Book 2 of Utopia Summary/Evaluation

While reading through Book II of Utopia, I found many ideas that Sir Thomas More presented that I both liked, and hated. These would include:

Everyone being uniform, allowing no individuality.

• It is presented in many cases throughout this book that More would prefer a society where no one is allowed to express their own individuality and they all must be the same. Being someone whom is fond of being known for who I am, rather than for who a whole group of people are, I would not find myself very happy in this type of society.

Being granted permission to travel

• When people want to travel outside of their city, they must obtain a type of 'passport' from the Prince which restricts them to where they can travel and how long they can actually be there. Being someone that travels quite a bit, I would not do well under this condition. I also enjoy traveling freely and enjoy having the option of where I am going to go and how long I am going to stay.

The entire population understands and takes part in agricultural work. Besides this, every person has a specific trade.

• In my opinion, the way that this sytem is set up would cause stagmitism and a lack of further development of technology, because of the lack of specialization. They are only trade jobs and not jobs in developmental fields that could lead to breakthrough advances. With this would also cause a lack in competition to come up with the next great idea.

Looking down on those who have expensive things.

• It should not matter how much money a person has or how they spend it. People should mind their own business and worry about their own income situations. By reading More's opinion on this I came to question whether or not he had money growing up as a kid.

All of their people are trained in military exercies on a daily basis.

• I do agree with this idea as it would be better to have everyone in the society at least have a knowledge of what to do in a time of crisis, rather than panicking and actually making matters worse.

I still do not think that I could stand living in the Utopian society, and would still much rather live under that of a monarchy.

Book 1 of Utopia Summary/Evaluation

In the first book of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, many ideas and concepts of how different countries are controlled are brought to the plate. The character of Sir Thomas More meets a man named Raphael Hyloday who does not believe in the present system of government, but in Utopia a place of commonwealth where he had supposedly lived for five years. As the story continues Hyloday brings up many points that show his disagreement with monarchy and support of the Utopian lifestyle. These include:
§ Most Monarchs only concern themselves with war
o As most Kings want to be remembered as war heroes they surround themselves with war so as to be held as a household name one day. This is obvious in King Henry VIII, as he tried to go to many wars just to be remembered for his miraculous glory when he was able to overcome other countries.
§ Followers always agree with their King
o When More questions Hyloday for not working for a King, Hyloday states that he could not always agree with what the King would want. He points out that most or all of the people working for the monarchy must always agree with what is presented as to keep their own jobs, and save their own lives.
§ Punishments are too harsh for their crimes
o When the subject of a thief being charged with the death penalty is brought up, Hyloday shows that the charge of death is far too great for only stealing. He then continues on to discuss how most people cannot help but become thieves as they cannot obtain jobs due to war wounds and the raising price of food. So in order for them and their families to survive, they must steal food. Then he talks about how he once saw in a country that rather than charge the thieves with the death penalty they marked them and put them in prison. The only way they would be killed is if they tried to escape.
§ The King should work on improving his own country rather than conquering others.
o Hyloday talks about all of the monarchies that focus on enlarging their countries by conquering others and that instead of doing that they should focus more on what’s going on in what they already have. He talks of all the people dying and all of the poverty that is already established. This shows the greediness of the noble during the time.
§ The wealth of the King should be decreased as decreasing wealth in government also decreases the evils present.
o The people of Macarians, who live not far from Utopia, have a rule that their King is never to have at once above 1,000 pounds of gold in his treasures. He points out that with this less evils are presented within the people and they are able to live in a peaceful environment.

My reaction to the first book was that of confusion. It took a couple of times through the full thing to fully understand what was being said or suggested. After reading it I decided that I still agree more with the ways of the monarchies rather than that of the Utopian belief.