Brief Summary Of William James 'Cosmic Experiment'
Alyssa Kelley
English 1302-2
February 21, 2016
Mr. Cascio
The Cosmic Experiment
Ursula says she was inspired by William James’ statement that “one could not accept a happiness shared with millions if the condition of that happiness were the suffering of one lonely soul.” Ursula’s introduction to Omelas makes you long to be there dancing among the crowds and listening to the beautiful strands of music from a flute player, but there is something darker underneath the shining streets. The citizens are not as free as you first perceive them to be, in fact, the whole perception of Omelas being a beautiful Utopia is false.
This fairy tale of Omelas has a flaw. This civilization is based on the pain and misery of one child, imprisoned in a small, dark tool room furnished only with a bucket and two mops, kept away from love and sunlight. What is worse is that everyone in this joyous city knows about the child; and they are complicit in its brutal treatment. There exists no guilty within Omelas because all of the citizens who feel guilt leave. They are the weak emotional ones who are picked off, and Ursula’s description of where they are going even leads the audience to believe with certainty they have committed suicide. “The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the …show more content…
Omelas is an experiment under the gaze of a cosmic force seeing how far the citizens are willing to strip the happiness of one to protect their own happiness. The audience see this once again when Ursula tells shows them “Those (the child’s condition) are the terms” (252) and that “The terms are strict and
English 1302-2
February 21, 2016
Mr. Cascio
The Cosmic Experiment
Ursula says she was inspired by William James’ statement that “one could not accept a happiness shared with millions if the condition of that happiness were the suffering of one lonely soul.” Ursula’s introduction to Omelas makes you long to be there dancing among the crowds and listening to the beautiful strands of music from a flute player, but there is something darker underneath the shining streets. The citizens are not as free as you first perceive them to be, in fact, the whole perception of Omelas being a beautiful Utopia is false.
This fairy tale of Omelas has a flaw. This civilization is based on the pain and misery of one child, imprisoned in a small, dark tool room furnished only with a bucket and two mops, kept away from love and sunlight. What is worse is that everyone in this joyous city knows about the child; and they are complicit in its brutal treatment. There exists no guilty within Omelas because all of the citizens who feel guilt leave. They are the weak emotional ones who are picked off, and Ursula’s description of where they are going even leads the audience to believe with certainty they have committed suicide. “The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the …show more content…
Omelas is an experiment under the gaze of a cosmic force seeing how far the citizens are willing to strip the happiness of one to protect their own happiness. The audience see this once again when Ursula tells shows them “Those (the child’s condition) are the terms” (252) and that “The terms are strict and