Discussion 1 - ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Discussion 1 - ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ Qn. 1: Interesting Quote The line that struck me as interesting is in the story’s ninth paragraph. The line reads, “[…] they all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships [...] depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery” (Le Guin par. 9). Notably, this line highlights the fact that the people of Omelas acknowledge and accept the uncomfortable truth that there is a child whose suffering is the price for their [citizens] own happiness. Qn. 2: Reasons for Walking Away The story is technically based on the idea of a utopia created from a single person’s misery. While some citizens are pro this vision of utopia, others are against this whole idea. Those who believe that the child’s pain should not determine the happiness of the majority choose to walk away. The citizens who walk away from Omelas do so because they cannot reconcile their conscience with the community’s cost of happiness. This section of people would rather walk away and never return to the city of Omelas than stay and helplessly watch the child suffer. Those who leave Omelas go towards a place beyond Omelas, which is described as “a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness” (Le Guin par. 14). According to Le Guin (par. 14), the destination of those who walk away from the city cannot be described as there are high chances that it does not exist. While the narrator does not explicitly state where they go, the story suggests that the ones who walk away reject the trade-off and search for a moral alternative. Qn. 3: Inaction to Save the Child While the narrative does not delve deeply into why no one saves the child, it implies that the societal system and the people’s happiness are so deeply rooted that sacrificing one for the b...