Part A: To supplement our reading of 1984, we have discussed the qualities of both utopian and dystopian societies. Visit the two links below. Make sure to view the video segment regarding Denmark. Post your responses here. What utopian qualities are found in Dubai? How about Denmark? Are they realistic? Close to actual utopias? Explain.
The World: Dubai
Denmark: The Happiest Place on Earth
Part B: Last week, you were asked to read an excerpt from Eric Wiener's Geography of Bliss. Answer the following questions regarding the excerpt: 1. What is la chasse au bonheur? 2. Explain how we may be "slouching toward happiness...in evolutionary terms." 3. Explain the quote from Jeremy Bentham. 4. Describe the anecdote regarding the Polish citizen.
12 comments:
Crystal Stott
The vidio about Denmark is really interesting and i think everyone would love to live like that and be the happiest people in the world but you also need to face not so good lifestyles. In Denmark they probably had to work on being the happiest people in the world.
Part A
Utopia means an ideal place, a place of perfection. The utopian qualities that are found in Dubai are that there are many islands coming together as one to make it look like the world (seven continents) but on one part of the Earth. There are many resorts, it is what many people dream of but never actually get to see. Dubai has beautiful clear water and extraordinary views. Denmark is the complete opposite. I think that in Denmark, although they may have the worst weather conditions , they don’t take things for granted. In Denmark, they are open-minded and accept people for who they are. They live life the way they want. Yes, they are realistic because they are actual islands that are made but to many they are beyond our imaginations that this really exists on Earth. It is perfection, a scenery that everyone dreams about but never thinking that something so extraordinary could ever exist in our lifetime. Dubai is on the other side of the world and where many people are living now, Dubai has things that are so far out of reach for many of us.
Ashlee Perrotta
February 10, 2009
English, E
Utopian society
PART A :)
In Dubai, a little “world” if you will, is a happy place. It is made up of sand and rocks. Wealthy people are going to be living in this area mainly because of the expenses needed to have a house built on the island. Certain qualities found in Dubai that are similar to a utopian society are the facts that it is such a secluded area, that these people are going to be in a low populated area. These people are rich, which leaves not too much room for crime. Denmark is similar to that of Dubai. People living in Denmark pay taxes a little different than we do in the United States. Most everything is paid for within their tax money, so they have everything paid for in advance. There is a trash man interviewed and when asked if he is happy, he says that he is because he just has to work 5 hours a da and then he can go coach his daughter’s handball team. I’m not sure how realistic and legit these places are, just because money does not buy happiness, and it is not realistic to be working 5 hours of the day, possibly 5 days a week, and be making enough money to survive happily. That just my opinion, there are most likely people living in the world today doing just that, but I would not like to do that.
Crystal Stott
1) The French word la chasse au bonheur means the hunt for happiness
2) We may be slouching toward happiness because reasearchers say we are not smiling enough but starting to now.
The idea that they are building a community from nothing makes The World truely unique. The government of Denmark is a prime example of how a utopian society should run. In order for a utopia to exist, the people have to like wat the government is doing and the government has to know not to try to upset the populace. Denmark is a realistic view of what a utopia could be.
1. la chasse au bonheur means hunt for happiness in French.
2. We may be "slouching toward happiness" by not taking things for granted as much as we used to before, now taking value in what we have and is happy with it.
Katie K
2/11/09
Block E
Qualities found in Dubai are just like any other place found all over the world. The only difference to any other natural land is, Dubai is made up of sand and rocks. It is man-made to create the illusion of a whole different country that is secluded and set out in the random sea. But the thing is, Dubai is a Utopian society. The people who live in this part of the world are a selective group of people who can afford it. It will be in 2011 a very low populated area for that exact fact. Denmark holds a lot of the similar qualities to Dubai. Living in the United States one must owe taxes on a lot of different things such as food, rent ext. But in Denmark as well as Dubai there system is everything is included in your tax money, so everything is paid for in advance and no one or any business can go bankrupt because of the simple fact that all the money is equally distributed among by people’s essential living arrangements. The trash man who was interviewed seemed very happy and aware that life was great. Working only 5 hrs a day and having time to coach his daughter’s handball team seems unrealistic and makes no sense to me. Although there are some perks to living in a Utopia society like everything is calculated into your taxes, I, in my opinion, rather have freedom and to progress in life and to feel very successful in my accomplishments.
Katie K
2/11/09
Block E
Part B
In “The Geography of Bliss”, la chasse au Bonheur means “the hunt for happiness. “Slouching toward happiness in evolutionary terms” is describing us Americans as un-happy but trying to get there, it just isn’t working for us apparently is what they’re saying. I feel as though if they are going to put down the US than good thing they don’t live here. Jeremy Bentham states, “The greatest happiness of the greatest number”. Bentham apparently “espoused the utilitarian principle”. In other words, he made the principal real and understanding to followers by putting in the meaning and his beliefs he fallows. The anecdote regarding the polish citizen fell short when describing us American’s thoughts of something being “good”. The polish citizen supposedly learned if Americans say something is great, in the Polish citizen’s keys it was good. If the Americans thought something was good, they would think it was just okay. They tend to think Americans think things are better then what they really appear to be and are.
Jessica Schneider!
PART A:
Dubai is a new man made "world," it was made to look like the world with seven contenents(7 different islands). This location has beautiful beaches and clear water with many resorts, said to be better than miami. A utopian society is supposed to be a place of happiness and perfection, Dubai seems to carry those qualities although its unrealistic. The pictures of Dubai look like heaven, but just because it looks that way doesnt mean it is. However Denmark, an ordinary place with mountians and prariers unlike Dubai doesnt look like the happiest place on earth but it is. The people of Denmark live ordinary lives and dont live amongst paridse like in Dubai but a trashman has equally as good of a job as a doctor or carpenter. The government of Denmark is a big factor intot the way the place is run and it makes Denmark a happy place without looking like one. Denmark is a realistic example of a utopia unlike Dubai.
Michelle Kilburn
Englsih E
Part A
A utopia is though of as being a perfect place. Dubai is a place where many islands are being formed and forming as one to look like the world and show all seven continents. The main reason people travel here is due to the many resorts and tourist attractions. IT has a warm beach inviornment with clear blue waters, any vacation lovers dream. Denmark on the other hand is not like that at all. They have some of the worst weather conditions. In Denmark they are not judgmental and everyone is considered an equal. It is a realistic utopian society. It is an actual islands that has its own unique way of doing things and that works for them. Both of these places are total opposite. They also both are considered utopias and are the happiest places in the world.
Part B
In the first chapter of Eric Wiener’s book, Geography of Bliss, they mention la chasse au bonheur. La chasse au bonheur, literally means the hunt for happiness. Also in the first chapter, it explains things about “slouching towards happiness. . . In evolutionary terms”. In today’s current world we are slouching towards happiness. We believe that things, money, and success are happiness but we are not willing to work for it. And physical possessions do not always equal happiness. This can relate to Jeremy Bentham’s quote “the greatest happiness of the greatest numbers”. Which to most means the more the better. The first chapter seems interesting and seems to be very in tuned with today’s society even though it takes part in a different part of the world.
Jessica Schneider
PART B:
1. la chasse au bonheur, spoken by the french means the hunt for happiness.
2. We may now be slouching toward happiness because no one person is happier than another, there may be times and exceptions. In evolutionary terms there are so many different examples of what type of people are happier than others but your most always the person on both sides of that data.
3. Jeremy Bentham stated, "the greatest happiness of the greatest number." This quote means to maxamize the feeling of happiness in all people.
4.
Part A
Ways in which Dubai is a Utopian society are; it’s a very wealth place and is building “the world” off the cost of it, they have clean clear water. On account of being a relatively small scale of the world it is going to be low populated. Ways in which Denmark is a Utopian society are; it doesn’t matter what type of job you take your still going to be well respected and can live in the same neighborhood as someone with a higher class job.
Part B
1) The French phrase la chasse au Bonheur means “the hunt for happiness”
2) “Slouching toward happiness” means that we are unhappy, and are slowly trying to raise our happiness level.
3) Bentham’s quote “The greatest happiness of the greatest number…” means, the more of something you have the happier you will be.
Sean H
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