Utopia and the Eastern State Penitentiary - Essay Example

Compare and Contrast Utopia to the Eastern Penitentiary Utopia, one of the best and ideal communities or societies in the human history, and the Eastern State Penitentiary, America's most historic former prisons which was open during 1829-1971, offer an important topic of comparative analysis. There are several elements of comparison between these two famous places, though they share dissimilarities of various types. For example, one finds that, in Utopia, people have restraints but they are free to speak to each other.

Similarly, prisoners within the Eastern State Penitentiary are not allowed to have any human contact. This paper undertakes a comparative investigation of Utopia and the Eastern State Penitentiary in order to comprehend the characteristics of both the states of living. One of the major similarities between the two places is that both of them gave central priority to work and the difference is that in Utopia performed these activities out of their choice whereas in the Eastern State Penitentiary were forced to do such activities.

Utopia is an ideal land on the earth where people lived a comfortable and prosperous life and agriculture was part of their social structure. "Agriculture is that which is so universally understood among them that no person, either man or woman, is ignorant of it; they are instructed in it from their childhood, partly by what they learn at school, and partly by practice, they being led out often into the fields about the town, where they not only see others at work but are likewise exercised in it themselves.

" (More, 53) The people of the land also got engaged, besides agriculture, in the manufacture of wool or flax, masonry, smith's work, or carpenter's work etc according to the taste of the individuals. Therefore, it is obvious that the people of Utopia worked hard to earn their living and they were well-versed in several major skills which proved vital to their prosperous life. Work was part and parcel of their living and the people were motivated to engage in several other types of commitments.

Though the inhabitants of the Eastern State Penitentiary were engaged in different activities, it was primarily compulsion, not self-motivation, which directed them to such works. In Utopia, entertainment and leisure time activities were given importance. In the Eastern State Penitentiary too there were opportunities for the prisoners to entertain themselves and they played chess everyday and were provided with television. There were also several types of celebrations among them.Significantly the people of Utopia enjoyed great freedom and contentment in relation with other members of the land.

There was no violence or hatred among the people of the land which resulted in great peace and stability in their lives. In comparison, the prisoners in the Eastern State Penitentiary were scared to death and their motto was "If you hurt me I'll hurt you". It is often regarded as a dangerous and violent place and there are several accounts of struggles between inmates and prison staff. The life in the Eastern State Penitentiary was never hopeful to its members and people of different types, including men, women, adults, children, and murderers etc, lived most uncomfortably fought in their uneven rooms which were places where they awaiting punishment.

The people of the place, in contrast to the people in Utopia, were without human contacts as they were completely isolated from neighbors which gave them private opportunity for reflection. The major crimes committed by the prisoners here included robbery, burglary, theft, horse theft, and murder and the punishment they expected was very severe. In conclusion, an insightful comparison between Utopia and the Eastern State Penitentiary proves that there were several similar factors in both the types of living.

However, the basic distinction between the two places remains constant - the effect of the activities done by the members of two different regions vary from one to the other. In fact, the people of Utopia achieved prosperity and happiness at the end of every kind of hard work they do, whereas it was not so in the case of the prisoners in the Eastern State Penitentiary. Work CitedMore, Thomas. Utopia. Adamant Media Corporation. P 53.