Throughout the year in Western Civilization, there have been many opportunities to become much more enlightened about the history, theology, and philosophy of the words past and present. After reading novels and readings such as Looking backwards, the Rerum novarum, and even Women on the edge of Time; there are many themes that have a direct correlation between all three. However after analyzing and going through the discussion had between each novel, it seems that the overall theme connecting the stories together is citizenship.
The best way to describe citizenship is as the overall burden and commitments that are linked when being a part of society. Throughout these stories a common ideal of citizenship is how utopian work portrays the government as being responsible for managing the economic equality of all its people. This also seemed like a similar idea to those of Pope Leo XIII, as he is the one who called upon the state to preserve justice.
This raised the question of based on the ideals of a utopian society’s found in Looking backwards, and Women on the edge of Time while also using the ideals Pope Leo XIII addresses in the Rerum novarum, can the government really do something to create economic equality for all, and how would citizenship be affected by it? Based on evidence from the texts listed earlier there seems to be some valid political opinions in terms of economic equality. There are definitely a great deal of ideals however they might not all be as popular and voted for yet could be popular among today’s radical groups.
There is also a valid sense that ideals emplaced by the government could be effective in creating equality in society, and decreasing the levels of violence, which would overall have a positive effect on citizenship. In the novel Looking Backwards, by Edward Bellamy, there is a strong focus on humanity consistently changing concept of itself, specifically between the 19th and 21st Century. Bellamy is able to accurately illustrate how a socialistic approach to society can better all aspects of citizenship.
The novel depicts society in 1887, during this time people were motivated primarily from fear of poverty and the love for luxury. With a focus on individual advantage, the concepts of equality and unity were not prevalent forces as the greed for power and wealth was. At one point Bellamy says, “The parabola of a comet was perhaps a yet better illustration of the career of humanity. Trending upward and sunward from the aphelion of barbarism, the race attained the perihelion of civilization only to plague downward once more to its neither goal in the regions of chaos” (Bellamy 11).
This is a compelling assessment, as many men seems to feel that society was drawing closer toward a more basic period which may bring about incredible changes. With little care for the lower class that was suffering in their unbreakable cycle of poverty, everyone felt change was inevitable. As the story heads to the year 2000 every person had the same amount of work and there was no salary related to it, but rather a credit card administered to every citizen with an equal amount of wealth on it.
To solve the problem of work incentives, citizens would get a grade that reflected their work skill and efforts, and they could also obtain rewards and prizes. Bellamy sums up his feelings of the utopian society by saying, “When men came to realize the greatness of the greatness of the felicity which had befallen them… there ensued an era of mechanical invention, scientific discovery, art, musical and literary productiveness to which no previous age of the world offers anything comparable. “(Bellamy 105). This quote expresses the true greatness of the utopian society witnessed in the story.
The ideals presented by the government in this utopian society express a very different ideal of citizenship. One that may not express the traditional freedom people might think of, but rather freedom of the laboring class from their oppression and freedom of the general public from the overpowering rule of the government. Bellamy writes this fictional projection of society to give people hope that, through socialism, humanity will break the cyclical pattern it follows, and develop into a state of citizenship and equality that is good for all.
The Rerum novarum was written by Pope Leo XIII who was a strong advocate for a society that was centered on family. He believed that all men should have the ability to hold basic rights for himself as well as his family, which included being able to provide for one’s family enough so that they are comfortably living. When Pope Leo XIII was the leader of the Catholic Church the government had strict rules regarding property rights along with the work hours and conditions that all workers had to follow.
Leo was completely against the ideals of Marxism and thus he was against Communism as well because he was all for society while Marx advocated for the rights of the individual. Pope Leo believed a person should have the ability to have their own money, property, and in the end, their own life and that was the complete opposite from what Marx spoke about. “These two classes should dwell in harmony and agreement, so as to maintain the balance of the body politic. Each needs the other: capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital. Mutual agreement results in the beauty of good order” ((Leo XIII 19).
This quote from Pope Leo XIII gives readers an understanding of how the world is dealing with the effects from capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. He recognizes that the working and social classes in America are not being treated equally while also asserts that the working class and the wealthy men in our world can and should work together in a mutual benefit, just as Bellamy states in looking backwards. Currently, the wealthy men are mistreating the working class, and the ability for these two classes to treat each other with mutual respect is essential for a strong citizenship.
The Rerum novarum suggests that the church act as the intermediary for these two classes while the government implements what changes need to be made while also asserting that there are clear issues whether it is physical miss-treatment or financial miss- treatment. Leo states this in saying, “In this respect all men are equal; there is here no difference between rich and poor, master and servant, ruler and ruled, “for the same is Lord over all” (Leo XIII 19). Pope Leo XIII stresses the importance of equality as that is an essential belief of the Catholic Church, he believes we need equality among the classes.
However, he realizes that that is not possible and there will always be social classes so it is how we treat each other that is the real problem. If the government can find a way to uphold the working and upper class to the same standards, then the Catholic Church can be the intermediary for the two classes, thus creation economic equality and continuing the growth and prosperity of citizenship. In the novel Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy’s, a perception of the future is predicted as completely strange and overwhelmingly different world for humanity in the year 2137.
The world consists of talking cats and even babies being genetically engineered; the world has completely evolved. One of the major themes throughout the first 10 chapters was the Connie’s (the protagonists) perception of the future as a utopia. Although Connie questioned some aspects of this new world, she came to view it as a perfect society in comparison to the 1970’s. Popular social and political topics, including homosexuality and civil rights that were prevalent in the 1970’s are not even thought about by people living in the future because everyone is equal and accepted.
With this being said there are some questionable aspects of society in the future that don’t necessarily enhance humanity’s concept of itself. One of the most shocking developments in the alternate world is able to see is the new birthing process. Piercy states that, “Decisions were made forty years back to breed a high portion of darker-skinned people and to mix the genes well through the population. At the same time, we decided to hold on to separate cultural identities. But we broke the bond between genes and culture, broke it forever.
We want there to be a no chance of racism again” (Piercy 96). The reasoning behind genetically engineering children was to eliminate racism and to find equality for all. These sanctions impaired by the government where thought of as a means to enhance the economic equality and citizenship of the world. For if everyone looks similar, there will be no discrimination. While there are principles about the society that sound appealing, such as the acceptance and equality between all people, having a world without discrimination and homophobe derails from what makes people human.
By taking away some of the core traits that define humanity there may be no gender discrimination, however, there is also no pure sense of what it means to be a man or a woman either. Throughout this story Piercy does explain how government can implement ways to find economic and racial equality, however in this case the citizenship possessed by people almost seems to vanish. Citizenship aligns coherently with the equality given to all citizens. After reading and analyzing the texts, it is fair to conclude that the government can create economic equality for all.
This is seen in Looking Backwards when the labor class was able to be equally treated as the upper class creating stability. Equality is seen in the Rerum novarum as the Catholic Church believes with sanctions initiated by the government as well as the church being the intermediary there can being equality. There is also equality seen in Woman on the Edge of Time as the government implemented a genetic birth process that made all appearance equal, thus creating equality among all people. Although equality was found throughout government intervention in these readings, citizenship is also incredibly affected.
Bellamy described citizenship as being incredibly evolved as citizens still have their differences but are able to work together better. While Pope Leo XIII makes citizenship like Bellamy, however stating that religion is needed by the Catholic Church for equality to be president. Finally Piercy makes citizenship almost unheard of as the differences that makes citizens feel part of a community are taken away with genetic births. Overall, equality can be achieved by government intervention, however there needs to be a fine line or the citizenship humans take a great deal of pride with in society will cease to exist.
