One main societal aspect expressed in Sargent’s Utopianism: A Very Short Introduction and played out in the novels Utopia, Herland, and Looking Backwards is education of citizens. In all three books all societies valued education and placed it high up on their main concerns. However one can observe differences in the way the education of citizens is carried out among the novels. Citizens in Thomas More’s Utopia valued education above all else. When one wasn’t working they were studying and bettering themselves primarily in the field of science. One slightly negative aspect in their system is the fact that only the truly gifted and intelligent were allowed to pursue academic studies full time; whereas, the rest of the population had to focus
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The most radical of dealing with gender roles can be seen in Herland. Like the title eluded to, this is a society that functions fully and productively with an absence of men. The women in this community even found a way to reproduce without the aid of men; thus rendering men completely useless. Women were also strong and able to defend themselves, which defies traditional roles of females being damsels in distress in need for a man’s protection “Instantly each of us was seized by five women, each holding arm or leg or head; we were lifted like children, straddling helpless children, and borne onward, wriggling indeed, but most ineffectually,” (page 20). Even when faced by the treat of three strange males entering their land, the woman of this society were able to over power and deal with the threat themselves. Lastly all positions of power and responsible judge making fall upon the women. This is different from gender roles in Bellamy’s Looking Backwards, where women were not allowed to be president. The genders were separated and a leader was chosen among the males and females. This further separated the females from the males. Although throughout the novel Julian West is told women in the 2000’s were able to work outside of the house hold the reader never sees the main female, Edith Leete, fulfill any role besides that of an emotional supporter. This may be a product of the time period Edward Bellamy was writing in where a women’s job was to run the house while the men went off to work. Utopia is different from both because it is the closest any of the novels come to regarding gender equality. The main character, Raphael, stresses the fact that women have equal opportunities as men. Women are also allowed to choose a practical craft to pursue as well as men. However, Raphael does mention that it is obvious that women are physically weaker than men so
The most radical of dealing with gender roles can be seen in Herland. Like the title eluded to, this is a society that functions fully and productively with an absence of men. The women in this community even found a way to reproduce without the aid of men; thus rendering men completely useless. Women were also strong and able to defend themselves, which defies traditional roles of females being damsels in distress in need for a man’s protection “Instantly each of us was seized by five women, each holding arm or leg or head; we were lifted like children, straddling helpless children, and borne onward, wriggling indeed, but most ineffectually,” (page 20). Even when faced by the treat of three strange males entering their land, the woman of this society were able to over power and deal with the threat themselves. Lastly all positions of power and responsible judge making fall upon the women. This is different from gender roles in Bellamy’s Looking Backwards, where women were not allowed to be president. The genders were separated and a leader was chosen among the males and females. This further separated the females from the males. Although throughout the novel Julian West is told women in the 2000’s were able to work outside of the house hold the reader never sees the main female, Edith Leete, fulfill any role besides that of an emotional supporter. This may be a product of the time period Edward Bellamy was writing in where a women’s job was to run the house while the men went off to work. Utopia is different from both because it is the closest any of the novels come to regarding gender equality. The main character, Raphael, stresses the fact that women have equal opportunities as men. Women are also allowed to choose a practical craft to pursue as well as men. However, Raphael does mention that it is obvious that women are physically weaker than men so