Strip People Of Their Equal Rights example essay topic

One of the fascinating subjects described by More was that of the social and business relations within one of the utopias. Some of the concepts he portrays could be called good in theory but could never be considered applicable in a realistic society. The social ideals he describes bind people in their own niche and provide no motivation whatsoever for developments and advancements within the group. The description in the book is one that to me conveys many of the ideas held fondly in a communist society, which as history has proven are destined for failure. Citizens' lives are basically dictated as to what and where they will eat, where they will live, and with whom they will live. A u topic society should be one in which there is no class system, but in the society that More describes, although one is not specifically laid out, it is certainly apparent to exist.

At the communal meals however, the ambassadors are permitted to extra privileges as compared to the normal working class. This shows a divide between people of different economic standing. This idea would never work because regardless of the work that you do, the skill that you do it with, or the position that you hold, at the end of the day you are entitled to the same substantial portion as the man who does less than you. Those who work harder should be provided with incentives such as extra food, in order to keep them satisfied. If they were not given more benefits this would cause those who have the drive to work hard to stop doing so since at the end they see nothing extra for the accomplishments with which they provide the community on a daily basis. Providing them with more food, land, or supplies would perhaps entice them to continue doing good work and even strive to work harder.

When people see nothing for their accomplishments, they will eventually plateau at the same level of "doing just enough" in order to get by. The housing is in a sense communal in the diction that you have no choice in where you live and also are subject to be forced to move at any time. When women grow up they will move to their husbands households, and children and seniors are forced to live in the house of their bloodline. The limit placed on the number of adults who live in a household is also a great step away from individual freedoms. Even if private property does not exist in the society, people still become acquainted to their property and begin to think of the place in which they live as their own and tend to maintain the property as their own, rather than just a public entity. People may be unwillingly shipped from their homes to another village of even another colony.

The people are stripped of some of the most fundamental decisions or life: these being where you choose to live and what you choose to eat. This society unintentionally develops a class system. Slaves are forced to do all the butchering and manual labor, the middle class (the average people who are not enslaved) are given some basic rights, and those of the few wealthy people are given more options as to what they eat, where they live, and land ownership. The society supposedly prides itself on creating equality when as a matter of fact all it does is strip people of their equal rights. More says, .".. all the old persons, who are sitting in conspicuous places, are served with the best food; and equals share the rest".

This statement in itself states that everyone is not in fact considered equal. He then goes on to say just a few sentences later "yet the principle of equality is preserved". This is a direct contradiction of itself. If some people are constantly given privilege over others, then the idea of equality does not exist at all. The best way to fix the society would be to give incentives to those who work hard enough to deserve them and thus restore some of their rights.

Those who work harder and contribute more to the society than other should be entitled to larger and better portions of food at the communal meetings and also be allowed to bring home some of the extra portions as they see fit. People should also be permitted to choose their homes and whether or not they would like to stay in them rather than being shipped off like packages whenever the government sees fit. Finally, equal rights should be restored and no one should have unworthy privilege over anyone else in the community. The society that More describes could only work on a piece of paper. Such a world could never be applicable in reality. It provides a supposed sense of equality only through completely stripping away individual rights.

Eventually the people would be led to up rise against an oppressive system and reevaluate the foundations of their society, hoping to make changes toward a democratic like environment.