plato's utopia

If Plato’s utopia existed today, it would be seen as a dystopia. Plato’s utopia includes sorting the people into classes. Most aspects of society are determined and rigid. Pop culture portrays this strict structure, that puts society before the individual, as dystopia. We see it in The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Giver. In these works, there is an individual that tries to break the social structure. The audience empathizes with the protagonist. Because of the influence of Christianity, utopia becomes identical to Heaven. Our generation values the individual- human rights, identity. And our idea of utopia is not similar to that of Plato. Plato’s utopia becomes dystopia. When asked if we would like to reach utopia, it all depends on how you view utopia. If in context to Plato, many would rather live in dystopia. Choosing dystopia over utopia is seen in many literary works- 1984, Brave New World. Brave New World, similar to Plato’s utopia, divides the people into five working classes, each with their own jobs. The novel focuses on John, who ultimately decides living in this utopia is not worth it. Aldous Huxley, the author, delivers the message that utopia should not be achieved. Because humans desire to live in an ideal place, utopia is naturally tried to be made a reality, but a more perfect society is less free for the individual. Before stability, the people were oppressed by their misery. Ironically, that same misery granted a greater happiness. There is a continuous question then: what methods justify attaining an ideal society?