Utopia: An Ideal Society
What comes to mind when you hear the word utopia? Do you have your own mental image of a perfect society, or do you recall books or films that deal with the effort to create a perfect world?
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Respond to these questions on the Utopia Blog
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Criticism of English Society
Thomas More’s Utopia is a philosophical romance, a work of fiction devoted to the exploration of ideas. At the center of the book is a mysterious traveler named Raphael Hythloday. As a sailor, Hythloday has seen much of the newly discovered world. The book, which consists of two parts, begins with a conversation in a garden in Antwerp, in what is now Belgium, between Hythloday, More (as a character in his own book), and other humanist thinkers. Hythloday criticizes the evils of the poverty and the luxury that he has seen in England. In 1516, when Utopia was published, English society was marked by great extremes in wealth, education, and status. Though merchants, bankers, lawyers, and nobles lived very well, most citizens lived in poverty, disease, and ignorance.
The Island of Utopia
In the second part of the book, Hythloday describes his visit to a faraway land called Utopia, a large, crescent-shaped island that does not have the inequalities and injustices of England. Utopian society is governed according to principles of reason. As a result, everyone has work and everyone is educated. Since private property has been abolished there, the citizens have no need for money. Instead, all that is produced is shared equally. In one of the book’s many whimsical passages, we learn that the Utopians fashion their chamber pots from gold and silver so that these metals will not be overvalued by citizens. Curiously, even in this model society there are some serfs who perform tasks considered unfit for citizens.
Thomas More’s Utopia is a philosophical romance, a work of fiction devoted to the exploration of ideas. At the center of the book is a mysterious traveler named Raphael Hythloday. As a sailor, Hythloday has seen much of the newly discovered world. The book, which consists of two parts, begins with a conversation in a garden in Antwerp, in what is now Belgium, between Hythloday, More (as a character in his own book), and other humanist thinkers. Hythloday criticizes the evils of the poverty and the luxury that he has seen in England. In 1516, when Utopia was published, English society was marked by great extremes in wealth, education, and status. Though merchants, bankers, lawyers, and nobles lived very well, most citizens lived in poverty, disease, and ignorance.
The Island of Utopia
In the second part of the book, Hythloday describes his visit to a faraway land called Utopia, a large, crescent-shaped island that does not have the inequalities and injustices of England. Utopian society is governed according to principles of reason. As a result, everyone has work and everyone is educated. Since private property has been abolished there, the citizens have no need for money. Instead, all that is produced is shared equally. In one of the book’s many whimsical passages, we learn that the Utopians fashion their chamber pots from gold and silver so that these metals will not be overvalued by citizens. Curiously, even in this model society there are some serfs who perform tasks considered unfit for citizens.
Focus Your Reading
You will be provided with a paper copy of the reading. Here's a pdf file as an option.
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Utopia vs. Dystopia
Searching for Utopia
The longing for an ideal society began long before Thomas More’s day, and people have never
stopped imagining such a place. Plato described an ideal state in his Republic, and Jonathan Swift
portrayed a rational and “humane” world of intelligent horses in Gulliver’s Travels. In modern
times, some political leaders have tried to create utopias in their countries, often with disastrous
results. To enforce the equal sharing of property, for example, various communist governments
have treated citizens with shocking brutality. Books and movies like The Giver, Brave New World, and Animal Farm show how the “perfect” society can go horribly wrong.
Working with a group of 2 or 3, devise your own ideal community. Give it a name. Where will it be? Will it be part of a larger continent or an island? Who can live there? Consider the elements included in More's Utopia. Decide on the style of government, the housing, the community’s work ethic, occupations, and its social rules. Then create an infographic using easel.ly or Piktochart to present your uptopian community to the class.
stopped imagining such a place. Plato described an ideal state in his Republic, and Jonathan Swift
portrayed a rational and “humane” world of intelligent horses in Gulliver’s Travels. In modern
times, some political leaders have tried to create utopias in their countries, often with disastrous
results. To enforce the equal sharing of property, for example, various communist governments
have treated citizens with shocking brutality. Books and movies like The Giver, Brave New World, and Animal Farm show how the “perfect” society can go horribly wrong.
Working with a group of 2 or 3, devise your own ideal community. Give it a name. Where will it be? Will it be part of a larger continent or an island? Who can live there? Consider the elements included in More's Utopia. Decide on the style of government, the housing, the community’s work ethic, occupations, and its social rules. Then create an infographic using easel.ly or Piktochart to present your uptopian community to the class.
Infographic Rubric | |
File Size: | 38 kb |
File Type: | docx |