Realistic Europe VS. Idealistic Utopia
             Sir Thomas More's Utopia compares and contrasts the social values of the idealistic society of Utopia with that of the realistic society, Europe. Sir Thomas More uses his characters, Peter Giles, Raphael Hythloday, and a fictional character representing himself called More, to criticize the practices of the very realistic society, Europe. Everyday life in Europe is less than idealistic. It is a society where greed and wealth is prevalent, where theft is punished by death, but is also unavoidable, and where poverty makes up the majority of people. Utopia, though impossible to attain, is Sir Thomas More's idea of the perfect society.
             "They are generally more set on acquiring new kingdoms by hook or by crook than by governing well those that they already have"(p.8). Here, Raphael explains to More the priorities of English royalty, and why he refuses to become a counsellor. "Moreover, the counsellors of kings are all so wise already that they need no other knowledge (or at least that's the way they see it). In other words, the real world makes it impossible for truth in Raphael's mind. He believes that the king will hear only what he wants regardless of the virtue others may convey. As a real society, Europe has less than perfect rulers who dominate according to wealth and their gain as opposed to what is truly beneficial to the society.
             Raphael explains that Utopians are superior to Europeans, but Europeans would see the Utopian way of life as foolish because it is so different from the traditional European way. It is made apparent how faulty European everyday life is on page thirteen, where Raphael describes poverty in Europe. "To make hideous poverty worse, it exists side by side with wanton luxury." The reality of Europe is that the rich control and monopolize everything. There is greed and great poverty. Things are not perfect as th
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