The continual striving for peace, even in the face of violence, is something mankind shares. Malala Yousafzai, in her speech to the United Nations, Nelson Mandela, in his reflection "Working Towards Peace," and Ursula Le Guin, in her fictional essay "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," all discuss this theme in their respective works. Even though each of these pieces were published at different points years ago, we're still having the same conversation on peace and violence in today's society. In the world we live people feel as though they are being deprived of their freedom because of their skin color, so others wouldn’t suffer, or the simple fact that they want an education not only for themselves, but others around them. In each of the
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Not only did Guin talk about the positives in Omelas, but she also talks about the negatives. Guin's idea of a utopian society is with people who are always happy with no rules, no kings, no slaves, etc. Further in her perspectives of what a utopian world is, she goes on to talk about this young child, in a basement with horrid conditions. To everyone this child was referred to as an “It” since no one knew whether it was a boy or girl. All this child would do is sit there crouched up in fear; no one would come down to help the child, but only to stare while others would kick the child just to get a reaction out of it, but the child remained in a crouching position. In Guin’s essay, she says, “They all know that it has to be there” (549). This quote is significant because this means that the fate of this utopian city tied into the suffering of this one child, his or her freedom is being sacrificed so that people on the other side of that basement is happy. What would the people of Omelas do if this child dies? Would they sacrifice another? Is a perfect lifestyle more important than a suffering
Not only did Guin talk about the positives in Omelas, but she also talks about the negatives. Guin's idea of a utopian society is with people who are always happy with no rules, no kings, no slaves, etc. Further in her perspectives of what a utopian world is, she goes on to talk about this young child, in a basement with horrid conditions. To everyone this child was referred to as an “It” since no one knew whether it was a boy or girl. All this child would do is sit there crouched up in fear; no one would come down to help the child, but only to stare while others would kick the child just to get a reaction out of it, but the child remained in a crouching position. In Guin’s essay, she says, “They all know that it has to be there” (549). This quote is significant because this means that the fate of this utopian city tied into the suffering of this one child, his or her freedom is being sacrificed so that people on the other side of that basement is happy. What would the people of Omelas do if this child dies? Would they sacrifice another? Is a perfect lifestyle more important than a suffering