The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Research Paper

Utopia - What is it? Does a true world of peace exist? Is there ever such a world of peace where everyone has enough or has happiness? Today we will be talking about why utopias and dystopias are similar, and why a utopia for one person causes a dystopia for another. The story I will be comparing today is “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. As well as “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” by Harlan Ellison. One short story is filled with happy people, and the other is filled with people who are miserable. We will be putting how their lives aren’t as different as it seems. First, I will explain the difference between a utopia and a dystopia. “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” (Merriamwebster).

In the world of Omelas, the utopia on the surface is real. “The air of morning was so clear that the snow still crowning the Eighteen Peaks burned with white-gold fire across the miles of sunlit air, under the dark blue of the sky. There was just enough wind to make the banners that marked the racecourse snap and flutter now and then. In the silence of the broad green meadows, one could hear the music winding throughout the city streets, farther and nearer and ever approaching, a cheerful faint sweetness of the air from time to time trembled and gathered together and broke out into the great joyous clanging of the bells.” (Le Guinn). The next example of utopia is from The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, “The man struggled with her and she drove her elbows into his sides and he tried to protect himself, spinning her around with her hair, the terrible scream going up and up and never stopping. She came loose and he was left with a fistful of hair torn out by the roots. As she spun out, he slashed straight across and opened her up just below the breasts. Blood sprayed through her clothing and the man was soaked; it seemed to drive him even more

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas also gives us a perfect example of this. “In the room, a child is sitting. It could be a boy or a girl. It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble minded. Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect. It picks its nose and occasionally fumbles vaguely with its toes or genitals, as it sits hunched in the corner farthest from the bucket and the two mops. It is afraid of the mops. It finds them horrible. It shuts its eyes, but it knows the mops are still standing there; and the door is locked; and nobody will come.” Another great example of how subjective this is. In a world where 99.9% are living in a utopia but.1% are living in a dystopian state, is the world truly a utopia? Many people have different points of view on the story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. One point of view which is popular is that this story refers to the society we live in today. “This makes America similar to Omelas because the people of Omelas were unwilling to give up the constant happiness of their city to help a suffering and dying