Sarvi 1

Jenus Sarvi
Dr. Sterling
ENGL 1301
12 November 2016
The Ideal Social System
Utopia, written by Thomas More, reflects a society that lacks a class-system, which
entitles everyone to equality. Unlike Utopia, in The Sleeper Awakes by H. G. Wells, the members
of the society divide into hierarchies. The political despots and capitalist exploiters hold great
power and treat the working class extremely poorly. Humanity continuously strives to develop a
society that acquires its citizens needs. The key to an ideal social system consists of equality,
limited free will, justice, and social reform.
Equality plays a significant role in achieving a model social system. Every member of a
society should receive equal treatment, despite his or her class, race, or gender. Equality
annihilates discrimination amongst citizens living within the same society. In Utopia, Thomas
More explains how every man has a right to everythingfor among them there is no unequal
distribution, so that no man is poor (103). For instance, all of the cities share their surpluses
with other cities in need. After meeting their needs, the cities sell their surpluses abroad.
Additionally, Utopians share an equal amount of workload, and the sick stay in well-equipped
hospitals, where fair distribution of food and meals take place. From a societal point of view, The
Sleeper Awakes immensely differs from Utopia. The government treats the working class like
slaves, paying them with food for each days hard work. The Labor Company herds the people
along long, elaborate public transportation systems, taking them to unimaginable hours of work.
Meanwhile, the Council sends members of the elite to Pleasure Cities, where they consume their

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wealth and desire to ease the evils of society. Equality stands highly important in a society
because it prevents dispute and hostility between the citizens.
An individuals free will severely affect the level of success in a society. Free will allows
people to express their personal opinions. However, this can arise issues considering not every
person within a society agrees with one another. Ones beliefs can easily conflict with another
persons beliefs, causing divergence amongst the two. For this reason, an ideal society should
limit the free will of its members. It ought to offer the best-suitable conditions that would benefit
the citizens altogether; the inhabitants would determine these conditions. In Utopia, Thomas
More conveys the idea that each individual fulfills the essentials needed for a successful, unified
society. A persons free will would solely aim towards strengthening the society, rather than
themselves individually. This limits free will by forbidding any one person from performing an
act that fails to benefit the community entirely. An individual could possibly destroy the morals
of another individual, based on his or her own personal beliefs. This defeats the purpose of a
Utopian society.
Justice ensures a more proper functioning society. In simplicity, justice punishes the
wrong and rewards the right. This strongly influences people to make the right decisions
established by the society. Justice helps construct a more secure environment for people because
not everyone is promised to perform the rightful thing in a society. Without it, there would stand
no set boundaries, allowing people to take extreme measures for the sake of their own good,
which could possibly endanger the lives of others around them. Furthermore, those committing
wrong doings would continue to take this sort of action, while those executing the rightful act
would not get rewarded for their achievements. According to the article Justice and Fairness,
written by Manuel Velasquez from Santa Clara University, punishments are held to be just to

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the extent that they take into account relevant criteria such as the seriousness of the crime and the
intent of the criminal, and discount irrelevant criteria such as race. Justice sets a standard for
appropriate behavior and encourages people to reach that standard. The members of a Utopian
society should feel safe and secure in their community; justice shapes this style of community for
them.
Social reforms come into factor when attaining an ideal society because they require
citizens to come together to reach a common goal. Social reforms are initiatives under the
authority of the state meant to change a society for the better of its members. State leaders will
gather an assembly to situate ongoing concerns, such as increasing employment opportunities or
reducing crime rates. The Sleeper Awakes, as a dystopian society, sends away its rich elite
members because of the fear that they may begin to spread reforming ideas. Without social
reform, state officials would disregard the voices of society, which would eventually cause
animosity between the citizens.
Mankind continuously struggles to develop a perfect society that obtains the needs of all
of its citizens. The most effective ways to construct such as society is through equality, limited
free will, justice, and social reform. In Thomas Mores novel, Utopia, the society follows these
ideal social aspects, whereas The Sleeper Awakes by H. G. Wells opposes these qualities. The
Utopian society consisted of an unbiased social system where each member receives fair and
equal treatment. In contrast, The Sleeper Awakes distinguishes its citizens based upon their social
class. The working classes live in harsh conditions, while the superior ones hold extreme power
over them. With the ideal social characteristics mentioned above, citizens can live in content with
those around them.

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Work Cited
More, Thomas. Utopia. 1515. Feedbooks, 22 Nov. 2016, www.feedbooks.com/book/198/utopia.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Utopia Society and Class Quotes." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University,
Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Velasquez, Manuel. "Justice and Fairness." - Ethical Decision Making. Santa Clara University,
n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Wells, H. G. The Sleeper Awakes. 1910. Feedbooks, 22 Nov. 2016,
www.feedbooks.com/book/593/the-sleeper-awakes.

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