Utopia_+_Dystopia_Essay

English Ext: Utopia/Dystopia What ideas do you see linking the texts you have studied through your exploration of Utopias and/or Dystopias' In an extended essay support your response to this question through a detailed analysis of at least two of your core texts and one related text. Humans have attempted to grasp the concept of a “Utopia” for millennia. The neologism of a “Utopia” emerged centuries before World War I in Thomas More’s Utopia, in which people believed society would be perfected if individuals made sacrifices for the ‘common good’. The war altered all of this; society began to fear government authorities and rebellions were made in order to annihilate these created dystopias. Thus, the genre of dystopia was created, as in Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca, and Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men. Through the utilisation of a range of cinematic and language techniques, More establishes the ways in which a ‘perfect world’ is created and both Niccol and Cuaron explore the societal constraints created in these attempts and the fatal flaw of the human race: the ambition for perfection. As a response to the ideals of Renaissance Humanism and the discoveries of the New World, Thomas More’s Utopia reveals an ideal map describing an idealized, imaginary commonwealth, a ‘perfect’ society which may be a utopia to one, but a dystopia to many. More utilizes the juxtaposition of the two books of Utopia in order to lampoon 16th century England and establish the solutions to these problems. Despite admonishing that each individual is entitled to freedom, we can see through the restrictions and limitations that the people of Utopia are unable to do as they please and exercise free will. This is shown through the regimented and homogeneous lifestyle of the Utopians, as shown in “They go to bed at 8pm, and sleep for 8 hours” and “There are fifty-four four big splendid towns on the island, all with the same language, laws, customs and institutions.” By this quote, we can see that other cultures or languages aren’t accepted into the Utopian society, showing the societal constraint that is apparent despite its ‘perfection’. Another societal constraint created by More is the intolerance of being an atheist, “Anyone that thinks differently has, in their view, forfeited his right to be classed as a human being, by degrading his immortal soul to the level of an animal’s body.” More utilizes satire to reflect on the conspicuous patriarchal society of England through the demand in Utopian religion that “wives kneel down before their husbands and confess all their sins of omission and commission, asks to be forgiven.” This demonstrates the superiority of men which satirically reflects the religious situation in England, driven by narrow doctrinal passions. By creating a mirror of the 16th century England, More portrays the dystopia created in the endeavour to create one’s utopia, and the impossibility of perfecting and egalitarian society. Similarly, Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca conveys the societal constraints generated due to the technologically advanced and genetically discriminant society of Gattaca, a result of the human desire for perfection. Niccol follows the life of an aspiring astronaut, Vincent Anton Freedman, a genetic ‘invalid’ and his struggle to reach his dreams in a genetically orientated society. Gattaca can be perceived as a utopia for the genetically modified; they are engineered to be born with no diseases, no afflictions, or tendencies towards disabilities. However, this is not the case for the naturally born, as shown in “They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don’t say that anymore.” Vincent’s dream was to travel into space, to ‘Triton’, one of Neptune’s moons and he achieved this through attaining the genes and identity of a crippled ‘valid’, Jerome Morrow, who “had everything except desire”, shown through “I lent you my body. You lent me your dream.” The costuming of the people in the workplace is reminiscent of those in the current or last century, portraying the fact that our contemporary society may lead a possible pathway into that direction as a result of the human desire for perfection. Additionally, the police and detectives are all uniformed in grey trench coats and fedoras, providing an ominous atmosphere in their presence and alluding to the corruption in the federal police force. Niccol utilizes the technique of blocking as a long wide shot of a line of ‘invalids’ entrapped by fences of sharp barbed wire is presented. This establishes the mental barrier placed between the ‘valids’ and the ‘invalids’, emphasizing the societal constraints made by the genetically orientated society and like More, portrays the dystopia born through the attempt of establishing a utopia. Through Gattaca, Niccol reveals the dystopia created through human’s greatest flaw: the ambition for perfection. Unlike any other story, Alfonso Cuaron’s filmic adaptation of P. D. James’ dystopic novel, Children Of Men bring us to a futuristic world where humankind has lost its ability to procreate. We are brought into a world where atomic wars, pollution and plagues have stripped humankind their ability to reproduce. Throughout the whole film, Cuaron utilizes tension between the background and foreground to reveal the connotations of a society without children, as shown through “very odd, what happens to a world without children’s voices.” A fascist and anti-immigrant society is presented to us through the technique of blocking, shown through the placement of foreign immigrants in cages. This further emphasizes the societal constraint and the extreme dystopian society created as a result of the advancement in technology, the attempt at accomplishing human perfection. Another major tenet apparent in Cuaron’s movie is religious extremism, represented through the belief God has taken away our abilities to bear children because of our maltreatment to the environment. “In his anger, he has taken away his most precious gift to us, birth.” Curaon utilizes biblical allusions in the scene Kee reveals she is pregnant which takes place in a barn full of animals, the same setting in which Jesus Christ was born. Here, Theo responds to her pregnancy with a surprised “Jesus Chris” to which Luke replied “Yeah, it’s a miracle, ain’t it'” The various biblical allusions utilized in these scenes further accentuate the turmoil and severity of the dystopia created by this society. However, the most central theme present in this film is the concept of hope. It is obvious that Theo has no hope for the Human Project at the beginning of the film, describing it as “useless and not real”. However, by the end of the film, he is willing to sacrifice everything to get Kee to the Human Project. A ship called the “Tomorrow” rescues Kee at the end, a symbol of a better future, this concept of hope going back to More’s Utopia, the dream for a perfect society. The use of rich thematic elements of hope play out against despair in a dystopian vision of the future, a society filled with societal constraints due to the ambition for human perfection. The dystopias present in each of these texts exemplify the fatal flaw of the desire for perfection in human beings. The utilisation of both language and cinematic techniques allow More, Niccol and Cuaron to successfully encompass the concept of utopias in which dystopias emerge from as a result of this flaw. These texts bring about a realization of the pathway the world is leading to and the actions we must do to prevent it.