FREE ESSAY ON UTOPIA

UTOPIA

Positives and Negatives of the Utopian Society
Sir Thomas More wrote a novel named Utopia about a country that existed only in his mind.
More used the story to explore his views and feelings about politics and government.
People still believe that the story holds truths that are relevant today even though More
wrote Utopia during the Renaissance. Utopia contains information about More's vision of a
perfect society. The Utopian government was able to overcome or prevent all problems
facing the country. The government first segregates the island by digging a canal around
it so that the ocean will create and island that has hazardous straights as it's only
means into the island. It then handles the many aspects that a community faces in a
manner that, for the most part, creates an enjoyable environment to live in. There are
however a few points that I found a flaw in. Personal wealth, religion, and justice are
three areas of the Utopian society that have positive and negative sides.
The first area of the Utopian society that I found weakness in is the lack of personal
property. Every person who could get up and work did so for six hours a day. People were
not allowed to be idle as it was against the law. Actually their working hours are
sufficient to provide not only an abundance, but a superabundance of all the necessities
and conveniences of life (p.35). Since every person contributes to the production of
every food or material product in the commonwealth, there is no poverty and no greed.
This concept looks great on paper. I feel, however, that this lack of owning anything
would cause people to feel like they don't work for themselves. There would be no reason
to toil over soil that was hard to sew if you knew you were not going to starve
regardless of what you produced. 
The next part of Utopian culture that I disagree with is its religion and the policy it
has on holidays. The people are able to worship any god they wish in anyway they wished.
. The people of Utopia are able to partake in any religious ceremony they choose. Each
citizen worships as he pleases and as long as he does not force his beliefs onto others
he is fine (p.70). This freedom gave people a very important right. It helped to end many
problems that occurred during the early years of Utopia (p. 72). This policy is a
magnificent idea and it surprised me that no one who actually ran a country had thought
of this. The only flaw that I found in Utopian religion was that all citizens had to the
same temple at the same time for the festival of the first and last days of the month.
These days, called Cynemern and Trapermern, were celebrated in a common temple in the
city. The name of no specific god was used in the celebration except Mithra. Since every
sect of religion used this name for their god. The government designed the services in
this fashion so that they would not offend any religion (p.77). The use of no specific
name of a god is a good way to avoid offending people, but it also makes the ceremony
very impersonal. It seems to me that it would have been more beneficial if each group of
religious Utopians was able to worship in the temple on their own day. This way they
would be able to call their god anything they wanted and would feel surrounded by people
with their same beliefs.
The final area with some aspects is the Utopian justice system. The government does not
have many laws; they do not see a need for it. The Utopians see no need in having many
laws when there is not enough time to spend to gain the understanding for a larger
number. Actually, the Utopians feel that honoring good citizens as a better way to
develop morals. Displaying the names of people who have done good for the commonwealth,
is thought to be a good way to detour others from acting against the common good. The
laws that are made are very few and are made to enforce the desired ethics. If a law is
broken, the punishment is normally left to the head of the family, a male, unless the
crime is so bad that a public punishment would be better for the people of the city
(p.60). There are no standards for the punishment according to the wickedness of the
wrongdoing, the senate decides on a case by case basis. In court, people represent
themselves. The worst criminals are punished by bondage. 
People in bondage do the distasteful work of the community. They do not stay in prisons
and their only distinctions from citizens are a few physical and cosmetic differences.
Even those punished by bondage are able to redeem themselves with hard work and patience
(p. 59-61). Using bondage for severe crimes as opposed to capital punishment is a moral
punishment. Bondsmen also provide service to the country whereas if they were put to
death, no benefits would be received. However, the freedom they are given allows them the
opportunity to endanger the public again. More laws and increased security of bondsmen
would create an environment safer for all Utopians.
There are many positive aspects of the Utopian justice system. The most prevalent is the
court itself. Many cases are kept out of court due to family punishment. With no lawyers,
the judicial process is much quicker than today's court system in America. The most
negative part of the justice system is the lack of laws. A society should regulate their
people by rules, not just positive reinforcement. There should also be regulations of
punishments for each crime. Without that there is always a place for unfairness.
Officials should keep convicted bondsmen under a closer watch and make them more visible.
These are the most vicious criminals in the country. The citizens should treat them as
such for their own safety. 
The society in Utopia has positive and negative elements in religion, personal rights,
and justice. With a few minor changes, I feel that the negative could be eliminated.
Utopia portrays aspects of a community that is idealistic. However, the balance of good
and bad portions creates a realistic, more attainable society.
Bibliography
More, Thomas. Utopia. Translated by H.V. S. Ogden (Arlington Heights, 1949).