Thomas More’s Approach to Utopia
The book is about a Utopian society whose story and details are narrated to Peter Giles and More by a world traveller and philosopher by the name Raphael Hythloday. More had been among the delegates sent to negotiate a diplomatic dispute between King Henry VIII and prince Charles of Castile (Thomas 9). The negotiations were not successful at first and the delegates from the two teams took a break as they awaited further instructions from their rulers. It is during this break that More travels to Antwerp to spend time with Giles ant it is there that he also meets Hythloday. Hythloday is widely travelled and was very keen on the social practices of the various places he had visited. He narrates to both Giles and More the practical and extreme practices of various groups of people in different countries. The tale of the Island of Utopia particularly captures More’s attention (Thomas 14). The two suggest that Hythloday joins the king’s service as an advisor so that he could use the wisdom he has gathered to help the common citizen. In disputing this suggestion, Hythloday brings them to the reality of things in England; he talks of a dinner he had attended with Cardinal Morton, chancellor to Henry VII. At the dinner, Hythloday and a lawyer who was also in attendance disagreed on capital punishment with Hythloday arguing that it was a violation of human rights, it had failed to stop theft and the alternative would be for the state leadership to see to it that everyone has access to basic needs for a sustainable livelihood. His opinion is influenced by observations made from the communal lives in the Island of Utopia. The lawyer is in support of the capital punishment arguing that everyone could access basic needs and only had to make a choice to either work or steal. In response Hythloday cites the increased privatization of land and property, exploitation of the poor by nobles and other social and economic policies that let the poor turn to crime for survival. These views represent the reality in England. The lawyer at first receives support from those at the dinner, but after the cardinal endorsed Hythloday’s proposal everyone celebrates his ideals (Thomas 18-23). This served as ground for him denying serving in the King’s justice bench arguing that his ideas would be judged by people who were protecting their own interests or seeking favor from the rulers and his service would therefore be ineffective. On matters education, Utopian children are well educated because they believe it is through education that character formation and value orientation of society takes place. Although they may take part in manual labor such as farm work, men and women also have specific occupations like weaving, masonry, etc. Most of this trade is learnt through apprenticeship (Thomas 75-81). Utopians do not work for long hours and so they have a lot of free time to engage in intellectual pursuit. They are also accomplished in sciences.
Francois Rabelais’s Adventure of Gargantua and Pantaguel
The story opens with Gargantua’s parents; Grangoseir and Gargamelle who are overindulgent, the mother eats too much, the father drinks too much, and both are engaged in vigorous sexual relations. These parents are not the ideal parents for a hero that Gargantua would be. The mother gives birth to him through the ear. The boy is a giant, he is also intelligent and the father decides that he will get a classic education. This indicates a change in behavior when Grangoseir decides to be responsible and give his son a better life by educating him. He is disappointed by the first tutor because his son also develops the habit of over-indulgence, he consults a friend and he is advised to hire Ponocrates, he is also advised to have his son grow up among learned people and so he sends him to Paris. Gargantua went to Paris a crude and unlearned young man; he touched people inappropriately, made jokes about sex and dirty talks about wiping his bottom. His parents had not condemned him for such and so when he got to Paris, he urinated on the people there and stole church bells to decorate his horse (Rabelais 213). Ponocrates, his new tutor was worried about his behavior and sought to retrain him with help from a physician called Theodorus. He succeeds in training him through discipline, healthy eating and education. Back at home, a war ensues and Grangoseir sends word to his son to come and help find a peaceful resolution. After the war, Gargantua in a flashback tells of how his father had treated his enemy, Alphabal with kindness instead of hate and revenge. Alphabal therefore pledged eternal allegiance to his father (Rabelais 298). Rabelais uses this instance to show utopian ideals. He also paints Utopian beliefs through John Frair’s conversation with Gargantua concerning the restructuring of an ideal abbey, the abbey of Thelme. They believed the abbey would be a home to disciplined men and women born of noble origins and would therefore promote peace even without enforcement of so many rules and restrictions. Rabelais however contrasts this ideal with Pricochole who was of a noble birth but was a warmonger who sought to go to war with Grangoseir without just cause (Rabelais 309). Pantagruel is also born a giant, but his mother dies during his death and his father, Gargantua suffers mixed emotions. Pantagruel epitomizes Utopian education as he gets his education an arts, laws and science from best masters and tutors. In his death letter, Gargantua lists all the things he would want his son to learn inclusive of politics, warfare and foreign languages- utopian intellectual pursuit.
Comparison and contrast
Thomas more’s approach to Utopia is quite straight forward in the book where he uses a fictitious character to represent his own perspectives and beliefs. He also invents a Utopian Island in the story against whose ideals and standards he uses to weigh the standards in England. Though “More” in the story does not directly correspond to the author, he rephrases the conversation between him and his companions to shed greater insights on the Utopian society and expresses interest of having the same ideals at work in London. Thomas uses More, a character in his book to narrate the lifestyle of a utopian society and systematically covers the various aspects of life; religion, marriage, education and trade. Rabelais’s approach on the other hand does not present a straight forward Utopian society but allows reader to draw meaning from the text on what a Utopian society ought to be using the experiences of characters in his two stories; the adventure of Gargantua and Pantaguel. Gargantua is portrayed as having received poor education in his early childhood but his father upon discovering the same hires a different tutor who tremendously transforms Gargantua’s academic performance and general behavior. Gargantua therefore endeavors to offer the best education to his son by hiring him the best tutor and he travels the world visiting different colleges and society. This depicts Utopian intellectual pursuit. The characters live out the utopian experiences.
Both authors use different styles to show the contrast between utopian ideals and reality in society. For example, the discussion on capital punishment between the lawyer and Hythloday represented the two ends. Rabelais contrasts Grangoseir and the abbey of thelme (Utopia) with Pricochole, who represented how things can turn out in reality. Again, both authors point out the role religion can play in achieving a utopian society. Religion promotes compassion, sharing, communal and peaceful living, forgiveness and such are the ideals advanced by Utopian societies. Rabelais points to religion when Gargantua asks his son to pursue God and be just (Rabelais 275). Thomas points to religion when in the story More and Hythloday concludes that turning to Christianity would be the way to Utopianism. Thomas’s approach also seems to be a critique of the European society by comparing almost directly the modes of living in utopia and Europe. Rabelais generally lays the gaps that exist between reality and Utopia.
Works cited.
More, Saint Thomas. Utopia: Thomas More. Feather Trail Press, 2010.
Rabelais, François. Gargantua and Pantagruel. Lulu Press, Inc, 2014.
