Perspectives

This is a page where you are alowed to write your perspective on anything and others are free to answer
As we all know, Mr. W's class is working on utopias. Personally, I believe that when the colonists moved to America that they were trying to build a utopia. At least they could of. This brings me to another point to say that people are always striving for more important and better things in life. Just my perspective...

At the beginning of our study of utopias, we went through a discussion activity that answered all of these questions (in groups, on butcher paper, but you could use whatever you want). The idea of the activity is to have everyone come up with their own conception of utopia, using a set of about 5 or so Truths that come together by the end of the activity. Here is the activity. Let me know if you would like to change it, or if we should include it on another page (your wiki, our wiki, this wiki).
 * It would be great if you could post what definition of Utopia your class used for Utopia -- or point out where it is located on the other wiki.**
 * Brainstorm ideas about utopias and write down ALL responses:
 * What words come to mind when you think about utopia?
 * What changes may have taken place as humans redefine the term utopia?
 * What things or places might be considered utopian?
 * Categorize the ideas that were written down.
 * How could you categorize these ideas into groups?
 * What could you call each group? Why?
 * What are some commonalities of utopias?
 * Brainstorm a list of things that man throughout the ages would consider utopian?
 * What can you say about these things?
 * What do you call each of these groups? Why?
 * Are the following characteristics of utopias: paradise, heaven, new worlds, perfection of some sort? Why or why not?
 * Make generalizations about utopias and human’s changing ideas regarding them.
 * What can you say about utopias that is usually true? How are our examples alike?

These are the truths of utopias that that we have worked with (The College of William and Mary helped us with the wording): ◦ Humans have been searching for or trying to create a utopian world in some way since time began. ◦ Humans corrupt their utopia after finding it or creating it. ◦ Each human strives to create his/her own personal and societal utopia. ◦ Dreams memories, nature, emotions, and time help shape our ideas regarding utopia. ◦ Individuality can be lost in our quest for utopia.

It might be interesting to set these questions up as a template and have one another answer them on the wiki. What does everyone think?

I think that the people who first came to America were either coming for financial gains or simply escaping a life that ceased to offer them expanding opportunities(not everyone, but take Jamestown for example). The folks who populated Jamestown came more to escape Malaria than to create an ideal society. I think your second statement is true....only if you come from a background that gives you hopes and dreams of a future(a finacially secure stable family). If you are poor, or in a stressful situation that only allows you to think about surviving the present you lack a vison of the future. What more important and better things are you striving for?

Even if you are poor I think that you do think about the future and are looking for something better. However, better for you might be different for a financially secure family, but you are still looking for something better then what you have. Its just human nature to want more.