Poem and  my response

Tedious Utopia



by ~ Chanti




Long ago and faraway
where all good tales began
in a land of plenty
not marred by thinking man
No poverty or sickness,
no anger, greed or hate
Time was not the master
and folk were never late
Utopian land of dreams
Heavenly place to some
To one man it seemed tedious
“A paradise for the dumb.”
“Not for those who question
or rise to seize the day,
No challenges to stretch their minds”
was what he’d like to say.
Others seemed content
in the endless glow of sun
but the wise man prayed most earnestly
that it would come undone
He grew tired of endless day
and longed for the contrast of night
because ‘Only after darkness
can they hope to see the light.’
He looked upon the people
grown complacent, soft and fat
“Nothing more and nothing less.
What’s a ball without a bat?”
There’s no competition
When everyone agrees
Surrounded by perfection
what could they hope to see?
A better world is found
in balanced black and white
Growth can only happen
through challenges in life.
Hearts and minds grow stronger
when they bravely bear the load
How can one develop
with only one choice of road?"


This wonderful and thoughtful poem has captured my attention greatly in that it is a philosophical write that ponders the question "Is perfection good for us?" It makes us think that perhaps heaven can only be reached when you have been through hell. This is a dystopian poem set in a utopian society. I like the fact that this poem is very similar to the The Giver.This society is very much alike to Jonas’ society and the wise man in this poem is similar to the Giver in that both feel distaste in a utopian society which eliminates mental and physical pain, individuality and other components of life. These feelings are also experienced by Jonas at a later part of the book.

 
This poem deals with several themes such as the elimination of human feelings and suffering, the importance of individuality and the negative impact of extreme perfection. These themes can be seen in The Giver as well.

 Elimination of human feelings and suffering can be seen in this poem when the man in the poem says, ‘No poverty or sickness, no anger, greed or hate’ can be seen in the community he lives in. These elements - poverty, sickness, anger, greed and hate are not present in Jonas’ community either and this elimination is not a very good thing for people because they experience no real joy or love and do not understand how gifted they are. You will understand happiness only when you have been through sorrow. This is portrayed in the poem, 'Only after darkness can they hope to see light.' Hence, there is not only no sorrow and hatred there is also no joy and love in both communities and this is not very good for the members.






The poem also shows that there is no importance of individuality in a utopian society. This is seen in the poem when the man asks, “How can one develop with only one choice of road?" and says that, “There’s no competition”. In The Giver, this same issue is seen in that all members carry out uniform lives. Even the career they wish to pursue is not chosen by them.






The negative impact of perfection is seen when the man questions, ‘Surrounded by perfection, what could they hope to see?’ This is seen in the Giver after Jonas learns the truth of how the community eliminated many things to achieve perfection. It is then that Jonas learns that over perfection ultimately leads to deprivation and oppression.






This poem has also attracted me because of the fact that it has to be analysed deeply in order for us to understand its meaning fully. I thus feel that this is a very meaningful poem that correlates to The Giver.