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An Analytical Review of Utopian Literature
Introduction
In literature, artists use different styles to tell their stories to the audiences that they
choose. Every artist has to be sure that their style is effective in covering all the themes that they
intend to cover and present to their specific audiences. Additionally, every artist has to be highly
creative if their work is attract the popularity and interest that is required from the audiences that
they target. Literary utopia is one of the styles of writing that has gained popularity based on the
ratings of the works that are done in such a style. Works done in the utopian style present various
captivating features, which make them highly attractive and popular when presented to the
audience. While utopian literature remains highly engaging, sometimes it is unreal and a
presentation of science fiction, which makes all the aspects that an artist covers complicated and
at times confusing but highly persuasive in most times. The current paper will summarize the
different features that define utopia in literature before giving a consideration of whether 1984 by
Gearge Orwell and Wild Seed by Octavia Butler.
Features of Utopian Literature
Utopian literature has been in existence for several years ever since man began
developing their scholarly capabilities. In 1595, Sir Phillip Smith in his In Defense of Poesie,
argued that Utopian literature had the ability to make people reflect upon their societies more
than any other genre in literature (Claeys 26). Utopian literature has unique features, which are
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highly attractive to people, thereby making it possible for the audiences of utopian literature
works to reflect upon their current lives with the aim of comparing the presented works and their
real societies. It is important to understand that utopian works usually entail an imagined, unreal
world in which various features are clearly different from the way they usually are in the real life
in the world. Artists who present utopian works are clearly creative and imaginative to such an
extent that they develop a world in which people and nature have super-natural and supernormal
abilities either to manipulate others or to support others overcome various challenges in life. As
such, utopian literature is clearly unlike any other form of art considering the unique style that it
takes.
It has been established that utopian literature often presents a faraway place, space and
time, without necessarily providing a way of reaching there for those who may be assessing the
details of the artist. In most cases, the utopian literature describes places that seem real but which
actually are not realistic and normal to the experiences that people have had in the world. It is
apparent that in utopia, the artists usually intend to present a different view from what the
targeted audience may be experiencing or may have interacted with at some point in the past. As
such, the new experience as imagined in utopia has the ability to change the audience to reflect
upon their current realities with the objective of measuring the merits and demerits of the
imagined utopian world. In most cases, the utopian space seems highly unrealistic as at the time
when the artists present their work, but at times, some of the aspects covered come to pass upon
an intensive development in the real world of the audiences of such work. In fact, some utopian
works inspire people to rethink about the possibilities that they have in the real world hence
encouraging some form of change as anticipated in the world.
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Utopia has highly fanciful depictions, which make them attractive and supernormal from
the realities in the true world in which people live. In most cases, the artists who develop utopian
literature are focused on developing a different and imagined world unlike that the audience is
used to in real life. It is apparent that the authors imagine fancy places in which most of the
descriptions are perfect or are super good than it is the case in real life (Segal 18). Every action
and operation seems flawless in the utopian description as may be presented by the authors. The
authors have the ability to make audiences experience a world in which everything is perfect and
in which all things are attractive in the context of some of the characters that may be involved.
However, some characters may be depicted as undergoing perpetual suffering based on their lack
of the abilities that some other characters are accorded. As such, the differences in the characters
and in the settings described in the utopian literature provides a clear way in which people in the
real world can imagine every aspect in the world in which they live currently.
1984 by George Orwell as a Utopian Publication
It is apparent that utopian literature is suggestive of the way things and activities could be
in the event that a few aspects of social life could be in the event of some adjustments. In this
context, 1984 by George Orwell is indeed a utopia considering the way various aspects are
presented in it. In his book, Orwell paints a picture of a government that has immense
capabilities to monitor and manipulate its citizens. The super state of Oceania that Orwell
describes in his book is unlike any other that his audience had ever experienced before and at the
writing of his book. Apart from the instances in which some characters are mistreated and their
rights violated due to their show of dissent to the government of the Oceania super state, every
other depiction in the society of Orwell’s 1984 is fancy and supernormal.
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The real aspects of utopian literature in 1984 emerge in the depictions of O’Brien and Big
Brother. The two are depicted as being members of the inner Party, which has been able to
accumulate a totalitarian approach in the way they rule Airstrip One and the entire Oceania super
state. O’Brien is depicted as being the one who enforces the resolutions of the inner party and he
is in charge of the punishments and sanctions that those who act against the state are to face upon
the determination by the ever-watchful eyes of the party. Big Brother on the other hand may not
be an actual person but he has immense powers in the way the party rules in the Oceania super
state. It is described that BIG BROTHER IS ALWAYS WATCHING YOU, which is clearly a
form surveillance that has been made possible by the numerous cameras fitted strategically to
watch every move that people make. Clearly, the abilities of O’Brien and Big Brother are unlike
any other experiences that the authors had gone through at the time the book was being
published. Given the immense capabilities that the Oceania government has to undertake
surveillance operations in 1984, it is clear that the author had the idea of his narration being of a
utopian nature.
In the book 1984, Orwell has also depicted the character of Emanuel Goldstein, who
despite the abilities of the state has been able to remain perpetually opposed to every action of
the inner party. Goldstein is opposed to the oppression that the people face in the super state of
Oceania. Although Orwell has not been able to describe the way he manages to evade the
complex web of surveillance by the inner party, he has somehow managed to stay in the
limelight but not being able to be harassed and attacked physically as was the case with the other
characters, like Winston, who wanted to join the dissent of Goldstein. It is apparent that
Goldstein’s depiction is clearly geared towards fulfilling the state of utopia that the story is told
in 1984 by George Orwell. It is apparent that the author has been able to depict an almost perfect
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image of the way an opposition to a totalitarian and dictatorial regime should operate in a state in
which it is impossible to raise one’s voice against the oppression meted out by the government.
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler as a Utopian Publication
The novel Wild Seed by Octavia Butler is also a perfect example of utopian literature. In
the novel, Butler has created two distinct characters and developed his plot in such a way that
they end up marrying each other. Anyanwu, the protagonist in the novel, has supernatural
abilities of changing his body, age, sex and at times species, with the aim of avoiding danger in
his life. Despite his supernatural abilities and power to cause harm, Anyanwu avoids any
motivation to hurt any other person for his survival. Clearly, the depiction of Anyanwu’s perfect
abilities fits exactly in the context of utopia as described in its features. The world of Anyanwu is
perfect considering that he cannot die and he can change himself in a way that allows him to
evade any dangers to his life. Anyanwu is depicted as a person who can do just about anything to
avoid hurting another person while in pursuit of success. As such, the character of Anyanwu,
given the perfections that he holds, fits exactly in the context of utopia as understood from its
definition and the features that describe it.
On the other hand, Doro, who is the antagonist in the novel Wild Seed by Butler, has all
the qualities that allow her to remain immortal by killing the person closest to her and assuming
her life. It is apparent that Doro has the abilities of a super natural being, which is a feature that
defines utopian literature publications. Doro has the ability of living forever but her cause in life
is motivated by her greed for power and wealth, an aspect that does not sit well with the
aspirations of her husband Anyanwu. As such, given the fact that Anyanwu is more powerful
than Doro, the former forces the latter to marry Isaac, their son, so that they are able to give rise
a batter human race with immense but positive capabilities. It is apparent that the Butler was
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aiming at creating a depiction of utopia in which two personalities with supernatural powers
were in love and bearing children whose positive abilities were required to change the world to
being a better place to live in for all humanity. From the descriptions presented in the novel, it is
clear that the utopian context presented in the novel is highly effective thereby making Wild Seed
a highly effective piece of utopian literature.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya as a Non-Utopian Publication
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is clearly not a utopian piece considering that it
covers real life events in the real world. Most of the depictions in the book are related to the
cultural and societal changes in the American Southwest during World War II. The book has
often been hailed as one of the perfect depictions of the Chicano cultures in the years of the
second great war of the world. Apparently, the people residing in Mexico, who largely identify
with the Chicano culture, were affected by the war in a great way, an aspect that is detailed in the
book by Anaya. Clearly, the lack of super-natural contexts in the book point and lead to the
conclusion that Bless Me, Ultima is not a utopian piece. Indeed, the book is a classic example of
the way authors can develop pieces that review the way cultures should be analyzed in literacy
circles.
Conclusion
Following a detailed analysis of the topic of utopia in literary, it is clear that the style is
effective in encouraging change in the human society. The utopian style of writing entertains and
provokes reflection among the targeted audience members. It is apparent that the authors who
write utopian pieces have to be highly creative for them to satisfy the needs and demands of the
style. From the context of the books analyzed in the current paper, it is apparent that utopia is a
unique style with specific features that overrides the normal styles of creative writing. Finally,
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utopian literature has to be studied further if the underlying means in the pieces that have been
published and adopted such a genre are to bear to be understood in their expected contexts.
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Works Cited
Anaya, Rudolfo. "Bless Me, Ultima. 1972." New York: Warner(1999).
Butler, Octavia E. "Wild Seed. 1980." Seed to Harvest (1999).
Claeys, Gregory, ed. The Cambridge companion to utopian literature. Cambridge University
Press, 2010.
Orwell, George. "Nineteen Eighty-Four. 1949." The Complete Novels 7 (1990).
Segal, Howard P. Utopias: a brief history from ancient writings to virtual communities. Vol. 47.
John Wiley & Sons, 2012.