As I was writing my pro/con list on Utopia, I found my cons to far outnumber my pros. Maybe that's because this island seems to be a place where people go to be transformed into a fully functioning part of a very insane society.
Of the few pros I gathered, I really enjoy that the people live in a way that allows everyone to be fed. No one goes hungry, which is a very lovely way of life. I also appreciate that there are "different forms of religion throughout the island" (More 84). Before I got to the religion section of the book, I assumed everyone practiced the same religion because everyone was also treated equally and that just made sense to me. However, I was happy to learn that people could practice a different religion if they wanted to.
Now, on to the bucket-full of cons I came across. THEY HAVE SLAVES. SLAVES. I don't care what crime someone committed, forcing them into slavery is kind of ridiculous. And the fact that some slaves were treated close to citizens and others were treated like the slaves they were just annoyed me more. They have people who live in Utopia more than happy to do the work that needs to be done. Do they really need slaves to get their work done?
I also hate that there is no privacy. The doors to the houses "open easily and swing shut automatically, letting anyone enter who wants to" (42). Oh, that sounds great. Let's have the whole neighborhood walk into my house while I'm sobbing uncontrollably because I detest the island I live on. Just perfect.
Speaking of houses, they change the houses every ten years.Of course, this is to make sure private property does not become a thing (42), but where is the sense of home? I know that Raphael later says that anywhere one goes in Utopia is their home, but I like having the knowledge that no matter what I'm doing, I'm always going to have a stable place to go to when I need it. How can you have that when you're forced to move so often?
I would also like to take a moment to express my disdain that women are taught "lighter crafts" because they are the "weaker sex" (45). While I appreciate not having to do heavy-lifting when men are around, I resent the fact that people think I'm not capable of it at all.* Typical sexist people in a typical sexist era.
Overall, I semi-enjoyed reading about Utopia. I started powering-down halfway through, but that might have more to do with going to sleep at one in the morning and waking up at seven. While Utopia definitely has its strong points, I would never want to live there. I enjoy being myself too much to live in a place that tries too hard to make everyone the same.
*I have very poor upper body strength, so men may have to do the heavy-lifting for me on every occasion. However, this does not diminish my point.
Taylor, I totally agree with your view on Utopia! The whole slave thing caught me by surprise too. Why did they need slaves to do their dirty work? In my opinion, slavery is bad in any way you put it. Also, privacy was another one of my cons. Every person needs their privacy...it's definitely a NECESSITY! A Utopia is supposed to be perfect and this is far from perfect! Great job Taylor !
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing my pros and cons list I also was shocked that my cons list ended up out weighing the pros. However, I actually really liked reading about Utopia, even though I would not ever want to live there. It was interesting to read through Book II and think about whether Thomas More would have wanted all of that, or if he is teasing us with some of his ideals
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