DANIEL, OSCAR AND AIDANMS. MOREAU

BLOCK : F2016/10/5

WHAT IS UTOPIA?

WHAT IS UTOPIA?

• DEFINITION OF UTOPIA : AN IMAGINED COUNTRY OR PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING IS PERFECT. UTOPIAN PLACES/COUNTRIES ARE USUALLY CONTROLLED BY GOVERNMENTS

• DEFINITION OF DYSTOPIA : DYSTOPIAN COUNTRIES/PLACES ARE WHERE NOTHING IS CONTROLLED BY SOMETHING AND WHERE EVERYTHING IS OUT OF ORDER

• UTOPIA = OPPOSITE OF DYSTOPIA

The term Utopia was created by a Greek

philosopher named Sir Thomas More in his book

Utopia

FOUR MOST NECESSARY FACTORS IN UTOPIA

• SAFETY• FREEDOM• INDIVIDUALITY• EQUALITY

SAFETY• DURING MOST FILMS YOU WILL FIND THE PREMISE

OF PEOPLE BEING TERRIFIED OF SOMETHING OUT THERE AND SO HAVE ERECTED A WALL. THIS HAPPENS DURING THE DIVERGENT SERIES BUT AT SOME STAGE THE CITIZENS FORGET WHAT THE WALL WAS ERECTED FOR EVEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.

FIGURE 1; MOCKING_JOE

FREEDOM

• THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO BELIEVE IN WHAT THEY DEEM. BUT SURPRISINGLY DESPITE MOST UTOPIA'S STRIVING FOR THIS. BUT MOST DYSTOPIA'S START WITH THE PREMISE OF THIS MISSING LEADING TO HORRIBLE SITUATIONS.

FIGURE 2; BIG BROTHER

INDIVIDUALITY

• THIS IS ANOTHER ITEM THAT UTOPIA'S STRIVE FOR YET ONCE AGAIN DYSTOPIA'S START WITH THE PREMISE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS USING THEM AS PAWNS AND THAT THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME.

FIGURE 3; BECCAPEACE

EQUALITY

• THIS IS WHERE WE ARE ALL ONE IN THE SAME REGARDLESS OF RACE AND ORIGIN. ALL COUNTRIES START WITH THIS AND AS SHOWN BY THE UTOPIA'S THAT EXISTED DURING THE 1800'S THIS WAS SOUGHT AFTER. FORTUNATELY THIS IS NEVER THE PREMISE OF A DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY.

PARADOX’S

ALTHOUGH THESE ARE THE FOUR IDEAL FACTORS OF A UTOPIA YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM ALL. THESE ARE TWO PARADOXES PRESENTED IN MOVIES AND BOOKS ABOUT UTOPIA.

-FREEDOM ALLOWS PEOPLE TO MAKE CHOICE BUT IT HAS TO BE CONTROLLED OR REASONABLY PREDICTED OR A SMALL MINORITY WILL REJECT THE UTOPIA IN TURN TEARING IT APART.

-INDIVIDUALITY LEADS SOMEONE TO BE UNIQUE IN TURN CREATING THOUGHTS BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND ENCOUNTERS WHICH ALLOW THE STATE TO BE CONTESTED.

THE MATRIX“THE MATRIX” IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PERFECT UTOPIA BUT IN TRUTH EACH ACTION IS MONITORED TO THE EXTENT THAT YOUR WHOLE LIFE IS PREDICTED AND ANYBODY WHO ACTS OUT OF THE ORDINARY DESTROYED. THUS FREEDOM ONLY EXISTS UNDER SURVEILLANCE WHICH IS A DEBATE TODAY.

FIGURE 4; NIELVEVO

1984

A LACK OF INDIVIDUALITY IS DEMONSTRATED IN THE “1984” WHERE LIFE IS LIVED IN FEAR OF THE THOUGHT POLICE THREATENING PEOPLE WHO HAVE IDEAS THAT DON'T COMPLY. EVERY ACTION THAT DIFFERENTIATES AN INDIVIDUAL FROM ANOTHER FROM ANOTHER IS CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. THUS INDIVIDUALITY IS CONTROLLED TO SOME EXTENT.

FIGURE 5; HOLDENCAULFIELDCAMPION

WEIGHING VALUES

THESE TWO PARADOX'S USUALLY OCCUR IN ORDER TO PROCURE THE SAFETY AND EQUALITY. BUT IS IT WORTH FORFEITING THESE BASIC RIGHTS IN ORDER TO CREATE A PARADISE WHERE EQUALITY AND SAFETY ARE ABUNDANT. IT LEAVES YOU WONDERING WHETHER UTOPIA IS ACHIEVABLE. FIGURE 6; CHRISTA COX

EXAMPLES.• BRAVE NEW WORLD.

• THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED TO LIVE IN A LIFE THAT TO THEM IS PERFECT. BERNARD MAX PLANS TO FIND A PLACE A WAY FROM THE BRAINWASHED WORLD A SECRETLY SOCIETY.

• UTOPIA.

• TAKES PLACE IN A WORLD WHERE LAW IS MORE POWERFUL THEN FREEDOM THE PEOPLE ARE SAFE BUT NOT HAPPY

• 1984

• IN THE YEAR 1984 THE WORLD IS TRANSFORMED INTO AN IMAGINARY WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING IS PERFECT.

EXAMPLE• THE GIVER

• A WORLD THAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A PERFECT COMMUNITY HAS MANY SECRET DARK SIDES TO IT.

• ISLAND

• FOR 120 YEARS A SOCIETY HAS RULED ON A ISLAND BUT WHEN A MAN IS SHIPWRECK ON THE ISLAND HE SEES THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

• HER LAND

• AN ALL-FEMALE SOCIETY IS FOUND BY A GROUP OF HIKERS. THIS ARE HIKERS START TO WONDER WHAT ARE WOMEN'S ROLES IN THEIR OWN SOCIETY

• ECOTOPIA

• A WORLD THAT EVERYONE LIVES IN PERFECT HOMINY AND PEACE. THIS FRESH LOVELY GREEN ENVIRONMENT IS FOUND BY A REPORTER WHO FINDS MINI CITIES MADE UP OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES.

• MATCHED

• A GIRL LIVES IN A SOCIETY WHERE EVERY HUMANS CHOSE IS MADE FOR THEM. WHEN THEY EAT WHEN THEY SLEEP AND WHEN THEY DIE. A YOUNG GIRL NAMED CASSIA WILL MAKE A DECISION FOR HERSELF ONCE IN HER LIFE.

THE UTOPIA EXPERIMENT

• IN THE BOOK UTOPIA EXPERIMENT A MAN IS GRIEVED BY THE KILLING OF HIS WIFE AND SETS OFF ON AN ADVENTURE TO TRY AND BECOME INDEPENDENT ON HUMANITY. HE USES HIS MONEY ON TENTS AND INVITES OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS ADVENTURE. HIS SANITY BECOMES WEAKER AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH HIM ARE LOSING FAITH IN HIS ABILITIES.

EXAMPLES OF UTOPIAN BOOKS

• "THE SHAKERS" REMAIN THE ONLY GROUP THAT HAS LASTED UNTIL PRESENT DAY AND ARE NOW LOCATED IN RURAL MAINE. THEIR UTOPIA INVOLVED SPLITTING UP BOTH GENDERS IN WORK AND LIFE AND OVERALL LIVING THE SIMPLE LIFE.

• "COMPLEX MARRIAGE" WAS A SYSTEM WHERE TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE WAS REJECTED AND A COUNCIL WOULD DICTATE WHICH PARTNERS MAY HAVE CHILDREN. MOTHERS WOULD CARE FOR THE YOUNG BUT OLDER CHILDREN WOULD BE INCORPORATED.  

• "BOATLOAD OF KNOWLEDGE" A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS LEFT SOCIETY TO PERUSE THEIR ARTS WHERE THEY WOULD LEAD SIMPLE LIVES THAT WOULD SET THEIR MINDS FREE. THE GROUP COLLAPSED DUE TO INTERNAL ARGUMENTS AND NO SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS BEING MADE.

• "BROOK FARM" WAS A COMMON GROUND FOR FARMERS TO PLACE THEIR HARVESTS AND THUS BELIEVED THAT THEY WOULD HELP EACH OTHER OUT DURING THOUGH TIMES AND DURING THE MEANWHILE COULD PURSUE THEIR OWN SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS. HOWEVER THE GROUP COLLAPSED INTERNALLY.  

• "FRUIT LANDS" WAS A FARM CREATED BY TWO IDEALISTIC MEN WHO HAD NO EXPERIENCE IN FARMING. IN ADDITION THEY PROPOSED STRICT RULES THAT THEY BELIEVED WOULD ENCOURAGE SIMPLE LIFE INCLUDING THE EXPULSION OF MARRIAGE. THIS CAUSED FRICTION AMONG THE FOLLOWERS AND FELL APART WHEN THE WINTER CAME.

REFERENCESFIGURE 1; MOCKING_JOE. "THE DIVERGENT SERIES (ALLEGIANT) "THE WALL" SCENE HD." YOUTUBE. YOUTUBE, 27 JUNE 2016. WEB. 4 OCT. 2016. FIGURE 2; "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU GRAPHIC." IMAGEBUDDY. IMAGEBUDDY, 7 JUNE 2013. WEB. 4 OCT. 2016. FIGURE 3; BECCAPEACE. "INDIVIDUALITY." DEVIAN ART. DEVIAN ART, 23 JULY 2009. WEB. 4 OCT. 2016. FIGURE 4; NIELVEVO. "MATRIX ARCHITECT SCENE." YOUTUBE. YOUTUBE, 07 JAN. 2013. WEB. 04 OCT. 2016. FIGURE 5; HOLDENCAULFIELDCAMPION. "1984-ORWELLS CLASSIC BECOMING MORE RELEVANT BY THE DAY?" LIGHTLIT. WORDPRESS, 6 JULY 2014. WEB. 4 OCT. 2016. FIGURE 6; CHRISTA COX. "THE WHISTLE BLOWER DILEMA." CHRISTA'S WEB. WORDPRESS, 1 MAR. 2015. WEB. 4 OCT. 2016.

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