#3 “No Land” What is a utopia? A utopia is an ideal area or state of perfection. That seems to be the greatest place to be, but the real question is, “Is this possible?” And the answer to that is simply no. Throughout the books Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley and 1984 and Animal Farm, by George Orwell, utopia is just about impossible. There are two main reasons behind this: humans cannot live without struggles and worries, and the concept of human nature. Everyday struggles allow people to appreciate the good things in life, which help us deal with stress. If our society had nothing bad to offer, we would not appreciate our favorite games or our favorite foods, no matter how great they were! Another bad (but necessary) side affect our present lives offer us is worry. Worry allows us to become responsible as we mature, because as we age, more things tend to worry us. Imagine nobody worrying about work, with people skipping important projects, just because they weren’t responsible about doing it. Or ending up with ignorant and non-intellectual students that cannot, or do not even work because they never bothered to study for their tests! The world would simply be put in a state of chaos. The struggles found in our present day world allow us to be happy. In Brave New World, John the Savage demands the right to be unhappy (Huxley 246). Because of the way the human mind is built, it would be impossible to tell what happiness was without experiencing misfortune or unhappiness! Struggles in our lives, make sure that we appreciate the good things in life even more! In a utopia, everything should be “perfect”. Would that not mean there was no bad? And if you did not know what bad was, then you could not be happy. If the society was to be perfect, then you would have to feel happy. In order to accomplish this, the society would need to have ways of making you feel unhappy at some time. And because of this, it could not be called a perfect society, and hence, no utopia. One example of an unhappy utopia lies in Animal Farm. The farm animals in the book are forced to work very hard and seem to be happy, but are also tired because of their tasks (Orwell 45). Not only should a utopia be a place where a person should not be forced to do anything, but they are threatened of their farm master’s (who they drove out) return ("Animal "45) Another flawless example, the dystopia in 1984, is not considered a perfect society as well because it is based on fear, and a perfect society should rely on nothing but happiness, glee and joy, in my opinion. When something that a person does not like is in effect, they try to change it, or at least be against it. The problem with a dystopia is that because it relies on everybody’s cooperation, which is impossible because fear is the main utensil of the 1984 dystopia and people are bound to be against it. “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty...It would commit suicide.” (Orwell "1984" 221) The second problem with creating a utopia is the lack of worry. As stated above, worry results in responsibility, as well as feelings and compassion. In other words, worry builds character. This important factor is non-existent in a perfect society because there is nothing to worry about.As a result of the lack of worry, some catastrophic results such as the ability for the community to self-sustain itself would be lost! Despite all the other traits that would be lost if no worry was to be found in a society, responsibility is the most important of them all. Responsibility includes doing the work asked of you and helping the community. If no work was to be done, lack of food would be very common. Food rations would have to be reduced to try and save up the remaining food left. “…the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grams to twenty at the end of the present week (Orwell 36)." In addition, homes would be broken down, streets filled with garbage, and pests left alone to breed at their content. This would be a huge health hazard which would promote disease, lowered age expectancies, and of course, people would turn unhappy about all this and so the utopia would once again fail to succeed! In addition to responsibility, character (including feelings and compassion) would fail to be something found in a utopian society. Worry for someone, or something, allows us to feel remorse, melancholy, or sympathy for that someone or something. If we felt nothing towards anything, how could we, once again, feel happy for something? It is simply impossible for a society to reach the state of a utopia simply because human nature did not intend perfection. In addition to the lack of worries and struggles a human requires, the way a human thinks and acts, also known as “human nature” is a huge factor in the downfall of all utopias. Although human nature is extremely important, the subject is much too long and difficult to be discussed at the moment, and should require its own essay to be thoroughly explained. All that must be stated about human nature is that a non-perfect human cannot create a perfect society. It is almost certain that anybody would love a perfect place for themselves, but it is simply not possible. Worries and struggles are the key to our survival. We humans are happy in our miserable world because we have things to live for. Minor inconveniences such as taxes or a canceled vacation are ignored because of the positives that come our way. We manage to enjoy our family and have a great time with them, take pride in our work, and realize our responsibilities to ourselves and others. So finally, it should be obvious that no worries, stress, struggles, and all the negative things in life allow us to, in fact, allow us to enjoy the great things life has to offer. Additionally, it should be clear why a utopia is simply not possible. No human can grasp the feeling of something without experiencing the complete opposite, such as feeling happiness without feeling woe, and so lifelong happiness is not possible. And so as a final thought, because continual happiness is non-existent, the state of utopia will never be reached. Perhaps in ten thousand years, or ten million, when human behaviors and requirements for happiness have modified, perhaps then, a utopia will be in progress… Works Cited
#2
“No Land” What is a utopia? A utopia is an ideal area or state of perfection. That seems to be the greatest place to be, but the real question is, “Is this possible?” And the answer to that is simply no. Throughout the books Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley and 1984 and Animal Farm, by George Orwell, utopia is just about impossible. There are two main reasons behind this: humans cannot live without struggles and worries, and the concept of human nature. Everyday struggles allow people to appreciate the good things in life, which help us deal with stress. If our society had no bad things to offer, we would notappreciate the good things offered, no matter how great they were! Another bad (but good) thing our present lives offer us is worry. Worry allows us to become responsible as we mature, because as we age, more things tend to worry us. Imagine nobody worrying about work, with people skipping important projects, just because they weren’t responsible about doing it. Or ending up with ignorant and non-intellectual students that can not, or do not even work because they never bothered to study for their tests! The world would simply be put in a state of chaos. The struggles found in our present day world allow us to be happy. In Brave New World, John the Savage demands the right to be unhappy (Huxley 246). Because of the way the human mind is built, it would be impossible to tell what happiness was without experiencing misfortune or unhappiness! Struggles in our lives, make sure that we appreciate the good things in life even more! In a utopia, everything should be “perfect”. Would that not mean there was no bad? And if you did not know what bad was, then you could not be happy. If the society was to be perfect, then you would have to feel happy. In order to accomplish this, the society would need to have ways of making you feel unhappy at some time. And because of this, it could not be called a perfect society, and hence, no utopia. One example of an unhappy utopia lies in Animal Farm. The farm animals in the book are forced to work very hard and seem to be happy, but are also tired because of their tasks (Orwell 45). Not only should a utopia be a place where you should not be forced to do anything, but they are threatened of their farm master’s (who they drove out) return (45). Another flawless example, the dystopia in 1984, is not considered a perfect society as well because it is based on fear, and a perfect society relies on nothing but happiness. When something that a person does not like is in effect, they try to change it, or at least be against it. The problem with a dystopia is that because it relies on everybody’s cooperation, which is impossible because fear is the main utensil of the 1984 dystopia and people are bound to be against it. “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty...It would commit suicide.” (Orwell 221) The second problem with creating a utopia is the lack of worry. As stated above, worry results in responsibility, as well as feelings and compassion. In other words, worry builds character. This important factor is non-existent in a perfect society because there is nothing to worry about.As a result of the lack of worry, some catastrophic results such as the ability for the community to self-sustain itself would be lost! Despite all the other traits that would be lost if no worry was to be found in a society, responsibility is the most important of them all. Responsibility includes doing the work asked of you and helping the community. If no work was to be done, lack of food would be very common. Food rations would have to be reduced to try and save up the remaining food left. “…the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grams to twenty at the end of the present week(Orwell 36)." In addition, homes would be broken down, streets filled with garbage, and pests left alone to breed at their content. This would be a huge health hazard which would promote disease, lowered age expectancies, and of course, people would turn unhappy about all this and so the utopia would once again fail to succeed! In addition to responsibility, character (including feelings and compassion) would fail to be something found in a utopian society. Worry for someone, or something, allows us to feel remorse, melancholy, or sympathy for that someone or something. If we felt nothing towards anything, how could we, once again, feel happy for something? It is simply impossible for a society to reach the state of a utopia simply because human nature did not intend perfection. In addition to the lack of worries and struggles a human requires, the way a human thinks and acts, also known as “human nature” is a huge factor in the downfall of all utopias. Although human nature is extremely important, the subject is much too long and difficult to be discussed at the moment, and should require its own essay to be thoroughly explained. All that must be stated about human nature is that a non-perfect human cannot create a perfect society. It is almost certain that anybody would love a perfect place for themselves, but it is simply not possible. Worries and struggles are the key to our survival. We humans are happy in our miserable world because we have things to live for. Minor inconveniences such as taxes or a canceled vacation are ignored because of the positives that come our way. We manage to enjoy our family and have a great time with them, take pride in our work, and realize our responsibilities to ourselves and others. So finally, it should be obvious that no worries, stress, struggles, and all the negative things in life allow us to, in fact, allow us to enjoy the great things life has to offer. Additionally, it should be clear why a utopia is simply not possible. No human can grasp the feeling of something without experiencing the complete opposite, such as feeling happiness without feeling woe, and so lifelong happiness is not possible. And so as a final thought, because continual happiness is non-existent, the state of utopia will never be reached. Perhaps in ten thousand years, or ten million, when human behaviors and requirements for happiness have modified, perhaps then, a utopia will be in progress… Works Cited
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Row. 1946. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1946. Orwell, George. 1984. New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1949. #1
“No Land”
What is a utopia? A utopia is an ideal area or state of perfection. That seems to be the greatest place to be, but the real question is, “Is this possible.” And the answer to that is simply no. Throughout the books Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley and 1984 and Animal Farm, by George Orwell, utopia is just about impossible. There are two main reasons behind this: Humans cannot live without struggles and worries, and the concept of human nature. Everyday struggles allow people to appreciate the good things in life, which help us deal with stress. If our society had no bad things to offer, we wouldn’t appreciate the good things offered, no matter how great they were! Another bad (but good) thing our present lives offer us is worry. Worry allows us to become responsible as we mature, because as we age, more things tend to worry us. Imagine nobody worrying about work, with people skipping important projects, just because they weren’t responsible about doing it. Or ending up with ignorant and non-intellectual students that can’t, or don’t even work because they never bothered to study for their tests! The world would simply be put in a state of chaos. The struggles found in our present day world allow us to be happy. In Brave New World, John the Savage demands the right to be unhappy (Huxley 246). Because of the way the human mind is built, it would be impossible to tell what happiness was without experiencing misfortune or unhappiness! Struggles in our lives, make sure that we appreciate the good things in life even more! In a utopia, everything should be “perfect”. Would that not mean there was no bad? And if you did not what bad was, then you could not be happy. If the society was to be perfect, then you would have to feel happy. In order to accomplish this, the society would need to have ways of making you feel unhappy at some time. And because of this, it could not be called a perfect society, and hence, no utopia. One example of an unhappy utopia lies in Animal Farm. The farm animals in the book are forced to work very hard and seem to be happy, but are also tired because of their tasks (Orwell 45). Not only should a utopia be a place where you should not be forced to do anything, but they are threatened of their farm master’s (who they drove out) return (45). Another flawless example, the dystopia in 1984, is not considered a perfect society as well because it is based on fear, and a perfect society relies on nothing but happiness, in my opinion. When something that a person does not like is in effect, they try to change it, or at least be against it. The problem with a dystopia is that because it relies on everybody’s cooperation, which is impossible because fear is the main utensil of the 1984 dystopia and people are bound to be against it. “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty...It would commit suicide.” (Orwell 221) The second problem with creating a utopia is the lack of worry. As stated above, worry results in responsibility, as well as feelings and compassion. In other words, worry builds character. This important factor is non-existent in a perfect society because there is nothing to worry about. Because of the lack of worry, some catastrophic results such as the ability for the community to self-sustain itself would be lost! Despite all the other traits that would be lost if no worry was to be found in a society, responsibility is the most important of them all. Responsibility includes doing the work asked of you and helping the community. If no work was to be done, lack of food would be very common. Food rations would have to be reduced to try and save up the remaining food left. “…the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grams to twenty at the end of the present week. (Orwell 36). In addition, homes would be broken down, streets filled with garbage, and pests left alone to breed at their content. This would be a huge health hazard which would promote disease, lowered age expectancies, and of course, people would turn unhappy about all this and so the utopia would once again fail to succeed! In addition to responsibility, character (including feelings and compassion) would fail to be something found in a utopian society. Worry for someone, or something, allows us to feel remorse, melancholy, or sympathy for that someone or something. If we felt nothing towards anything, how could we, once again, feel happy for something? It is simply impossible for a society to reach the state of a utopia simply because human nature did not intend perfection. In addition to the lack of worries and struggles a human requires, the way a human thinks and acts, also known as “human nature” is a huge factor in the downfall of all utopias. Although human nature is extremely important, the subject is much too long and difficult to be discussed at the moment, and should require its own essay to be thoroughly explained. All that must be stated about human nature is that a non-perfect human cannot create a perfect society. It is almost certain that anybody would love a perfect place for themselves, but it is simply not possible. Worry and struggles are the key to our survival. We humans are happy in our miserable world because we have things to live for. Minor inconveniences such as taxes or a canceled vacation are ignored because of the positives that come our way. We manage to enjoy our family and have a great time with them, take pride in our work, and realize our responsibilities to ourselves and others. So finally, it should be obvious that no worries, stress, struggles, and all the negative things in life allow us to, in fact, allow us to enjoy the great things life has to offer. Additionally, it should be clear why a utopia is simply not possible. No human can grasp the feeling of something without experiencing the complete opposite, such as feeling happiness without feeling woe, and so lifelong happiness is not possible. And so as a final thought, because continual happiness is non-existent, the state of utopia will never be reached. Perhaps in ten thousand years, or ten million, when human behaviors and requirements for happiness have modified, perhaps then, a utopia will be in progress… Works Cited Huxley,Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Row. 1946. Orwell, George, Animal Farm. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1946 Orwell, George, 1984. New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1949 |