Is Utopia Possible in This World and How Are the Ideas Represented free essay sample

As a result of extensive analysis of the four texts: the novel â€Å"The Giver† by Lois Lowry, the film â€Å"Gattaca† directed by Andrew Niccol, the website â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia† by Chaz Bufe with Libby Hubbard, and the newspaper article â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss† by Anita Quigley, one would suggest that Utopia, (as represented by the four texts), is not possible in the modern and contemporary Western society we live in today. What comprises Utopia in â€Å"The Giver† includes: elimination of emotion, purging of colour, population control, and lack of freedom. In â€Å"Gattaca†, Utopia consists of: lack of privacy and freedom, and the use of eugenics. â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia† involves the Utopian ideas: dissolving of religion, disintegration of mental depression, and banishment of extreme criminals. Finally, the ideas of Utopia in â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss† are: the undermining of the male gender, a consumerist society, and the dense building structures. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Utopia Possible in This World and How Are the Ideas Represented? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Utopian idea of elimination of emotion, as expressed in â€Å"The Giver†, would not be possible in our current Western world. When Jonas, the protagonist, asks his surrogate parents if they love him, they are shocked and reply, â€Å"Jonas†¦Precision of language, please! † Jonas’ parents react in this manner because, in Utopia, all kinds of deep and intense emotions are eliminated from society by a scientific genetic process – â€Å"Sameness†, a recurring metaphor throughout the story. The use of italics portrays Jonas’ parents’ utter distress over the situation; the raise in tone of voice is their way of emphasising the importance of the issue to Jonas. Jonas’ parents also mention, â€Å"of course our community can’t function smoothly if people don’t use precise language†. The use of alliteration also helps to define the tone of voice as harsh and domineering. Furthermore, the biting alliteration creates a monotonic expression. Without such robotic language, the sentence would be disrupted, symbolic of how its absence would disrupt their community. In our world, the ability to feel and express emotions is part of our human genetic makeup, and science has not yet found or attempted to discover a procedure to eliminate them. Secondly, to rid society of emotion would mean to create one that is made up of robots. In short, this idea of Utopia would not be possible in Western society, as there is no known way of removing emotion from people. Additionally, the Utopian idea of purging of colour in â€Å"The Giver† would not be possible in the Western world in which we live. Jonas is often found wondering why everyone wears a â€Å"colourless fabric† and why nature is a â€Å"flat and hueless shade†. The use of the ‘bland’ – sounding and closed letter ‘l’ is representative of Utopia, which could be seen as insipid, as it lacks colour – literally. The absence of colour and the importance of this theme are also evident in the front cover of ‘The Giver’. The main focus is a black and white photo of the wrinkled face of an old man, however, in one of the corners, there is a coloured photo of trees in the sunrise/sunset. Separating these two images is a picture of a line of ripped paper. The rip emphasises that colour is separate from Utopia and an unnecessary factor – symbolic of one ripping out an unwanted page from an exercise book. ‘The Giver’ replies why Utopia does not have colour, â€Å"we relinquished colour when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences. In Utopia, no one is able to see colour, (even as children), due to a genetically engineered intervention. In the Western world we live in today, the undertaking of this procedure would not be allowed. Certain ethics would be upheld and argued by human rights organizations, such as Civil Liberties, against such a practice. Freedom of the individual is one of the highest freedoms in today’s world, and civil rights are upheld as the most important values a human being can have. To have one’s ability to see colour taken away at childbirth would challenge this freedom, sending ethics committees up in arms. As can be seen, Utopia would not be possible in the Western world today as the taking away of one’s ability to see colour would not be allowed due to the issues of ethics and human rights. Also, Utopia, as depicted in â€Å"The Giver†, would not be possible in the Western world, as it involves the Utopian idea of population control for the purpose of conformity. One day, Jonas sees his father administer a fatal injection to a newborn child (his job in society), as it is an identical twin. If both twins were allowed to live, the predictability and order of society would be disrupted. Secondly, the harsh elements of population control can be seen when Jonas’ father light-heartedly speaks of Gabriel’s, a troublesome newborn, â€Å"Release†. â€Å"Release† is a euphemism used constantly throughout the book, utilized by the ‘rulers’ of Utopia to distance society from the concept of euthanasia practiced on the very young who do not conform, the elderly, and those whose errors threaten the stability of the community. Jonas listens to his father say to Gabriel, â€Å"It’s bye-bye to you†, and notes that he had said it in a â€Å"sweet, sing-song voice†. The use of monosyllabic words illustrates Jonas’ father’s blunt acceptance of the fact that he will end Gabriel’s life – because he does not conform to the norms of infanthood, such as sleeping through the whole night. The majority of society is, in fact, ignorant to the euphemistic practices involved in â€Å"Release†. Such an accepted attitude to assisted death, and the idea of such an ignorant society, would not work in the Western world, as Western society acts in accordance with the organization, â€Å"International Task Force on Euthanasia†, which considers these actions as a rejection of the importance and value of human life. Society would not remain ignorant for long, in Utopia, as one cannot control dissension, which is to be expected in any society. Euthanasia has been attempted in Western societies, such as Australia. However, there has been a huge public backlash. As a result of these issues, Utopia, as portrayed in â€Å"The Giver, would not be possible in Western society. Furthermore, one Utopian idea represented in â€Å"The Giver†, which proves the statement that Utopia would not be possible in the Western world, is the issue of lack of freedom. After Jonas has been shown how controlled Utopia is, he cries, â€Å"I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! † â€Å"The Giver† agrees, â€Å"it’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it? † The use of a question serves not only for the purpose of conversation in the novel but, just as â€Å"the Giver† questions Jonas, the reader is also able to question and realize the importance of freedom. Jonas later realizes, â€Å"â€Å"We really have to protect people from wrong choices. The use of the qualifier of certainty – â€Å"really have to† – stresses the need for ‘happiness’ and that the lack of freedom is an essential element of Utopia. In Utopia, as seen in â€Å"The Giver†, everyone is assigned a job for which he or she is suited emotionally, physically and mentally. Also, every surrogate family, (to which newborn children are allocated), has a mother, father, and two children, one of each sex. In the Western world, applying conformity to such an extent would not pass the laws of ethics, which state that individuals ave the right and freedom to make their own decisions. Controlling society to such an extent would not be achievable, as there will always be those who rebel, and dissension in society is inevitable. As such, Utopia would not be possible in the Western world, as the lack of freedom would contradict our fundamental human ethics. Similarly, Utopia, as expressed in â€Å"Gattaca†, would not be possible in this Western world we live in today, as a necessary Utopian factor portrayed in the film is the lack of freedom. In Utopia, pre – implantation genetic diagnosis is able to determine, at birth, one’s job, life partner, and the exact time and cause of death. Vincent’s predetermined and constricted life as someone who was not genetically conceived – an â€Å"invalid† – is evident when his father disapproves of his dreams of going to space, â€Å"the only way that youll see the inside of a spaceship is if youre cleaning it. Vincent’s lack of freedom is also portrayed in the scene where he is cleaning a workstation at Gattaca. A worm’s eye view shot is used, depicting a rocket ship blasting off into space. This technique emphasises Vincent’s feeling, and knowledge, of his low status as an â€Å"invalid†, rendering his desire as hopeless, because he does not have the necessary genetic perfections to fulfil his dreams of going to space. The mournful non – diagetic music used in this scene also helps to convey the desperation of Vincent’s situation. In the Western world, civil and human rights societies, and religious organizations, would oppose this. Civil and human rights committees would argue that altering a child’s life before they are even born would undermine their power to make individual decisions, as is legally required. Religious organizations would argue that meddling with ‘God’s handiwork’ would be an unethical and immoral act. Undoubtedly, Utopia would not be possible in this Western world because the Utopian ideal of lack of freedom would defy Christian and other religious ethics, and human rights issues. Secondly, the Utopian idea of eugenics, represented in â€Å"Gattaca†, supports the statement that Utopia would not be possible in our contemporary Western world. In Utopia, when a couple thinks of conceiving a child, they book an appointment with a geneticist. This is because, in Utopia, science is able to choose the ‘best’ genes from each parent to make a ‘perfect’ child – â€Å"We want to give your child the best possible start. † The prevalence and importance of eugenics in Utopia is also obvious when Vincent states, â€Å"They used to say that a child conceived in love [rather than with a geneticist] has a greater chance of happiness. They dont say that anymore. â€Å" In one scene, Vincent, as a child, is refused enrolment in a certain preschool as he is an â€Å"invalid† and that their insurance would not cover him. Here, an extreme close up is used of Vincent’s hand holding one of the bars on the preschool gate, as the principal bangs it shut. Diagetic sound is used here, magnifying the gate’s clang to an echo. The combination of these two techniques shows that Vincent’s natural conception and separation from society has echoed in his mind ever since his childhood, stressing the importance of eugenics in Utopia. Even if eugenics were more advanced than they currently are, the dominant Christian morality upheld in the Western world would not allow such a procedure, as it would be considered altering God’s creation and playing with fate. Clearly, Utopia is not possible in the Western world, as the Utopian idea of eugenics would not be supported by the Christian morals the majority of Western society upholds. In addition to this, the lack of privacy in Utopia, as seen in â€Å"Gattaca†, confirms the view that Utopia would not be possible in the Western world. In Utopia, the population is constantly being asked to take urine samples, DNA finger swabs, (the equivalent of an ID card) – â€Å"they can always take a sample [of DNA] from a door handle or a handshake†, and even be surveyed and scanned while working or typing at computers. An important section of the film is when Vincent accidentally drops an eyelash on the scene of a recent murder. An extreme close up is used on the eyelash dropped, and the surroundings are blurred so as to focus on the item. This highlights the futility of preserving one’s privacy, as even an eyelash can be used to discover one’s identity. However, this shot also serves the purpose of identifying to the viewer that the dropping of the eyelash will affect much of the film. Secondly, the motif of water is used at varying stages throughout the film, symbolizing cleansing and rebirth. One scene depicts Vincent furiously rubbing off any loose skin cells and washing himself in the sea. He does this because he is impersonating Jerome Morrow, a â€Å"valid†, in order to fulfil his desire of going to space. The motif of water, in this scene, is important because it stresses the fact that one’s privacy is constantly being invaded, and so those who have something to hide must be very cautious in order to protect their identity. In the Western world, human rights committees would argue that this undermines one’s sense of security and completely disregards one’s right to privacy. The lack of privacy would probably also meet a strong uprising from society. As can be seen, Utopia would not be possible in the Western world, as removing one’s right to privacy would be opposed by both civil rights organizations and society in general. Correspondingly, the Utopian ideal of the fading of religion, as stated by â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia†, would make Utopia in our Western world impossible. Instead of religion, the website hopes that â€Å"a way of life based on ecological awareness, social consciousness, and a loving concern for our fellow humans and other creatures† would replace it. The website also believes that â€Å"as social misery abates, we’d expect a concomitant decline in traditional religions. † The website describes religion as an â€Å"institution† and thinks it to be made up of â€Å"hoary rituals†. The use of derogatory language shows its immense dislike of the issue. On the website, religion is only written about in a very brief paragraph. This technique of paragraph structure is used in order for the reader to remember the issue more easily. Throughout the centuries, and right from the beginning of time, man has always had some sort of religion or belief system, as is evident from the traditional forms of ancestor worship and shamanism in Neolithic times to henotheism of the Late Bronze Age, and even from the ancient tale of Adam and Eve. It is evident that society cannot live without some sort of religious conviction to hold on to, as philosophical questions, such as the meaning of life, rely on these beliefs for answers. Without a doubt, Utopia would not be possible in this Western society in which we live, as the need for a religion/belief system is inseparable from human nature. As well as the issues mentioned, the Utopian idea that depression would gradually alleviate, as put forward by â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia†, also shows that Utopia would not be possible in Western society. The website states, â€Å"We would expect†¦depression to gradually disappear as the reasons for them disappear. † The use of the word ‘would’ by the website is to distance itself from the possibilities of what could go wrong, remaining in a state subject to objection. This is done so as to not impose the ideas too much on the reader, leaving the reader freedom to decide what is right or wrong themselves. Such reasons suggested include â€Å"poverty†¦racism, sexism, sexual repression†. This would not work in the Western world, as depression is not so easily cured. The website seemingly fails to understand that depression of an individual is a mental disorder of the brain, and that the person’s physical surroundings may not necessarily affect their mental condition. As such, Utopia would not be possible in Western society as there is no complete solution to depression – the human mind is far more complex. Beyond what has been stated, Utopia, as described in â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia†, would not be possible in Western society because of its unfair treatment of violent individuals and criminals. The website states that it would tolerate and encourage all kinds of individual behaviour, but only until it becomes â€Å"directly harmful to others or obnoxiously intrusive†. One must wonder that if behaviour is antisocial and disruptive before it becomes â€Å"obnoxiously intrusive†, how a modern society would function. In today’s society, the principle of dealing with negative behaviour before it becomes extreme is firmly embedded. However, the website states, â€Å"one would hope that most disputes would be able to be â€Å"resolved through mediation† and believes â€Å"social cohesion/citizen social involvement†¦is the best means of discouraging and dealing† with such behaviour. The use of formal language, â€Å"one would hope†, is not only for the purpose of a formal essay, but it is also used to ease the ideas onto the reader. Yet the website is still very strong about its ideas, as seen through the persuasive language and tone, â€Å"is the best means†. Many Western societies are heading towards mediation today, but the logistics of it are still being debated. Furthermore, mediation presupposes that the parties involved are willing to cooperate. One must also consider how practical it is to implement on such a large scale, in terms of amount of staff required and training of staff, as well as a total shift in philosophy. Later on, the website mentions that in extreme cases, consistent re – offenders would be banished from society. It would be very difficult to determine what is meant by banishment and what exactly a re – offender is. Strangely enough, the website agrees that this is â€Å"far from a perfect solution†. Here, the website attempts to maintain a neutral tone by providing more than one viewpoint on its idea of ‘Utopia’, assisted by the neutral background colour of the website. If this is the case, one must wonder whether this really is Utopia if even its creators point out its imperfections. As such, Utopia, as illustrated in â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia†, would not be possible in the Western world because of its ill – reasoned solutions to violence and because it lacks complete perfection, contradicting the idea of a ‘utopia’ by definition. Comparatively, the Utopian idea of female authority, as is evident in â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss†, would not be able to be upheld in Western society. The motto of Woman-town is – A woman never makes a mistake, a man must not refuse a womans request. Men can also be punished by women through â€Å"kneeling on an uneven board or by washing dishes in a restaurant. The article has commented on this as being a â€Å"selfish quest for gender parity†. In this way, the writer is incorporating her own opinions and adjectives into the story to make it more interesting than plain facts and, perhaps, to sell herself as a writer. She also writes of the motto, â€Å"Such wisdom, I briefly thought, must date back to Confucius’s time†. Here, the writer has utilised humour for entertainment’s sake, making a joke of the motto, however, she is careful in that she refers to this as her own opinion so as to not overly criticize the creators of ‘Woman-town’. In the Western world, there are laws in place, which state the equality between individuals and equality between genders. Additionally, there would most likely be a revolt among the male, and possibly female, genders against such activities. As a result, Utopia would not be possible in Western society due to the unequal gender hierarchy. Besides these arguments, Utopia, as presented in â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss†, would not be possible in Western society due to its financial viability. Woman-town is presented as being a very consumerist society – â€Å"there would be shoe shops on every corner with SALE signs always dangling in the windows†. Here, one must wonder whether such a world would be able to be supported financially. The writer describes ‘Woman-town’ as – â€Å"a Disneyland full of screeching, credit-card wielding women†. Throughout the novel, the writer uses first – person to incorporate a narrative – type element into the article to appeal more to the readers. One must also consider where the money will come from. The website states that ‘Woman-town’ would be â€Å"very good†¦ for entertainment and relaxation†. Here, it must also be noted that if pampering and ‘living the good life’ are the only motives to Utopia, how is it to be upheld politically, economically, and ecologically? Because of this, Utopia would not be possible in the Western world due to its lack of practicalities. In the same way, Utopia, as presented in â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss†, would not be possible in the Western world due to its dense building structures. In Utopia, the article states that there would be â€Å"shoe shops on every corner†. The writer uses alliteration to depict the catchy and appealing nature of the seemingly cliche ‘Woman-town’ to the stereotypical woman. If this is to be the case for the whole Western world, one must wonder what will happen to all the forests and plant – life if there are buildings and shopping centres covering the whole region. The animals that rely on the ecosystems provided by such plant – life must also be taken into consideration. Imagine a life, (and a world), where flora and fauna were non – existent. Furthermore, in Western society today, people are leaving ‘urban jungles’ and the ‘rat race’ of city living to escape to nature, and they do this as often as possible – sometimes even forming isolated communities. There is something in human nature that craves contact with nature. In short, Utopia, as described in â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss†, would not be possible in Western society, as the human and animal reliance on plant life is too great a necessity to be compromised. In conclusion, it is evident that Utopia, as portrayed in the texts – â€Å"The Giver†, â€Å"Gattaca†, â€Å"Design Your Own Utopia†, and â€Å"Woman-town loses its lip gloss† – would not be possible in the modern and contemporary Western society we live in today.