Utopia Satire

Thomas More’s satirical novella, Utopia, portrays the idea of a “perfect society” in response to the flaws of the society around him. More presents a Utopian society which acts as a mirror through which key ideas are reflected. More reflects on the ideas of leaderships and the systems of governance, religion and society by envisaging Utopian alternatives that encourage the reader to consider the flaws of the European monarchies, changes to the agrarian system of economy and privileging of wealth and power of social responsibility. More depicts these Utopian visions through the voice of Raphael, a philosopher who uses satire to criticise the present condition of England and propose an ideal society. The text to a large extent serves as a mirror …show more content…
In the Utopian society all politics in association with Reformation and even More’s personal allegiance to Catholicism, is secondary to freedom of choice. The practice of religious tolerance in Utopia in which “everyone is free to practice what religion he likes,” draws a contrast to the religious condemnation in More’s context. The quote contradicts More’s ideals and beliefs, due to the fact that he was a firm supporter of the Catholic Church, an institution which strongly opposed the ideas of divorce. The phrase “the guilty party is disgraced and condemned to celibacy for life”, utilises emotive language to highlight the fact that divorce was considered as counterproductive to the societal running in utopia, but may be tolerated under certain circumstances. However a papal decree was introduced in England which completely prohibited divorce, where even Henry VIII’s plea was rejected, prompting the formation of the Church of England. Morton’s interests in Raphael’s proposals for social reform at his dinner party symbolically alludes to the idea that Raphael’s reforms do not defy Christianity, only the existing monarchical system which is symbolised by the other dinner party guests who ridicule his ideas. Divorce was a violation of the religious principles at the time, and More’s execution for criticising the divorce of Henry VIII reinforces this …show more content…
The vast social gulf in the monarchical system and the corruption of the feudal system triggered More to envisage social change based on the quest for equality and solidarity. More criticises the exploitation of the upper classes by exposing their manipulation of the economy and their disregard for the suffering imposed on the masses. The use of accumulation in the phrase “the rich will be greedy, unscrupulous and totally useless characters, while the poor will be unassuming people”, highlights the manipulative nature of the rich, and the disparity between the classes through the use of juxtaposition. More highlights the inequality between the prosperous, who exhibit greed in their acquisition of wealth, and the deprived who are ironically required to ” go on labouring under a burden of poverty, hardship and worry” despite their greater contribution to society. The implementation of the Land Enclosure Act highlights the rapacious nature of the upper echelons through the use of a simile where “Each greedy individual preys on his native land like a malignant growth, absorbing field after field, and enclosing thousands of acres with a single fence.” The disease imagery and repetition of “field after field” encapsulates how damaging the focus on livestock is to the welfare of agrarian workers. The phrase elucidates the corrupt deeds of the privileged