Thomas More Satire

Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia in the early 16th century as a “scathing satire” to provide two points of opposition to the concept of a Utopia. The reader is able to clearly discern each of these points. One, from More’s character's point of view believes a Utopia cannot exist, He says “As I cannot agree and consent to all things that he [Hythloday] said…so must I needs confess and grant that many things be in the Utopian weal-public which in our cities I may rather wish for than hope after.”More also believes that many of the Utopia’s ideas are not founded on good reason, also he says, “It is not possible for all things to be well unless all men were good”. The opposing view of the character Raphael Hythloday supports the concept of a Utopia, his “all or nothing idealism based on his belief in human perfectibility”, additionally Hythloday believes he saw Utopia

Ironically, in More’s characters writing, he reveals that Hythloday also means “speaker of nonsense”, adding to the sense in the reader that Utopia is nonsense, and quite impossible. An essential concept that More’s readers must understand, is that More is writing to criticize the idea of a Utopia. After reading Utopia, there is clearly a bias that More has in his story against the concept of a perfect society. Consequently, when readers may be questioned about the concept of a Utopia, they may show a bias towards the fact that a Utopia, can not exist. More importantly, More helps his readers understand both viewpoints of the story, The Pure genius of Utopia is that it provides an environment in which readers feel as if they are also part of More’s story, Utopia. An example of this genius is More’s creation of controversy between the characters More and Hythloday which captivates the reader's attention and compels one to engage in the dialog. Finally, Utopia forces readers to think more critically about the topic, Utopia, a perfect