Utopian and dystopian world concepts in literature

Utopia -- The perfect community. Everyone is happy, every citizen has a role and fulfills his or her duty and responsibilities in a caring and complete manner. The community is established to take advantage of every citizen's unique characteristics and God-given talents. It is a community of order and grace, with free will in choosing one's future and path in life as long as it does not conflict with the overall scheme of the community. The community's harmony is always placed above the individual's right to choose.

In Utopia, each individual is subject to constant and consistent testing to help the individual in choosing a pathway that will ensure his or her happiness, while at the same time maximizing the contribution made by that individual to the community. A specific role is determined at the appropriate time for each citizen based on specific talents and characteristics. The role can be as mundane as sweeping the streets or as complex as being a rocket scientist. A decision as to each citizen's specific role is made based on the ongoing testing conducted throughout the each person's life. A citizen who has performed a certain role for a certain number of years can request a change and if such a change is reasonable and can be shown to be compatible with the community's harmony, then it will be granted, especially if the citizen has maintained a good record in his or her previous responsibilities.

No one is Utopia is any richer or poorer than his or her neighbor. Because each individual is contributing to the community in a unique manner, their compensation is not based on the particular skillset needed to accomplish their daily tasks. Everyone shares in the wealth of the community in an equal manner. All goods and services that are necessary for the safety, survival and comfort of the individual are doled out by the community in equal measure to all who contribute to the community in any manner. Therefore, the street sweeper is compensated at the same rate as the rocket scientist. Those individuals who are unable to care for themselves will be cared for in an equal manner by the community. Those individuals who are able to care for themselves but refuse to do so, will be asked to leave the community.

Dystopia -- Dystopia is very similar to Utopia. It is a modern community filled with many goods and services that are supplied to the citizens in a manner that ensures that every citizen is compensated in the same manner as his or her neighbor. Every individual has a role in the community that is based on assessing that person's particular skills and talents. Every citizen faces mandatory participation in ongoing testing similar to the testing conducted in Utopia. Based on the test results, a specific role for each individual is chosen by the leaders of the community for that individual.

The key difference between Dystopia and Utopia is that the individual citizen in Dystopia has no say so in what role he or she will assume either before or after the testing is complete. Additionally, once a role has been assigned to that person, that person cannot request or even consider changing his or her role in the community. Each individual when assigned a role will perform that role to the best of his or her ability and will be expected to maintain that role in a comprehensive and complete manner. Even if the person has had an exemplary record, changes to the role assigned will not be considered or granted.

Cultural differences

A recent article espoused the existence of family enterprises that "widely exist in countries of the world" (Mengyun, Chuanming, 2012, p. 89).

The family unit is a mainstay in many of the cultures of the world and continues to be the focus in areas such as business and enterprise as well. However, different cultures view families and other organizations in a particularly wide and diverse manner. Some cultures feature the family as a one-man and one-woman hierarchy that are formally (or informally) married and live, work and interact with one another in a consistent and constant manner. Oftentimes, these marriages also lead to child-bearing and raising of families. The organizational philosophy of many of these families can be based on equal partnership of the married couple, with each one assuming certain roles and responsibilities based on his or her particular talents.

The manner in which the family is associated with the overall society in each country, however, is quite different. In the Chinese culture, the family is very important, oftentimes with the grandparents (and even great grandparents), parents, children and grandchildren all occupying residences that are relatively close by. The head of the family in the Chinese culture is the man, and he is deemed the one responsible for providing food, shelter and clothing for the family. Offspring are provided for until they are married and move into their own homes. Oftentimes, in rural areas, the entire family chooses to live together, including grandparents in many cases. Due to a unique Chinese law that allows for only one child per family, each family unit (if they have had a child) is locked in at three. There are exceptions to that rule, especially in the rural areas where children are productive members of many farming communities. Males, in the Chinese family and culture, are highly valued, and with the one-child law, it becomes much more important to have a male child, rather than a female child.

This law has some long-term effects that are just now starting to show evidence in the Chinese society. Comparing the Chinese family culture to the Swedish or American culture is very different. In Sweden, there are no restrictions on how many children a couple can have, but oftentimes the married couple holds off on having any children due to work and other considerations. This is true in the American culture as well. One key difference, is that the Swedish culture lends itself to a more gender neutral role, whereas in the United States, most married couples will oftentimes still show that the husband is the head of the household and is responsible for family decisions. This is slowly changing especially in the last couple of decades with more and more American women working outside the homes.