Definitions, main features Utopia and Dystopia

Utopia: is “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect” (Oxford Dictionary). It comes from the Greek and describes an ideal, but non- existent society which is depicted in detail for the first time by Thomas More.

Dystopia is “an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian one” (Oxford Dictionary), in other words, it is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

The form of government in utopias and dystopias: Utopia is a cooperative society, in which the democratic system is preferred Dystopia embraces the idea that it has to impose severe social restrictions on the characters’ lives. Their main characteristic, besides the control of the politics and economy, is the development of negative emotions such as fear. The power belongs to a single party.

Freedom In utopia society the right to choose for yourself is respected sacredly Instead, in the case of dystopias, the idea of freedom disappears, because the individual is a slave to a totalitarian system where fear becomes the prevalent among the citizens of such a society.

Natural world In the ideal world imagined by More, the natural environment is not altered, polluted, or destroyed by the people Citizens living in a dystopian society are, in general, isolated from the natural world. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the inhabitants have to avoid nature, because even a walk can be considered anti-social behavior.

The setting and traveling abroad In Utopia, people are encouraged to travel abroad In Dystopian society, instead, the inhabitants are captive in la circular land

Food supplies Utopian’s idea about food: “there is plenty of everything” (More 1997:66) Dystopian word in terms of food: ration

Bibliography: Oxford Dictionary (n.d.) Utopia [Online]. Available: glish/utopia [Accessed May 25, 2015] glish/utopia Oxford Dictionary (n.d.) Dystopia [Online]. Available: glish/dystopia [Accessed May 25, 2015] More, Thomas Utopia. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics of word literature Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey