Yesterday, Ms Li asked everyone in class a thought-provoking question: "Why is Jonas's society not named?" The first thought that came to my mind was “Jonas’s society has no name?” A second later, I realised that indeed, the society was nameless. However, I did not have any idea why the author did not want to give the society a name as I had never thought about it before.
I fully agree with the answer that Ms Li told us. The author is actually trying to leave the society as an open space. This society can take place anytime and anywhere, as it is not defined by any geographical location.
After hearing the answer, I thought of similar reasons why the author did not name Jonas’s society. Firstly, people can have space to exercise their imagination and creativity. They can think of different names that could be given to the society and the reason why certain names would fit the society the best.
Secondly, I feel that the author does not want the society to be named because when something or someone has a name, people often base their first impressions of the place or person on the names they are given. The author might not want anyone to have false first impressions of the society. For example, if the author named the society “Perfect”, some readers will assume that the society is flawless. Without a name, readers will be kept in suspense for awhile because they cannot deduce anything about the society just by looking at its name.
Lastly, I think that another reason why the author decides not to name the society is because some readers might feel offended or unhappy when they see a certain name given to the utopian society. Also, the reason why Jonas’s society is not defined by any geographical location is probably because it is hard for the author to imagine and decide where the society should be rightly placed on this Earth. If Jonas’s society had a geographical location, some readers might also feel offended and unhappy with the location of the society.
Since the society is something that is out of this world and impossible to create or exist, it is definitely better to let the society be nameless and have an undefined geographical location. This way, readers have the space to think and imagine.
After thinking about other possible answers, I still feel that Ms Li’s answer to the question is the most accurate and direct, because it does not involve much assumption.
A COLOURLESS WORLD
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