Jennifer Pham
Professor Blurton
Eng 101
10 November 2015
Essay #2: The Relationship Between Book 1 and Book 2 of Utopia
Thomas More’s Utopia conceptualizes a fictional island, Utopia, in which private property is eliminated, work is universalized, and punishments are equitable to the crime. In doing so, the eponymous island seemingly idealizes egalitarian society. More does this by splitting the novel into two parts or “books” which serve to distinguish between problem and solution, and reality and fiction. As a result, the discrepancies between the two books illustrate that while Utopia may be some sort of perfected society, it is ultimately fiction and thus unattainable. Book I sets up the premise for book II by introducing why a perfect
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The word Utopia, instead of being spelled as Eutopia, which means a place of perfection, actually means “no place.” A group of people on the island, Polylerites, translates into “much nonsense.” More means to stress how Utopia, for all its ideal qualities, simply doesn’t exist and will never exist. Taking Utopia’s true meaning into consideration, many of the sentiments about the island hold much more gravity. When Hythloday says that he “had never seen a well-ordered people anywhere but there,” More is actually expressing that there are well ordered people “nowhere”, as Utopia doesn’t actually exist. Even Hythloday is a victim to More’s rhetorics- Raphael’s first name is an angel from the bible who gives sight to the blind while his last name, Hythloday, means “nonsense.” He figuratively gives sight to Thomas More and Peter Giles by enlightening them with the knowledge of Utopia to parallel his first name, however his last name hints that such an island is impossible and doesn’t exist, and thus is “nonsense.” More’s description of Utopia and satirization of Europe does express a serious longing for a society similar to Utopia- one better than 16th century Europe with proper social justice and order- however his distortion of Utopia and play on words lament that such a place would ultimately
Before reading Utopia, it is essential that the reader understand that like Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal, Utopia is satirical. More creates a frame narrative in which Raphael Hythloday, the novel’s main character, recollects his observations of Utopia during his five-year stay. Hythloday spares no detail in his descriptions of Utopia, as he discusses everything from their military practices, foreign relations, religion, philosophy, and marriage customs. Interestingly enough, everything Hythloday discusses in Book II seems to be a direct response to of all of t...
Sir Thomas More in 1516 first conceived utopia while he served as an ambassador For England on a party expedition to Flanders. In England his vocation was law and he held the position of Under-Sheriff his knowledge in this area is an obvious influence in Utopian society. Utopia is a chronicle of More's fictitious meeting with Raphael Hythlodaeus a traveller who has lived in Island, republic society of Utopia for five years. Almost five hundred years after its writing utopia is still the subject of controversy; it has been claimed by certain political and religious followings to be specific to their ideals and beliefs. Notably both communists and Catholics of the last few centuries have reasoned Utopia to be a statement of their beliefs. This is evidence of how this 500 year old text has inspired the literate world with its inspired and fully realised criticism of not only More's society under the rule of Henry VIII but of every civilised society known to man. Communists have held the consistently topical and idealistic references held within the description of Utopia, and Utopias flourishing society as testimony to the ideals of the Marxist manifesto. Catholics have long maintained that More's Utopia was a direct result of his catholic faith and the belief of a perfect humanitarian world. There is no doubt that Utopia holds powerful insights into the inner failings of society and the prospect they all have to be totally efficient and stable with every person living in equality.
Utopia, written by Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) published in 1516, depicts an ideal society where there was no crime or poverty, and everyone was treated equally. It unusually varies between ‘idealisation and irony’ (Boesky 1996: 3), and has been described as the ‘progenitor of a new genre’ and a ‘new articulation of national consciousness’. (Boesky 1996: 3). More, who coined the term ‘utopia’, was the first Tudor writer to use America as a basis for England’s hopes; both countries appeared to share an element of ‘otherworldliness’. (Knapp 1992: 8).
A person’s image of utopia varies depending on their individual life experiences and the expectations of the society in which they live; utopia could be described as an ideal place where equality, comfort, safety, compassion, and freedom are important qualities. In Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, the elimination of property and money has all citizens working for the commonwealth and it is “where every man has a right to everything, they all know that if care is taken to keep the public stores full, no private man can want anything; for among them there is no unequal distribution so that no man is poor, none in necessity; and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich” (More 81). More’s Utopia also encourages a balance of power within society; where an individual in a position of power is not “as idle as drones, that subsist on other men’s labour” (More 7) and where that individual gives “more regard to the riches of his country than to his own wealth” (More 21). Equality of basic needs, elimination of poverty, and balance of power within society are features of Utopia that appeal to both Renaissance and modern readers; however, modern society may find the manipulation of the individual for the good of the commonwealth and the negative attitude towards women to be dystopic features of Utopia that hinder it from being an ideal place.
Yet another famous Utopian society that appears to thrive on the surface is that of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia. More’s society was ...
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin describes the critical balance in maintaining a utopia. According to Jefferson Flanders, author of “Herald Square”, argues that Le Guin wrestles with philologist Willam Jones’ idea that “one could not accept a happiness shared with millions if the condition of that happiness were the suffering of one lonely soul” (Flanders). Le Guin argues that success, for a society, comes from the achievements of the fortunate. This success is balanced by the misfortune of a few in the world. In the story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” Le Guin uses metaphors, imagery and symbols to illustrate society’s need for a scapegoat and the struggle to maintain balance in a utopia.
In essence, Utopia is a written manifestation of More’s humanist beliefs. Many of these views are vicariously present in the character of Raphael Hythloday. For example, Hythloday comments on the unwillingness of Kings to take advice from others, claiming they are “drenched as they are and infected with false values from boyhood and on” (More, 2011, p. 28). The idea of “infection” implies that a man is not naturally corrupt or sinful, but rather pure at heart and simply influenced by the environment an individual is exposed to. This is a key humanist concept, which suggests that human nature is malleable and inconstant, and therefore can be positively influenced to do good. Raphael later states, “Pride is too deeply fixed in human nature to be easily plucked out” (More, 2011, p. 98) Though this may seem contradictory to his previous statement, Hythloday still suggests that human nature can be changed, though he candidly admits that it is difficult. More is attempting to illustrate his own hesitations of serving the King through the conversation between the fictional More and Hythloday, which serves as a representation of More’s conflict between his beliefs as a humanist and a servant of the King.
Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, explores the possibility of creating a perfect society. More’s society upon inspection is closely related to socialism. At the time Utopia was written in 1516, Capitalist countries like England and France had created impregnable monopolies in various industries. This domination of markets by few companies caused unemployment and poverty to sky rocket. With no way to make a living and therefore no way to survive, petty crime such as theft is also on the rise. In response to the rise in crime, the French and English governments crack down on it by instating the death penalty for the petty crimes being committed. The logic behind the crackdown was to deter criminals from stealing by executing thieves publicly. But,
Utopia (Latin: no-place) is a society of great planning and capability. A community where individuals compromised their rights for the good of the collective and focused on a communal goal. These ideals of an infinitely capable and cooperative. Utopic society have captured the imagination of the greatest minds throughout the centuries. One may find the origin of Utopian thoughts in the Republic and Law conceived by Plato and in The Nicomachean Ethics and Politics created by Aristotle. The two individuals are the founding fathers of western philosophy, and their works are the basis of the western political science. Despite the thoughts on a planned society that preceded More in the field of Utopic philosophy, the first complete Utopia was credited to More and it became the pinnacle of Renaissance humanist thought. In the book, Utopia, More employed the fictional character Ralpheal Hythloday to bring a practical Utopia to the readers. The travelogue of the Island of Utopia from Hythloday would act as the model of many Eutopias (Latin: happy-place) and dystopias (Latin: opposite-place) created from a variety of interpretations by authors such as Karl Marx, revolutionist, and H.G We...
"I don't know where a utopia is supposed to be, or where one could be found. I sometimes think that it is the place where fear and doubt end with the realization that around you is everything you need, and there is nothing else to find" (Kira Salak).The late 16th century held a period of religious conflict within England. This was due to the fact that King Henry the VIII wanted a divorce and the Pope denied his request. Eleven years prior to this occurrence, Sir Thomas More, who was an important advisor to the king wrote Utopia. More's purpose was to simply demonstrate to his readers what a utopia would be like because what they were living in was actually the opposite; a dystopia. Henry the VII came to the decision of taking over the head
Thomas More is a humanist and creates the island, Utopia. Utopia is fictional work of Thomas More.
Utopia is a reflection of More’s thoughts, feelings and opinions on politics and society at the time. While it may appear that Utopia is a representation of More’s ideal society and world, only some aspects are supported and agreed upon by More. He generally opposes and objects to certain trends of the Utopian society which he feels are ‘ridiculous.’ Despite this More still provides a comment on the social standards, ethics, operations and functions of the time. In doing this he presents his passion of ideas and art.
Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World , are novels about societies that differ from our own. Though the two authors have chosen different approaches to create an alternate society, both books have similarities which represent the visions of men who were moved to great indignation by the societies in which they lived. Both novels have transcended contemporary problems in society , they both have a structured, work based civilization and both have separated themselves from the ways of past society. It is important when reading these novels to focus on the differences as well as the similarities. The two novels differ in their views of love, religion, and the way to eliminate social classes. These differences seem to suggest that if we do not come closer to More’s goal in Utopia, we will end up in a society much like that of Huxley’s Brave New World.
In his famous work Utopia, Sir Thomas More describes the society and culture of an imaginary island on which all social ills have been cured. As in Plato's Republic, a work from which More drew while writing Utopia, More's work presents his ideas through a dialogue between two characters, Raphael Hythloday and More himself. Hythloday is a fictional character who describes his recent voyage to the paradisal island of Utopia. Throughout the work, Hythloday describes the laws, customs, system of government, and way of life that exist in Utopia to an incredulous and somewhat condescending More.
More's utopia was completely unexpected by him as little as five years ago. He always had utopian visions, but the utopia that was reality was different. It is important to keep visions of utopia in our minds. They give us hope and something to work toward. Even if we never reach the utopia we dream of, it can put us in the right direction for improving our