The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas free essay sample

There is a huge difference between utopia and dystopia. Utopia literally means a place that does not exist. It describes an imaginary world; it is paradise; a place of pure bliss where nothing goes wrong. Dystopia is literally the opposite. It is a world that was once functioning but ends up horrible. Instead of the skies being clear and blue like in a utopian world, they are dark and dull. The cities are in ruins and the people are annoying and unfriendly. At first, it seems that utopia exists in Omelas. Ursula Le Guin starts the short story off with a beautiful description of the city, filling your mind with happiness and joy. She explains that in the city everything is perfect and everyone is happy. They had no slaves, no war, and no problems. They had â€Å"religion but no clergy† (3). They didn’t need it; just like they didn’t need soldiers because she explains that â€Å"the joy built upon successful slaughter is not the right kind of joy†¦ it is fearful and it is trivial† (3). They could surely celebrate courage without soldiers. There is music and dancing and laughter. There is no guilt in Omelas. Although, they weren’t actually aloud to feel guilt in Omelas. In order to be happy and for them to not feel guilt, someone must suffer; there were terms to follow in order to have happiness. It actually turns into somewhat of a dystopian world in the end. There were times when a boy, girl, man or woman would go see the suffering child in the cellar and go home in silence: if they even went home at all. If they went home, they left soon to â€Å"walk down the street, alone, and out of the city of Omelas† (7). They walk into a dark path and do not come home. 2.The narrator has compassion for the people in Omelas. Le Guin explains that â€Å"all the people of Omelas know it [the suffering child] is there. Some understand why, and some do not† (5). They understand though, that their happiness; the cities beauty; the friendships; and everything good depend on the child’s suffering. They know that there is â€Å"no vapid, irresponsible happiness† that â€Å"like the child, [they] are not free [either]†. The compassion they have is because of the existence of the child. It is because of that child that they have knowledge of that existence and the reason why â€Å"they are so gentle with other children†¦ that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark†, there would be no happiness anywhere else. Le Guin reasons, â€Å"to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one: that would be to let guilt within the walls indeed† (6). Le Guin seems to find dilemma in Omelas. She says the few that leave, they go out into the street alone; â€Å"they keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas†¦ the place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us† (7). She explains that she â€Å"cannot describe it all†¦ but they seem to know where they are going† (7). Her opinion is that it is too much to ask for everyone to just be okay with ones suffering for everyone else to be happy. The child locked in the dark cellar is what the people of Omelas claims to be the reason for their happiness and guilt free life. The child sits in his or her own feces in a small, dark, foul-smelling room. He or she is feeble-minded, unhealthy and â€Å"there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child† (5). The fact about this child is explained to children when they are young but able to comprehend. Most those who go to see the child are young people; sometimes adults, but â€Å"no matter how well the matter has been explained to them, these young spectators are always shocked and sickened at the sight† (5). It may take months or years, but they will come to accept the torture of one for the benefit of the many; that if they did anything to save the child, â€Å"all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed† (6). The child symbolizes the evil within everyone and everything. Some people cannot handle the knowledge of the child in the dark cellar and they walk away forever, unwilling to bear the guilt, and others come to terms with the fact that the child â€Å"is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy† (6), and so they think it’s justified. 4.There is an implied criticism of those who do not accept moral responsibility. We have a bad habit of â€Å"considering happiness as something rather stupid†. We are taught that only â€Å"pain is intellectual, [and] only evil is interesting† (2). We are brainwashed into thinking that someone must suffer in order for other people to be happy. In a utopia everything is filled with perfection and beauty. In a real utopia nothing needs to be rescued; it is in fact a real fairy tale. No princesses need to be rescued and no dragons need to be slaughtered. It is not necessary to let others hurt just to feel happiness. No technological wonders can provide happiness when our thinking is collectively flawed. You can be happy and peaceful without being passionless and naà ¯ve which is what society has lost touch with. The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas free essay sample In The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas author Ursula K. Le Guin uses the utopian society of Omelas to symbolically highlight the ugly and unsavory state of the human condition. This story delves into this idea of ethics and morality and concocts a set of solutions that one can consider when contemplating ethics and morality. People and societies often struggle with morality while facing dilemmas with what is right or wrong. Within this, a moral dilemma exists as the story depicts a utopian perfect happy place where everyone is in a state of euphoria. People were described in this story as a cheerful community celebrating a summer festival. This insinuates how Omelas is very much like a utopian place where everyone relishes in infinite happiness. Nevertheless, all these comforts are made permissible in exchange for an unfortunate condition: that a child shall endure isolation and suffering, locked up in what appears to be a cupboard in an unspecified room within Omelas. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The salient descriptions used to express the child’s predicament gives an image of a deprived, unloved, and underfed being. Le Guin embodies a society which follows consequential ethics where the majority of the people assume that the treatment of the child is correct, equitable, and ethical since it garners the benefits of happiness to the rest of the city. Moreover, only one is adversely affected while the majority gains the greatest share of happiness. Therefore Omelas is the quintessential of utilitarianism. According to this doctrine, all people endeavor to be happy and strive to satiate themselves. The problem lies in the fact that the bulk of the society are habituated to comply to the social norms. Such a case is elucidate in Omelas through â€Å"the misery of the child is good†¦everybody tolerates it†¦it was tolerated ever since† for they are influenced by culture and tradition. After some time, they tend to move on and â€Å"their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it (Omelas 122). Nonetheless, there is a minor segment of the society who refrain from succumbing and formulate their own perception of what is right and wrong i. e morality. However those who do contend against the ethics leaves to find a society that is better suited to their train of thoughts. This notion is exemplified in Omelas through the quotation â€Å"They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back (Omelas 123). † where some people disgusted by what they have seen decide that departure is the best solution. The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas is a short story based on the pursuit of righteousness; in order to be truly happy, one must stand up for what is right, even if it means letting go of the familiar. Omelas is a place that seems like an ideal place to live. The people who live in Omelas have the perfect life with no worries. The problem is you cannot achieve complete happiness without some sacrifices. Which the people of Omelas had to make a sacrafice, they had to deal with the sacrifice of a small child being neglected to achieve their ultimate happiness. The residents of Omelas had the choice to ignore a suffering of a child who is held captive in a cellar, or fight for what’s right and essentially leave their homes. What would one prefer: allow an innocent child to suffer certain death, or rid themselves of their comfort and leave their precious city of Omelas? Some of the citizens did not agree with the way the child was being treated and chose to leave Omelas and not be a part of something that was so wrong. This raises the question â€Å"Is Omelas really the best place to be with ultimate happiness? † When you have to treat someone so poorly to achieve your happiness, this is not the way to live life. Within this, it is an easy choice to walk away from the Omelas. So are the people that walk away more compassionate towards the child or is it equal to the people that are staying? Me personally, the ethical thing to do if I was living in Omelas is to walk away, if there is nothing you can do to help the child. People that choose to walk away from Omelas have morals and cannot deal with living a life of happiness.