Is Mores Utopia a Product of Its Time Essay - 2077 Words

Sir Thomas More in 1516 first conceived utopia while he served as an ambassador For England on a party expedition to Flanders. In England his vocation was law and he held the position of Under-Sheriff his knowledge in this area is an obvious influence in Utopian society. Utopia is a chronicle of Mores fictitious meeting with Raphael Hythlodaeus a traveller who has lived in Island, republic society of Utopia for five years. Almost five hundred years after its writing utopia is still the subject of controversy; it has been claimed by certain political and religious followings to be specific to their ideals and beliefs. Notably both communists and Catholics of the last few centuries have reasoned Utopia to be a statement of their beliefs.†¦show more content†¦At the time of Utopias writing Englands Monarchy was in a tenuous situation as Henry VIII was growing frustrated with the lack of male heirs borne to him by Catherine of Aragon. More was a respected and important figure in Henrys court and as such he knew the consequences of defying Henrys will. As a figure of public notoriety and authority he was constantly aware of the corruptible nature of other officials. His morals can be seen as a heavy influence in utopia and he often talks about the nature of Utopians and their lack of pride, vanity and greed. Pride like a hellish serpent gliding through human hearts-or, shall we say, like a sucking fish that clings to the ship of state? It is always dragging us back, and obstructing our progress towards a better way of life . This statement appears from the last pages of Utopia indicating its significance in the way More viewed his society. The Ship of state could be construed as a direct reference to the king and courtiers sucking fish Henry VIII was well known for his obstinate pride and it is likely that More was implying this statement as a whole but influenced by his knowledge of the King and court. The same can be said of the laws and punishments that exist in utopia, as a lawyer More must have brought his own vocational know ledge to the idyllic law and order system ofShow MoreRelatedThe Characteristics Of Thomas Mores Utopia913 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1516, Thomas More published the well-known book titled â€Å"Utopia,† where he defined the word as either â€Å"a good place† or â€Å"no place.† In the novel, More described an ideal communal society that was almost unheard of in his time. His â€Å"Utopia,† whose name was possibly derived from the Greek roots â€Å"ou not† and â€Å"tà ³p(os) a place† (â€Å"Utopia), can ultimately be considered a prototype of a modern welfare state (â€Å"Utopia (book)†). This, combined with a lack of private property and other characteristics,Read MoreThemes Of Utopian Literature2013 Words   |  9 PagesThe 16th century stands for a new time in exploration of all the fundamental beliefs that were at the heart of people’s mind. The Renaissance made the world wonder about new sciences, aesthetics, and relig ious beliefs. In the literature, too, was a heavy discussion about the ideas that the world should push for and the ideas the world should leave behind. Utopian literature stands at the center of that debate, the envisioning of a perfect world in a distant far away country was something that manyRead More The Political Structure of More’s Utopia Essay2634 Words   |  11 PagesOver the past few centuries the word utopia has developed a variety of meanings: a perfect state, paradise, heaven on earth, but the original definition of the word means something quite different. Utopia, coined by Saint Thomas More in his famous work Utopia, written during the English Renaissance, literally means nowhere. It is ironic that a word meaning nowhere has become a catchall phrase for paradise. More’s work is popular because of its wit, its use of metaphor, and its proposals forRead MoreAfter the Black Death in Europe, It Is Time for a New Beginning1197 Words   |  5 PagesLate fif teenth century and early sixteenth century Europe are classified by a time of change and the start to new beginnings. The Black Death left all of Europe in shambles and in a state of extreme disorder. The population decreased dramatically and the economic, social and political state was extremely hindered. Through the reformation and renaissance Europe finally began to somewhat recover from this catastrophe. This time of change became a cultural movement all across Europe that began to reformRead More Society in Utopia by Thomas More Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesSociety in Utopia by Thomas More In his book Utopia, Thomas More examines a society that seems to be the ideal living situation for human beings. The main thesis of Utopia is his solution to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century. In forming his ideas for the country of Utopia, More points out many of the problems that he sees in English society. One of the most striking examples of English social problems that More points out is the punishmentRead MoreEssay on Thomas Mores Utopia and His Context3405 Words   |  14 PagesUtopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas with the chaotic politics of his ownRead MoreThe Background Of Sir Thomas Mores Utopia2005 Words   |  9 PagesUtopia can easily be called Sir Thomas More’s most prominent and prestigious piece of writing. It tackled c omplex issues of religion, social status, and politics within the made up island of Utopia. To see why Sir Thomas More had such insight into these issues we must first know a bit about his background. Sir Thomas More lived from February 7, 1478 to July 6, 1535. He served as a counselor to Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England during his life. He was notably opposed to reformation, especiallyRead More My Utopian Society Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesproduced in the cities. Iron is the only resource which must be imported abundantly. All of the resources, except iron, that the nation requires, it produces on its own. The Utopians live a very simple lifestyle. They work, and in their spare time play games, read, and socialize. Other forms of entertainment, such as gambling and hunting are looked down upon. They only eat what is necessary, and their houses are built simply and furnished only with what is necessary. Thus, their consumptionRead MoreCommunism : A Theory Or System Of Social Organization1376 Words   |  6 Pagessocialist who live in different part of Europe. In this time many socialist leaders were influenced by Marxism. This is the begging of the communism. The concept of Marxism is socialism versus nationalism. Nationalism is based on ownership of property; however socialism is control and management of property by society. Marxism is based on socialism which property is controlled by society. Communism’s most important goal is reaching utopia. Utopia is made by Thomas More in 1516. It is a combinationRead MoreHumans Are Naturally Born Imperfect1680 Words   |  7 Pages Humans are naturally born imperfect. I believe we are all created as sinners, and we must make our way to achieve the idea of a perfect human being, whether it take our whole life time, or not. Throughout our life it is within ourselves, to use our free will to make morally good choices in order for us to be considered as perfect. However, along with our free will to make morally good choices in our life, the laws set by our government, and standards expected of by our community help shape us into

The Tragic Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet

A â€Å"tragedy† refers to a piece of literature which constantly proceeds towards a sorrowful ending due to the conflicts among different characters. The death of a hero or heroine is often the tragic ending of a tragedy, as well as other deaths generally caused by the hero or heroine. Tragedy endings often include separation, loss, sadness, and death (McDonald 157). Shakespeare tends to emphasize the importance of each individual’s death in his tragedies. However, these deaths are caused by the people in the play rather than forces of fate (Carlin 151). The actual â€Å"tragic† element in tragedies comes from the characters’ decisions–which are not influenced by fate. Examples of Shakespeare’s tragedies caused by human caprice include The Tragedy†¦show more content†¦It is simply the circumstances and choices of the young lovers, not â€Å"fate,† that determines their destiny. The fundamentally flawed nature of the unconscio us man leads all of mankind to his own destruction, but only at the behest of his own will. In the end, Romeo and Juliet’s fate unfolds due to their indulgence in the tragic nature of humanity (Harbage 30). The â€Å"tragic nature of all people† simply means all human beings manifest disastrous flaws. Since all humans are fundamentally flawed, it would be nearly impossible to single out a single characteristic flaw in either Romeo or Juliet that would eventually lead to such an extreme tragedy as that in the play. Instead, the interactions and the decisions of the various characters with different sets of fatal flaws contribute to the tragic ending in Romeo and Juliet. Self-determined actions, not the actions of fate, control our futures. Romeo and Juliet’s families are often perceived as a part of the â€Å"stars† making Romeo and Juliet â€Å"star-crossed† lovers. The

Sugar cane alley free essay sample

Sugar Cane Alley was filmed during the summer of 1931 in Martinique a time after the abolishment of slavery. This film parallels a time in Southern Rhodesia where there was a compound system that controlled the mining workers just as the overseers in the cane fields controlled the cane workers. Every aspect of daily life is in some way controlled. Sugar Cane Alley is an insightful film that shows how no matter your environment, if you want to succeed you can with a lot of hard work, but there will be hurdles to jump on the way. In Southern Rhodesia there was a system called the compound system. In this compound system the goal was for total control, but they figured that was to far, so they attempted to control every aspect of the migrants that were rounded up by the RNLB. Unlike Sugar Cane Alley, the compound system was made of a three-tier system where there was the local population, migrants, and the forced laborers. We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar cane alley or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Sugar Cane Alley people are not forced to work, they work to live, and its just two rows of shacks full of people who can leave go as they please. But in Southern Rhodesia they wanted to lengthen the labor cycle and prevent mobility so they don’t move north for higher wages so they create laws within the system. As Van Onselen writes, the stores available were partially or fully company owned where making a tab was a trap and food rations were so low that they had to supplement by going to the high priced company store. He goes on further to say that because everything was so far away, the company succeeded in the miners leaning on the company store, but some would walk as far as twelve miles to another store for lower priced food. This is how Sugar Cane Alley and the compound system in Southern Rhodesia compare. Both have stores that their overseers partially or fully own where prices are too high so tabs and credit is invented so that some are forever indebted. In both areas wages are low, work is hard and long, and slavery is overall aspect of it all; they just can’t let it go completely. Jose, the main character, was different from the other children in the alley. He extremely bright, lives with his grandmother, and is the only one who believes education is his ticket out of the cane fields. The summer was a time to relax and have fun for the children while their parents are hard at work in the cane fields. During the day, the kids are left in the shacks where lots of mischief and disorder occurs. One day in certain, the children were running around in fields, watching animals fight, and feeding each other. When it came time to eat, all the children wanted to go into Jose’s shack, the shack his grandmother had told him earlier to keep clean. He fought to keep them out until and overseer came by and they all ran in and closed the door. This exemplifies how even in their own little community, Blacks still live in the shadows and slavery has not faded away, but merely changed its shape and form. As the children begin to share and eat the food they brought together, they demand sugar from Jose. They begin a search of the shack to figure out if Jose’s grandmother has hid it somewhere. During the search, someone knocks over a glass bowl and the atmosphere of the room is dead silence. As the silence continues, Jose and some others begin to hyperventilate because what will he tell his grandmother. One girl tells him what to do so that his grandmother would be angry, but not beat him. The practice of symbolism to defer the problem and getting nervous because one bowl broke, underlines the fact that poverty is at a high in this small area. Every little thing matters and everything makes a difference. After the leisure time of summer, kids are back to school to see which path of life they will take. Depending on final exams, those who excel will go on and further their education in the capital, Fort-de-France. Those who may not have done as well as those others will walk down a path that has been walked before by their parents. They will enter into a life of back breaking and low wages in the cane fields. But M’an Tine, Jose’s grandmother, will not have him working out in the fields. In one scene of the film, the children in one of their mischief moods are running around in the fields and tampering with the animals. While playing around in a hens coop, they find an egg, something they had never seen or eaten before. In order to cook the egg, they needed matches to light a fire, so in went the youngest of the group. There was a store entwined with the shacks that allowed people to put things on a tab or credit just as they did in Rhodesia. But in Rhodesia, the store was ran by a mining overseer where the prices were so high that the miners couldn’t eat respectively. So the youngest went into the store and mischievously put a bottle of rum and matches on her mothers tab. As the children all drink the rum, they all became intoxicated and carefree. As time moved on, the children were so oblivious of anything, they set a section of sugar cane on fire and laughed as if it would end all hurt and pain. To ensure that nothing of this capacity ever occurred again, the overseers condemned the children to the cane fields to work where they could be supervised. Jose was teased for not being able to work and make money like the others, but his grandmother just would not allow it. She made it clear to him and everyone else that he would not be stuck in the cane fields, education was his way out. Another person who influenced Jose’s education was Mr. Mdeouze. He told Jose about the history of Africa and his life in stories that later inspirers Jose write about in school. Mr. Mdeouze served as Jose’s spiritual father or guardian who let him see life and the world through his eyes and his stories. Jose was such a brilliant young man; he not only saw the world through Mr. Mdeouze but also through his strong willed grandmother, both of his teachers, and a friend he met named Leopold. When school began after summer, Jose grandmother didn’t want him to hang around with the kids from the shacks anymore because education is a serious matter and he needs no distractions. In doing so, Jose met a new friend, Leopold who was a mulatto whose father was one of the headmen in charge. Leopold’s father told him not to associate with anyone from Sugar Cane Alley because he believed he was above them. But even his son of his own flesh was not granted to have his last name because he was a mulatto and his family name has been a strong white name that goes back for centuries. Leopold represents how even if you’re born to a white father, your still black, and those things that don’t pertain to those who are full black don’t pertain to you either. No barrier has been broken, just reconstructed. Jose saw the world though him as well as Leopold through Jose because their worlds were so different but similar in the same ways. Slavery and living a compound life go hand in hand. Slavery is said to be over, but whites still want control over blacks. Their intentions is to have total control but that’s an impossible task because there are and always will be different forms of resistance. All of these things mentioned both Sugar Cane Alley and Southern Rhodesia have in common. Jose in the alley was a different case. Through living in poverty and seeing his most inspirational beings go back to Africa, in a sense, he jumped over the hurdles and made education his get away plan. He, nor did his grandmother, let Jose become a product of his environment. They both knew he was significantly brilliant and did not let any circumstance block his pursuit of success

Times Have Changed Essays - Educational Psychology, Adolescence

Times Have Changed Times have changed dramatically in the past thirty years. The style of living, the sizes of families, and education have all changed dramatically. During the fifties, sixties, and most of the early seventies teenagers were thinking about going off to war or starting a family. Very few teenagers coming out of high school were thinking about college. Slowly as times started to change, more and more people were going off to college. Today at the end of the nineties, very few people do not go off to college. Instead of high school students thinking about starting families or going off to war, they have a bigger decision to make. What college to attend. This decision will affect one's entire life; how they live, where they work, what size family they are going to have, and sometimes whom they will marry. Today, choosing a college is almost one of the biggest decisions one would have to make. The answer to this question will affect them for life. Finding a good job in the workforce is getting more difficult as time goes on. Employers are looking for individuals who are smart and can add something to the company; the competition is fierce. They are no longer accepting teenagers right out of High School. They are looking for people in their mid- twenties with a four-year degree, sometimes even a graduate level degree. Many hypothesize that this is because companies are paying their employees more. Another hypothesis is that they are trying to move forward. These companies are trying to expand on what they already have. There is a race to become the biggest and the best. Therefore, they are looking to college students who are specialized and know about the field. They are willing to pay college graduates a lot of money because they have faith that they will earn it back. During the fifties, sixties, and early seventies companies were happy to be getting anyone. With the wars going on and the protests for peace, most fresh workers were occupied. These companies were willing to pay and train anyone that might have been interested. Their selection was not as great as it is now. The selection of workers today is enormous. Therefore, college students today have to work harder to appear better than the next person. They need to sell themselves on paper. It is hard to do this without a good college name on one's resume. One should keep in mind all that has changed in thirty years. Imagine what can change in four years. The difficulty of getting a job could increase. With that, the amount of people applying for the same job, with the same qualifications can also increase in difficulty. The power of a good education should not be underestimated; in many cases, it means a good future.