Essay On Utopia And Dystopia

An utopia is often imagined as a perfect place, one without the major problems and worries of contemporary society; a dystopia however is exactly the opposite: not only is it an unpleasant place but one that is truly corrupt. In Utopia by Thomas More, a sailor named Raphael explains to Thomas his observations of a nation radically different from their own. The Utopians live in a communal society where all goods are public property and where there is no concept of money. At first glance, Utopia seems flawless, but a closer look reveals the inner darkness and failures of their culture. The Utopians’ expectation for maintaining an efficient society forces them to surrender their human dignity. Specifically, the illusion of perfection and purity

During any aspect of everyday life, society expects Utopians to be productive, in and out of work. Raphael describes the Utopians treatment of the mentally ill who cannot give their effort towards normal work. He says “it’s quite in order to find their silly behaviour amusing… [you should] value them even as a source of entertainment, which is the only thing they are good for”(86). This shows that the Utopians have no sense of human dignity: to them, a person is only as good as their ability to serve society.The only thing that the Utopians are able to value them for is laughter and a joke. Later, Raphael also talks about the Utopians’ approach towards rebellious slaves. He says “if convicts prove recalcitrant under this treatment, and they do not respond to any sort of prison discipline, they are just slaughtered like wild beasts”(85). This further proves that the Utopians’ concept of humanity is synonymous with their notion of usefulness, that once someone nothing more to offer, they are worthless. Once someone deems worthless, the Utopians see no reason to allow them to be considered human. The Utopians’ expectation for productivity allows the society to abandon any belief in intrinsic human

When Raphael describes everyday life, he mentions that everyone is constantly under scrutiny in every aspect of daily life. Regarding meals he says “on either side of [someone] are four younger people, then four more older ones… everything they say or do is bound to be noticed by the people sitting just beside them”(63). The Utopians value public control over freedom: they have chose to compromise flexibility for restriction. Forcing people to sit in a certain arrangement in such a communal exercise as meals, as an example, exposes the controlling nature of their culture and the inhibition of free will. Another example of the Utopians’ priorities happens during church services. Raphael describes “as they enter the church, the men turn to the right and the women to the left… this ensures everyone’s conduct in public is watched… [the children] to be developing a sense of religious awe, the strongest, if not the only incentive to good behaviour”(108). Again, this is significant because the Utopians have an expectation that under no circumstances should you be left to your own free will. To them, action is still virtuous even when forced and artificial. The Utopians’ need for order allows them to forfeit their individual