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  • Essay / Utopia: a comparison between a dream world and a shady society

    Three dollars and fifty-eight cents. Use the money now to buy dinner or wait and let the hunger pass. Sleeping on the park bench or trying to find availability in the chaotic homeless shelter. Staying outside in the hot sun hoping to get a few more dollars or sitting under the shade of a tree and skipping another meal. These are the possible decisions that the poor might face on a daily basis. In today's society, and particularly in 16th century England, these decisions prevailed among significant numbers of people suffering destitution. As Thomas More recognized this problem, he realized more of the absurdities and wrongs within his society, as the rich lived in affluence and the poor suffered in daily turmoil. More's Utopia criticized the inequalities of English society as the novel presents an ideal country where England's societal problems have been solved and are non-existent. Utopia displays a simplistic lifestyle and presents social and economic equality among all citizens; unlike England, where there were social classes and an unfair distribution of wealth that formed the basis of English society. More described utopia as the antithesis of English society to enlighten educated and upper-class Englishmen of the wrongs within their society and inspire them to revise their mistakes and contribute to the betterment of England. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the land of Utopia, the main focus is agriculture. Everyone is “instructed from childhood,” ensuring that citizens are informed of the necessary works that are the foundation of their civilization (107). Participation in agriculture equalizes the community, as everyone habitually engages in agriculture and experiences the arduous work associated with it. More presents agricultural civilization within utopia to express the lack of praise for farmers within his own society and to criticize the selfish attitude of the privileged. England's elites could indulge themselves in an hour, with the food that farmers had taken months to produce. They ignored the tribulations that farmers endured to achieve a successful harvest and chose to believe that they were above hard work. More presents the haughty and selfish nature of upper-class Englishmen who lived without regard for the stability of their home and lifestyle and had no respect for anyone who was not similarly classified. While farmers relied solely on their unstable crops as a source of income, the harvest was perhaps the deciding factor in whether or not they would have food and shelter. Making agriculture the foundation of utopian civilization instills a sense of fairness and unity within the community that England did not have – due to elite narcissism. Material objects such as extravagant clothing and luxury accessories are deemed ridiculous in Utopia. The inhabitants of the island do not consider opulent objects as a necessary aspect of their survival and therefore find no use for them. All citizens wear similar basic clothing, the only distinction being between gender and marriageability. Even the idolatry of gold and silver is ridiculous in the eyes of the utopians, because they use them as toys for children, as household objects such as "chamber pots and closed stools", as well as "chains and chains for their slaves” (137). More presents the utopians' disgust at expressing the absurdity of the English, particularly the upper-class English, and their insistence on sybaritic objects that made no significant contribution to their survival. The upper class was obsessed with owning expensive and lavish clothes and jewelry simply to brag about each other. They spent excessive sums on indulgent items, while the majority of England had barely enough to support themselves. More uses the utopian treatment of luxury items for what they are – non-essential and excessive – to show how elites' admiration for these objects was simply an appeal to their superiority complex. Rather than using their surplus wealth to aid the survival of those less fortunate within their community, the wealthy spent money on items of high monetary value, but in reality, they had no no value. Personal property and possession of objects are non-existent in utopian civilization. for there is “no property among them” and everything “belongs to the whole city” (101). Making everyone have the same amount of goods – basically nothing – further equalizes the citizens of Utopia. More shows that "where no man owns property, all men zealously pursue the public good" and therefore focus on contributing to the progress of their community, rather than selfishly improving themselves at the expense of others (248) . The utopia's lack of property contrasts with England, where the privileged class prospered on an immoderate amount of possessions. Possessions defined English high society as their social power derived from the number of objects they owned. More presents the strong importance his society placed on possessions, as their possessions influenced the perception of what other elites thought of them and impacted the lives they would live. Land ownership and possession of extravagant items determined who they would marry, success in their profession, and their power in government. It shows how wishy-washy the upper echelons of England were, as they relied on the quantity of their property and wealth, rather than the quality of their character, to determine their level of "wealth." A more designed life in Utopia based on quality of life and a minimalist life for happiness to present to the upper class of England that possessions do not bring happiness and should not play such an important role in the influence of life. The justice system within Utopia is fairly basic with minimal laws and simple processes and consequences for crimes; thus rejecting the possibility of any exploitation of the law. When a crime is committed, the offender defends himself, as lawyers are thought to “disguise things and break the laws” (190). The possibility for the accused to defend himself before a judge allows for a faster and more efficient process since the argument of innocence comes directly from the accused and does not involve any “artifice that lawyers are likely to suggest” (190) . More formed the utopian legal system as the reverse of the English legal system to illustrate how the privileged manipulated the system and distorted the definition of justice. The English legal system favored elites, as those who were wealthy and held titles had an impact on the creation and interpretation of laws that could benefit them. The upper class used their wealth to corrupt the system by swaying judges and witnesses in their favor. The use of?