The book "The Giver" by Lois Lowry , which appeared in 1994, presents a different kind of society. The right of choice is clearly forbidden. The citizens have a regulated live. The Elders makes the decision for everyone. They determine your curriculum vitae. Everyone makes the same experience. Everything must be perfect. Unperfect people will be released. They strive for success. The citizens don't know everything about their society. Nevertheless, they have to follow the rules without question. A safe, orderly, and predictable world without pain. Should we strive for a society like this? Can we call it a "perfect world"?
This kind of community is supported by the argument that there is no pain in the world. The feelings of the people are regulated by pills and other things.
The people won’t make experience with pain. But also they won’t make experience with other great feelings like love. The citizens will never have this lovely feeling .They miss the most important things in their life. Human feelings are suppressed. They are manipulated by the Elders. Due to the influence of the emotions, they also have influence of the own opinion. The people are always happy. But are they really happy? The pills make them blind. Due to the manipulated emotions, they overlook the bad things. Maybe the bad exist but they can’t see it.
A successful society. There are only “good” people and no “bad” ones.
At first you think a world without bad people is good. But is it right to release people who are different? It violates human rights. Everyone has a right to life. No one can determine when another's life is over.
A regulated life promise success. No one has to make decisions for themselves. They live a simple life and see a bright future. No one need to take care of something. No one should be worried. They only need to follow the rules.
A regulated life can replace the love and other important things? You'll get a man whom you haven’t choose. You get a child. But it's not yours. Is that great? It was taken away from the right mother. A Birthmother is used like a machine. Everyone is the same, there is no variety and no differences. They are clones inside. Where is the own desire? Where is the soul? They seem like cool robots which are programmed. The freedom of the people don’t exist. They are slaves of the community. They can’t decide to do what they want. In reality they are caught. They have lost themselves.
In my opinion a “perfect society” doesn’t exist. It is not right to deprive the human feelings. They have to make their own experience. It is boring if you have a regulated life. Where is the individual? Different opinions are important. The people aren’t free. They are oppressed by the Elders and blind because of the pills. Nobody may to decide about other people’s feelings and life. Everyone has the right to decide about themselves and to do what he wants. I imagine that it is really exhausting to life with so many rules. We are human and make mistakes. We are not like robots.
Sophia,
AntwortenLöschenI have to say I REALLY find your essay convincing. There are a lot of points you don not only touch upon, but your arguments are clearly brought forward, such as when you state thet "the citizens don't know ANYthing about their society. Nevertheless, they have to follow the rules without question."
I especially like your rhetorical questions ("Should we strive for a society like this? Can we call it a "perfect world"?"). They make me as a reader think differently about the society that has been described in the book.
"The people are always happy. But are they really happy? The pills make them blind." and "We are human and make mistakes. We are not like robots." really touched me. I worry whether that society will wake up and change things or whether there might even be a threat that our society turns into such an ignorant community of SAMENESS.
PS: A book doesn't "appear" - it is "released".
Check for the difference between "life" and "live".