The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas Questions and Answers
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is the meaning of 'drooz' in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
Drooz is a kind of drug that the narrator of "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" supposes the people of Omelas to take to make them feel happy. But then, of course, the people of Omelas are already...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": Societal Critique and Contemporary Relevance
Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" remains relevant today as it critiques societal structures that condone suffering for the greater good, reflecting issues like economic...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Social Inequality and Identity in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. LeGuin explores social inequality and identity through a moral dilemma. The story presents a utopian society whose happiness relies on the suffering...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Key Elements and Resolution of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin explores a moral conflict between individual conscience and societal happiness. The story depicts a utopian city that thrives on the misery...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Where are "the ones who walk away from Omelas" headed?
The ones who walk away from Omelas are the few individuals who decide to leave their seemingly beautiful society. They leave because they cannot live in a place where their happiness is based on the...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What's odd about the description of the child playing the flute in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
The description of the child playing the flute is odd because he sits alone at the edge of the crowd and never stops playing or notices the listeners. This continuous playing of a woodwind...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Does the narrator reside in Omelas? What is known about their society?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," though there is some evidence to suggest that the narrator is incredibly familiar with Omelas, there is plentiful evidence to suggest that the speaker is not...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What type of technology is present in Omelas?
The people of Omelas live in a technologically primitive society, deliberately so, for fear that the benefits of technology will destroy their Utopian society.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is an example of a metaphor in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and what does it add to the story?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the entire story serves as a metaphor for societal exploitation, where the happiness of many depends on the suffering of a few. This metaphor compares Omelas...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
How do "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and "Harrison Bergeron" compare and contrast?
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and "Harrison Bergeron" both depict dystopian societies enforcing damaging norms to critique societal trends. Vonnegut's story, set in 2081, critiques excessive...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What impact does the absence of clergy and soldiers have on Omelas society?
This quote is significant in the overall story, because it tells us that a perfect society would be without both soldiers and clergy. Le Guin's utopia has no rulers or officials of any kind. Its...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is the effect of the author's ambiguity about Omelas' existence?
The details of Omelas are left undetermined so that we can recognize our own society (or any society) in it. The answer to this question is long and a little complicated because there's so much going...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Analyze "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" using a post-colonial perspective.
A post-colonial reading of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" would involve interpreting the text from the perspective of the little girl who is forced to live in filth and neglect for the benefit...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What does the locked, windowless cellar symbolize in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
The locked, windowless cellar in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" symbolizes the oppressive conditions endured by those exploited or forgotten by society to ensure the prosperity of others. It...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is Omelas in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
On the face of it, Omelas appears to be an absolute paradise. The sun is always shining, and the people are happy and carefree. But in reality, this supposed paradise is founded on evil. The...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What are the subject, occasion, and audience in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
The subject of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is the critique of William James's pragmatism, examining how moral issues are addressed through empiricism, where the truth's value depends on its...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Does the story imply any criticism of our own society?
Implied criticism of our own society can certainly be found in "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." This story is an exaggerated version of how some people in society suffer so that others can enjoy...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What types of dystopias are depicted in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the dystopia depicted is a society that appears idyllic but is fundamentally flawed. The happiness and prosperity of Omelas are contingent on the suffering of...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is the logic behind a religion with no clergy in "The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas"?
The absence of clergy in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" suggests that the citizens are so immersed in happiness that they need no intermediary for spiritual matters. Alternatively, it could...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and its relation to American cultural and national identity
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," Ursula K. Le Guin explores themes of morality, societal happiness, and the cost of utopia, reflecting on American cultural and national identity. The story...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What is the origin of the term "scapegoat"?
The term "scapegoat" originates from a Jewish ritual described in Leviticus 16, where a goat, bearing the sins of the people, was sent into the wilderness to perish, symbolically removing sin from...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
How does "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" relate to group dynamics in Social Psychology?
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" explores group dynamics in social psychology through the moral dilemma of sacrificing one for the happiness of many. It challenges individuals to consider their...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Why does the narrator abandon the festival description and not return after introducing the child in the cellar?
The narrator abandons the festival description because "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" is structured more as a thought experiment than a conventional story. Omelas is depicted as an idealized,...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," how do minor characters influence the primary conflict and interact with...
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," minor characters influence the primary conflict by embodying the moral dilemma faced by the reader, who becomes the central character. The townspeople, aware...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What does LeGuin suggest about the world through the use of symbols in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"?
LeGuin uses symbolism in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" to explore William James's pragmatism, questioning the moral consequences of societal happiness dependent on suffering. The idyllic city...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
How old is the suffering child in Omelas?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," the suffering child in Omelas is ten years old, but because of his abuse, he is much smaller than expected.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
How would you characterize the plot of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. LeGuin?
The story moves from the framing situation of a horse race to descriptions (exposition) of the town and its structure. The plot point is when the reader learns that the happiness of Omelas is founded...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
What parts of "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" indicate the author's feelings towards her characters and the...
The narrator is defensive about the town of Omelas. She knows that most people would not save the child and that, despite their happiness, they have made a rationalization to hold onto it.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
How does "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" demonstrate the function of stories in society?
"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" describes a society that is apparently perfect. However, it contains the suffering of one child, whose role is to support the happiness of all the other citizens....
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," how do symbol, allegory, and fantasy contribute?
In "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," symbol, allegory, and fantasy serve to highlight the moral complexities of societal happiness. The suffering child symbolizes societal "otherness," while the...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Does the author's answers in "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas" resolve conflicts and establish the plot?
The author's answers in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" do not resolve conflicts or establish a definitive plot resolution. Instead, Ursula K. LeGuin poses philosophical questions about...
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
In "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," what effect does the change in tense have?
The change in tense from past to present in "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" serves to emphasize the reality and immediacy of the hypothetical world the author describes. Initially, the past...