The Dispossessed

It is very surprising that the people of Omelas actually lived “happy” lives at the will of the child, knowing the conditions he lived in. It is hard to tell if Ursula K. Le Guin is trying to persuade the reader that the people living in this utopian society are genuinely happy or pretending to be

Poverty and homelessness are serious issues in the U.S. today, especially because of the current recession, with levels of poverty and unemployment higher than at any time since the 1930s. Blacks and Hispanics are being affected disproportionately by homelessness, as well as poverty and unemployment in American society. This is just another example of the racial caste system and institutional racism that goes far beyond that of social class, and has always been the case in recessions and indeed with every other social and economic problem in American history. Even though the country elected a black president in 2008, wealth and incomes for minority groups, which were already far lower than whites, have been in severe decline for the past few years (Baumann 2001). Compared to the trillions of dollars in federal assistance that has been extended to the large financial institutions from TARP and the Federal Reserve, programs to aid the poor and homeless have been very inadequate, and are even being cut back on the local, state and federal levels. The poor and homeless also need a program of universal health care coverage, which the U.S. has never had in its history, and like most programs to assist those at the lowest end on the social scale has often been limited or blocked by conservative interests.

Many believe that the human race is inherently evil, and the story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas shows this with jarring detail. Ursula LeGuin tells the story of a seemingly perfect city named Omelas and its residents that know nothing but contentment and peace. However, this is offset by the suffering of one child, that, if freed from its prison, would jeopardize the happiness of the rest of the city. Therefore, the theme of Omelas is morality, which is shown through LeGuin’s use of imagery, “man vs. society” conflict, and utopia.

“Not realizing that the stranger is his father, Telemachus tries to protect him as best he can. He says that the beggar cannot stay in the palace hall because he will be abused by the drunken soldiers” (Homer 692). Homelessness is a condition of being an outcast in society and it has been an issue for several centuries, even during the period when the Odyssey was written. Nonetheless, hospitality is a trait that was manifested through centuries as well. People who are homeless typically live on the side of the road and are not able to obtain a stable living environment. On just a single night in America, over 500,000 people were recorded homeless (“Snapshot of Homelessness”). However, things are looking up - hospitality has helped the decrease in homelessness over the last couple of years, especially for those who are veterans or chronic individuals.

Damon Knight’s “The Country of the Kind” follows a narrator who the audience at first knows little about, who lives in a society that is different from the norm, but is also initially left ambiguous. This sense of the unknown exists up until the narrator stumbles upon a pamphlet which opens up new viewpoints to the reader. The pamphlet serves to create three new perspectives in particular, all of which significantly shift the reader’s understanding of the story. First, it gives the reader a chance to understand the narrator and sympathize with him. Second, it offers a new perspective on society and their overall conception of what defines a utopia. The third and final perspective is that of the people who live within this society, and their interactions with the main characters. These three new perspectives prove to be formative in understanding the main character, his interactions with other characters in the story, and the role of society.

Rednecks are the poor class of America; nobody wants to be called that horrendous word. I guess it 's the way of life for people that are less fortunate. When I think redneck, I think no teeth, beer belly, living in a trailer. I think of family feuds in the front of the trailer park with the cops getting called. I think of fixer upper pickup trucks. You could say being a redneck isn 't ideal to anyone that isn 't one. Why would you want to be categorized as the smelly trailer park kid whose family drives an old beat up pickup? I guess I should tell you now, I 'm part of a big ole redneck family.

First of all, Le Guin utilizes perspective and imagery throughout the work to facilitate a deeper connection between the text and its audience. To illustrate, Le Guin not only intentionally writes in the second person at times to address the reader directly, but she actually leaves integral portions of the narrative up to the reader’s own imagination. Throughout the lengthy description of all that the grand city of Omelas has to offer, Le Guin invites readers to actively mold the city to match their own interpretation of an ideal utopia with the inclusion

Christa Billings Professor Fitzpatrick English 102 27 October 2014 Essay 2 Utopian societies are unrealistic because people are greedy, selfish and addicted to power. The short story, “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas”, by Ursula K. Le Guin, takes place in the utopian city of Omelas. The title of the story is talking about the citizens that visit the one part of Omelas that is filled with darkness and turmoil. For example, down in the cellar there is a young child who is locked in a room that is “damp” and “with mops in the corner that the child is afraid of.”

Ursula K. LeGuin’s experimental short story “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas” presents the reader with the moral dilemma of a seemingly splendid city of hedonistic pleasures, whose citizen’s unending happiness is possible only through the exploitation of a single tormented child. In asking the reader to fill in the details the narrator is unable to describe of Omelas, LeGuin puts the burden of Omelas’ creation directly on the reader; and in doing so, the burden of guilt rests on the reader’s shoulders. By presenting Omelas as a shining beacon of civilization, free from “monarchy… slavery… the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb” (LeGuin 278), LeGuin seemingly represents Omelas as an anarchist utopia. However,

Thomas More's Utopia is the bastard child of European conventions and humanist ideals. Inspired by More's belief in the elevation of human manners, education, and morals, the text also concedes to the omnipresent traditions of European society. While More accepts parentage of the text, he distances himself from its radical notions and thinly veiled condemnation of Europe's establishment. Through the use of a benign narrator, Raphael Hythloday, and the assumption of a royalist persona by a character of his own name, More discloses the tale of the island of Utopia and its communist society. Rife with realistic details that lend life and credibility to the existence of such a foreign

“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” is not a utopian story, but it assumes the reader is well aware of them. In acknowledging the foibles inherent to the genre, mainly the difficulty in describing an ideal society in a world where such a thing is still being argued and defined, it invites the reader to make his or her best attempt at filling in the gaps. Complicity established, the story puts a living price tag on this beautiful ideal, asking if such a thing could be justified. Most rational observers would say “No” and take the proffered option of walking away from the city, but this too is ultimately a shortsighted choice. Omelas cannot be merely ignored, it must be destroyed and remade, a responsibility that rests squarely on those it benefited.

Thomas Moore’s Utopia appears to be a perfect society where everyone is treated fairly and equally. However, Utopia is not as egalitarian as it appears. This can be determined through the implications about and restraints placed on women. The attitude toward women in Utopia may have been seen as acceptable in 1516, but in contrast with today’s standards this approach in the book towards women is misogynistic and oppressive. In Utopia, values are critical to the preservation of peace in society. Yet, these “values” do not include fair and proper treatment of every individual. Utopia appears to be a land of no persecution but women still suffer and are harassed through the societal standards pressed upon them as a condition of their sex. While the land of Utopia at first appears to give more rights to women than many countries did at the time, it becomes evident that the treatment of women and their rights are not representative of the supposed egalitarian principles applauded in the novel.

Despite the fact that occasionally it may be difficult to check the careful number of vagrants through the world, some measurable figures have demonstrated that the globe has as yet confronting this worldwide issue for quite a while. The rate of vagrancy in our general public is expanding because of numerous variables. Be that as it may, what is destitute? Destitute is characterized as the state of individuals without standard house or safe house who live in roads or stations. A few individuals trust that absence of moderate lodging is the greatest reason for vagrancy. Notwithstanding, emotional sickness and unemployment issues have directed individuals to wind up destitute.

Sir Thomas More describes a society on an imaginary island where all social issues have been cured, in his famous work known as Utopia. In this book More expresses his ideas in a captivating two-part novel that tackles social issues that More faced in his own life. Through the dialogue of Raphael Hythloday, a fictional character, and Sir Thomas More himself, Raphael tells More about his recent voyage to the wonderful island of Utopia. All throughout the book, Hythloday describes the social order and way of life that Utopia has, as More listens and continues to arise the issues that his own society created. However, I found the book tended to focus on the social issues More faced in Part 1, and focused on how Utopia deals with those social issues in Part 2. Sir Thomas More illustrates a marvelous society that thrives on the brink of perfection, and although he makes it seem possible, I believe that Utopia wouldn’t function as a working social system in the real world.

The Different People category of Utopian Literature is characterized by people who are outside of a certain society. Similar to the analogy of someone being on the outside looking in, readers find themselves observing the lives of the the people in a society that is fictional. While the stories of these utopias are fictional, they are often based on real people and real cultural influences. Utopian Literature in regards to different people, captures a culture from a perspective that is outside of the ordinary. An outsider’s point of view. Looking at Utopias in this fashion, leads to the belief Utopia’s offer simplicity and showcase a simpler life. Using examples from Heliopolis, Of the Cannibals, and New Atlantis; Utopias offer a simpler life by avoiding modern social norms, valuing self sufficiency and seclusion, and encouraging a different way of thought.