminate differences and freedoms of their fellow citizens. This usually leads to the downfall of a society, making it a dystopia. The Giver has ideals such as no bad weather and hard decisions are made for the citizens while Pleasantville has no extreme weather. Issues like fire are practically non-existent. In both stories, the protagonists reject their society by breaking laws. The communities in The Giver and Pleasantville have their similarities and differences, making each society one-of a kind.
You know everything about the past and the present from your life, but the citizens of Jonas’ community don’t. Everything is hidden from them, except for Jonas and The Giver, who have all
Even though both the society in The Giver by Lois Lowry and modern society are both unique in their own ways, our society is a better society to live in. Our society gives us more freedom to choose for our own benefits and
The Giver provides a chance that readers can compare the real world with the society described in this book through some words, such as release, Birthmothers, and so on. Therefore, readers could be able to see what is happening right now in the real society in which they live by reading her fiction. The author, Lowry, might build the real world in this fiction by her unique point of view.
He is exceedingly considerate towards his family and acquaintances, sometimes even acting without instinct to help them. For example, on page one hundred eighteen, he noticed that the Giver was in pain and asked him if he needed help. The Giver said “Put your hands on me,” signaling Jonas for him to transfer the painful memory. Jonas has already experienced various horrifying memories and does not like them, but dislikes to see the Giver in pain. Therefore, he swallows his fear and takes it all in. Furthermore, there is an instance where Jonas is kind, it is stated on page one hundred fifteen. He volunteers for Gabriel to stay in his room so that his mother will not be disturbed by Gabriel’s restlessness. He also shows affection towards Gabriel, first unconsciously and then consciously when he transfers the peaceful memory of a sail to Gabriel. He does not want Gabriel to fret so he tries to soothe him with tranquil thoughts. These examples illustrate Jonas’ thoughtfulness and warmth to his cared