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Essay / The edge of equality is the obstacle to More's utopia
Even today, people still struggle towards equality, whether through equal pay initiatives for equal work, the Black Lives Matter movement or anti-immigration protests. The Utopia World, conceived hundreds of years ago, incorporates communist ideals to work toward a "perfect" place for everyone, not just those at the top social. These anti-capitalist tendencies which allow everyone to flourish contrast sharply with the European world of the time. Utopian ways, along with other humanistic ideas, eventually sparked the Renaissance era in Europe, where people began to focus on education, logic, and science, rather than tying themselves to words of the Bible. Although the members of society in Sir Thomas More's Utopia preach equality and impartiality, it becomes evident that a social order is a natural human necessity and that the community could not exist without this reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayUtopian society attempts to eliminate the usual hierarchy by phasing out materials that support classism, property and money, and promoting conformity and uniformity. To avoid classism, which is prevalent through visible and material factors, such as designer clothing, "people wear, and wear throughout their lives, the same style of clothing, with the exception of gender distinction between married and single people” (45). Utopians wore drab clothes with little style, causing everyone to be dressed the same, forcing them to be equal, at least in that aspect. Another effort to eliminate the humanist greed of the population was made by eliminating private property. No citizen owned a house, but “every ten years they change houses by drawing lots” (42). The footnote on this subject revealed that "the aim is, of course, to exclude anything resembling private property and attachment to it." Again, this ensured that no one could stand out based on the size or decor of their property. The utopians even equalized work by sharing the heavy burdens of farming: "The habit of alternating farm laborers is the usual procedure, so that no one will have to do such hard work reluctantly for more than two years » (40). No one is pushed aside and forced to do demanding work because of their economic status, gender or race. Using the rotation system, the utopians distributed difficult tasks among everyone. These measures aim to guarantee, or at least appear to guarantee, that there is no hierarchy. However, the flaws in this disposal system are quickly revealed and it becomes clear that classification is necessary to guarantee order and legality. Every subsection of society needs a leader to enforce the laws. Households in the rural part of Utopia each have “two land-bound slaves.” A master and a mistress, serious and mature people, in charge of each home. On thirty homes is placed a single phylarch” (40). The “phylarch”, which comes from the Greek, means “the rules of the tribe”. A clear classification is established in households, with slaves at the bottom, workers in the middle and masters and phylarchs at the top. Without anyone in power, it is possible for an unwanted person to gain power in this vacuum, which is something the utopians might have had in mind when creating this system. Slaves are also put in..