Le Guin’s “The ones who walk away from the Omelas” is an interesting short story that questions the ideas of social justice in society. It asks the question, is it right to force the suffering of one individual into order to prolong to the well-being of society, or should everyone live equally despite the difficultly that the society will face. This question challenges the principles of capitalism; an economy where the rich flourish off of the hardships of the poor; vs. a socialist economy; which is an economy where everyone has about equal pay and share in the hardships of society. These themes are prevalent through the story, in the beginning of the story, it depicts an impossibly perfect society celebrating the ‘Festival of summer,’ the people depicted can be seen as upper classmen who live an easy, which at first seems to no consequence. These people are what you see when you first enter the town, no despair in sight and it seems that everything in the world is good, however, this is not the case as readers later learn that the Omelas keep a much darker secret; they keep one child locked in a cellar below a building. The child is the only one who feels despair in Omelas, no tourist knows about the child and almost every resident knows about the child. The child is theoretically a lower-class person, who is under represented, underprivileged, and is mistreated, in a capitalist society. The Omelas treat the child terribly because if they do not, then their society will decline and they will lose their easy lives. Eventually, the young adults who have not seen the child are taken to see it. No one ever handles the sight of the child well; oftentimes they want to help the child, however, they are not allowed. Seeing the child makes the young adults realize that they are not living in an equal society, but instead a society that flourishes off of the pain of one individual. The young adults would rather live in a society where everyone is both rich and equal; however, that simply is not possible. After this, in the middle of the night some of the young adults decide that it’s better for one to suffer than for all to suffer and they clear there conscious of it, others, unable to accept that the only way they can live an easy life is at the expense of another, leave the Omelas, never returning. It is possible that the young adults are searching for a society where all people live as equals despite the hardships that they may have to share, stating that they’d rather live in a socialist type society.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Web Log 1
WebLog 1: CLASS SURVEY
Personal information
1. Name, hometown, primary email.
2. What name do you prefer to be called, nick name, etc.?
3. Please insert a picture of yourself in the profile of your new blog.
4. What are you into; what makes you special? Share a few “unique” aspects about yourself that would help our classroom community get to know you a bit.
Learning Style and more:
5. Being as specific as you can, what must be in place for you to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a classroom?
Technology Section
6. What do you believe was the most important technological invention in history? Why?
7. Please list a number of technologies you currently believe to be essential to your life.
8. Briefly describe your experience working with 1. computers, 2. digital media, and 3. social media and then rate your technical proficiency on a scale of 10 (I invented Facebook) to 1 (what are you talking about).
About Dr. Shutkin:
9. Write down two or three questions you would like to ask me about myself or the class.
WebLog 1: CLASS SURVEY
1. Mark Creel, Euclid, mcreel15@jcu.edu
4. I enjoy video games, martial arts (Northern Shoalin in particular), and all kinds of music.
5. Respect for my opinions.
6. The computer used the during world war 2, because after it's profound success it encouraged the continued development of computers, which in many ways has made life easier.
7. -Computers; in this new day and age. Society has become very dependant on computers. Computers allow me to manage my bank account, file my financial aid, and lets me type papers for classes.
- Automobiles; the allow me to travel to far off places much faster.
- Refridgerators, because they preserve and maintain food, allowing me to hold larger amounts of food for longer periods of time.
8. I have a pretty good understanding of computers, minor programings skills and a good understanding of how a computer works; I use digital media like youtube very extensively, however, I use social media very seldomly. If I had to rate my computer skills it would be a 8/10
9. I have no questions at the moment.
Personal information
1. Name, hometown, primary email.
2. What name do you prefer to be called, nick name, etc.?
3. Please insert a picture of yourself in the profile of your new blog.
4. What are you into; what makes you special? Share a few “unique” aspects about yourself that would help our classroom community get to know you a bit.
Learning Style and more:
5. Being as specific as you can, what must be in place for you to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a classroom?
Technology Section
6. What do you believe was the most important technological invention in history? Why?
7. Please list a number of technologies you currently believe to be essential to your life.
8. Briefly describe your experience working with 1. computers, 2. digital media, and 3. social media and then rate your technical proficiency on a scale of 10 (I invented Facebook) to 1 (what are you talking about).
About Dr. Shutkin:
9. Write down two or three questions you would like to ask me about myself or the class.
WebLog 1: CLASS SURVEY
1. Mark Creel, Euclid, mcreel15@jcu.edu
4. I enjoy video games, martial arts (Northern Shoalin in particular), and all kinds of music.
5. Respect for my opinions.
6. The computer used the during world war 2, because after it's profound success it encouraged the continued development of computers, which in many ways has made life easier.
7. -Computers; in this new day and age. Society has become very dependant on computers. Computers allow me to manage my bank account, file my financial aid, and lets me type papers for classes.
- Automobiles; the allow me to travel to far off places much faster.
- Refridgerators, because they preserve and maintain food, allowing me to hold larger amounts of food for longer periods of time.
8. I have a pretty good understanding of computers, minor programings skills and a good understanding of how a computer works; I use digital media like youtube very extensively, however, I use social media very seldomly. If I had to rate my computer skills it would be a 8/10
9. I have no questions at the moment.
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