A Perfect World: No Knowledge Required
Knowledge makes a person's life unbearable. Life without awareness of pain, love, and differences can pave the way for a care-free and peaceful life. Jonas, from the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is naïve and happy before he experiences the traumatic memories that haunt him constantly. David, from the movie Pleasantville, by Gary Ross, is transported to the idealistic town of Pleasantville, where life is perfect. Patients from the article "Pleasant Dementia", by Sara Davidson, are more cheerful and at peace with themselves when they are living in a less- informed world. Ignorance is bliss, for knowledge of the outside world and its experiences are a burden.
Ignorance is bliss, for knowledge of love is painful. In Pleasantville, David's dad experiences heart breaking love. When David's mom leaves David's dad, his dad feels as if there is a hole in his heart. (Pleasantville). Before David's mom realizes that she has feelings for another man, they are happily married and living a perfect life. However, when she leaves because of her newfound love for another man, David's dad experiences the devastation of unrequited love. David's dad and mother would have been happier if neither had experienced the strong emotion of love. Without love, people wouldn't have to go through these trials of the human spirit. In the book, The Giver, pain is not comprehended, including the hardships of love, leaving the Community a utopia. When Jonas asks his parents whether they love him, they scoff. His mother tries to explain their reason for laughing. She says with a laugh in her voice, "'You used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it has almost become obsolete.'" (Lowry 127.) The Community has left behind the idea of love, making its people believe that love isn't real. This deletion of love is for the best, because love is pain for the people it affects. The people in the Community are living in a utopia because they don't want to experience love's heartbreak or loss.
Ignorance is bliss, for awareness of pain isn't known. In the movie Pleasantville, David's mom is harassed by some boys who threaten to beat her up due to a suggestive painting of her in the window of a barber shop. They begin poking prodding her and even land a few punches. (Pleasantville). David confronts the boys and they run away. David's mom is still shaken and is traumatized because of this incident. She is hurt and is shamed by the townspeople. Her newfound emotions caused her to pose in an inappropriate way she normally wouldn't have, which led to physical pain. In the book, The Giver, Jonas is about to receive another memory from the Giver. This is memory of a war scene, where Jonas is "Overwhelmed with pain, Jonas lay there in the fearsome stench for hours, listening to men and animals dying, and learning what warfare meant. Finally, when he knew that he could bear it no longer and would welcome death..." (Lowry 120) This passage shows Jonas's pain while experiencing awful, traumatic things. Before receiving this memory, he had known no pain and been happy. However, after receiving this memory he was pained throughout the rest of the story and wishes he could be innocent and naïve like his peers. His peers are happier because they do not know what pain is. In the article, "Pleasant Dementia", a patient forgot the woes in his life and was a much happier person because of this. This patient's son said, "'...he'd had the most wonderful life and was the luckiest guy in the world. He'd forgotten two acrimonious divorces and that his business had gone bankrupt.'" (Davidson 63) Like many others, this man was happy when he had forgotten the painful events he'd had in his life. Without knowledge of pain, he could have led a much more joyful life. Now he is living a dream life without pain, thanks to Pleasant Dementia.
Ignorance is bliss, for differences cause pain for all. In Pleasantville, David is another victim of high school's cruel hierarchy. While David is considered an outcast, his sister, Mary Sue, is a popular girl and hates her brother and his unpopularity. Before going to Pleasantville, David and everybody else at high school recognizes him as a social outcast. (Pleasantville). David is troubled because he is not like everyone else. This separation of others due to their differences is something our society always does, much like David's. If differences were eliminated, no one would be discriminated or excluded from activities. This also occurs in The Giver. Jonas's teacher, who calls himself the Giver, explains to Jonas why the Community elders and the council from back and back and back took away color. He says wistfully, as if remembering, "'We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with our differences.'" (Lowry 95). The Community, where Jonas lives, took away these things because they wanted to take away the different anomalies between people. These differences cause pain. This taking away of differences to make all equal makes this society even more of a utopia than it already is. The Community is euphoric and perfect without these differences.
Because knowledge of the outside world causes pain, ignorance is bliss. Those who want to fully comprehend the outside world are ensuring themselves a life of misery and unhappiness. With these worries, one will be riddled with fear. These are the people who will become so weak due to pain that they will be thrown at the mercy of those powerful enough to control them. Those who are happy and content without knowing will live in peace and tranquility, the dream-like paradise life. Pain grows and manifests itself in those burdened with knowledge.
Reflection:
I worked hard on connecting my thesis to my topic sentences. In the past I have had some issues connecting the topic sentences to my thesis. I tried very hard on this essay.
I am proud of my work on connecting my evidence to the appropriate topic sentence. From past experiences, I have found that it is VERY hard to work with unconnected evidence. I tried on this essay to connect my evidence to my topic sentences.
I'd like to work on my analysis. I have had trouble in the past and now throughly summarizing in my analysis. I worked harder than ever before on these analysis.
Knowledge makes a person's life unbearable. Life without awareness of pain, love, and differences can pave the way for a care-free and peaceful life. Jonas, from the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is naïve and happy before he experiences the traumatic memories that haunt him constantly. David, from the movie Pleasantville, by Gary Ross, is transported to the idealistic town of Pleasantville, where life is perfect. Patients from the article "Pleasant Dementia", by Sara Davidson, are more cheerful and at peace with themselves when they are living in a less- informed world. Ignorance is bliss, for knowledge of the outside world and its experiences are a burden.
Ignorance is bliss, for knowledge of love is painful. In Pleasantville, David's dad experiences heart breaking love. When David's mom leaves David's dad, his dad feels as if there is a hole in his heart. (Pleasantville). Before David's mom realizes that she has feelings for another man, they are happily married and living a perfect life. However, when she leaves because of her newfound love for another man, David's dad experiences the devastation of unrequited love. David's dad and mother would have been happier if neither had experienced the strong emotion of love. Without love, people wouldn't have to go through these trials of the human spirit. In the book, The Giver, pain is not comprehended, including the hardships of love, leaving the Community a utopia. When Jonas asks his parents whether they love him, they scoff. His mother tries to explain their reason for laughing. She says with a laugh in her voice, "'You used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it has almost become obsolete.'" (Lowry 127.) The Community has left behind the idea of love, making its people believe that love isn't real. This deletion of love is for the best, because love is pain for the people it affects. The people in the Community are living in a utopia because they don't want to experience love's heartbreak or loss.
Ignorance is bliss, for awareness of pain isn't known. In the movie Pleasantville, David's mom is harassed by some boys who threaten to beat her up due to a suggestive painting of her in the window of a barber shop. They begin poking prodding her and even land a few punches. (Pleasantville). David confronts the boys and they run away. David's mom is still shaken and is traumatized because of this incident. She is hurt and is shamed by the townspeople. Her newfound emotions caused her to pose in an inappropriate way she normally wouldn't have, which led to physical pain. In the book, The Giver, Jonas is about to receive another memory from the Giver. This is memory of a war scene, where Jonas is "Overwhelmed with pain, Jonas lay there in the fearsome stench for hours, listening to men and animals dying, and learning what warfare meant. Finally, when he knew that he could bear it no longer and would welcome death..." (Lowry 120) This passage shows Jonas's pain while experiencing awful, traumatic things. Before receiving this memory, he had known no pain and been happy. However, after receiving this memory he was pained throughout the rest of the story and wishes he could be innocent and naïve like his peers. His peers are happier because they do not know what pain is. In the article, "Pleasant Dementia", a patient forgot the woes in his life and was a much happier person because of this. This patient's son said, "'...he'd had the most wonderful life and was the luckiest guy in the world. He'd forgotten two acrimonious divorces and that his business had gone bankrupt.'" (Davidson 63) Like many others, this man was happy when he had forgotten the painful events he'd had in his life. Without knowledge of pain, he could have led a much more joyful life. Now he is living a dream life without pain, thanks to Pleasant Dementia.
Ignorance is bliss, for differences cause pain for all. In Pleasantville, David is another victim of high school's cruel hierarchy. While David is considered an outcast, his sister, Mary Sue, is a popular girl and hates her brother and his unpopularity. Before going to Pleasantville, David and everybody else at high school recognizes him as a social outcast. (Pleasantville). David is troubled because he is not like everyone else. This separation of others due to their differences is something our society always does, much like David's. If differences were eliminated, no one would be discriminated or excluded from activities. This also occurs in The Giver. Jonas's teacher, who calls himself the Giver, explains to Jonas why the Community elders and the council from back and back and back took away color. He says wistfully, as if remembering, "'We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with our differences.'" (Lowry 95). The Community, where Jonas lives, took away these things because they wanted to take away the different anomalies between people. These differences cause pain. This taking away of differences to make all equal makes this society even more of a utopia than it already is. The Community is euphoric and perfect without these differences.
Because knowledge of the outside world causes pain, ignorance is bliss. Those who want to fully comprehend the outside world are ensuring themselves a life of misery and unhappiness. With these worries, one will be riddled with fear. These are the people who will become so weak due to pain that they will be thrown at the mercy of those powerful enough to control them. Those who are happy and content without knowing will live in peace and tranquility, the dream-like paradise life. Pain grows and manifests itself in those burdened with knowledge.
Reflection:
I worked hard on connecting my thesis to my topic sentences. In the past I have had some issues connecting the topic sentences to my thesis. I tried very hard on this essay.
I am proud of my work on connecting my evidence to the appropriate topic sentence. From past experiences, I have found that it is VERY hard to work with unconnected evidence. I tried on this essay to connect my evidence to my topic sentences.
I'd like to work on my analysis. I have had trouble in the past and now throughly summarizing in my analysis. I worked harder than ever before on these analysis.