utopian visions. what is john lennon’s view of the perfect world? “imagine”
TRANSCRIPT
Utopian Visions
What is John Lennon’s view of
the perfect world?“Imagine”
Imagine there's no heavenIt's easy if you tryNo hell below us
Above us only skyImagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countriesIt isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die forAnd no religion too
Imagine all the peopleLiving life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamerBut I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join usAnd the world will be as one
Imagine no possessionsI wonder if you can
No need for greed or hungerA brotherhood of manImagine all the peopleSharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamerBut I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join usAnd the world will live as one
What is a utopia?an idealized society
Have you heard this term before? If so, where?
Explain that the word "utopia" is originally the title of a work by Sir Thomas More (1477–1535), an English scholar and Catholic saint who was executed by Henry VIII after he refused to sign an oath recognizing the king as supreme head of the Church of England.
Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia”
It was written in 1516 in Latin.
It tries to define an ideal republic.
One of its main themes is the idea that all private property should be abolished and that all goods and materials should be held collectively by the people and distributed equally.
Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia”
Three men that are high ranking officials in England meet for dinner and a conversation develops about what an ideal society would be like. He explains how the founder of Utopia, General Utopus, conquered the isthmus on which Utopia now stands and through a great public works effort cut away the land to make an island. Next, Hythloday moves to a discussion of Utopian society, portraying a nation based on rational thought, with communal property, great productivity, no rapacious love of gold, no real class distinctions, no poverty, little crime or immoral behavior, religious tolerance, and little inclination to war. It is a society that Hythloday believes is superior to any in Europe.
More’s Utopian Quotes
Read and analyze the quotes from “Utopia” and determine whether you believe they are conducive to an ideal society.
Quotes
Chart
Write a paragraph describing your
utopia.