This Perfect Day
This Perfect Day is probably Ira Levin's greatest work of his
career. Levin's work, despite being written in 1970, is very
plausible having realistic technology, such as scanners and
computers which watch over the entire family, the entire
population of the world. This novel could be used to show
the dangers of a Utopian society as well as being full of
anti-Communist and anti-racist sentiment. This Perfect Day
also displays the feeling that communist and segregated
institutions can be defeated, as the protagonist Chip over
powers the "family" and their vile Uni Comp as well as rising
above the segregated community he reaches after fleeing the
family.
This work could best be placed in an area of the curriculum
where it is the students job to learn that although everyone
might not be equal, nor should they be, they are still human
and deserve to be treated with the respect and kindness we
would expect to be treated with. This work could be used in
conjunction with other works of literature that display the
same ideals against communism and discrimination as well as
a lack of compassion for others. Other works that could be
used in cohorts with Levin's This Perfect Day, are
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and even the
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Both of these
novels show the dangers of trying to create a Utopian
society and the chaos it causes. In Harrison Bergeron,
handicapping has become an American institution and it is
the governments responsibility to make sure that everyone is
equal in every way which ends up causing chaos and
rebellion. The Handmaid's Tale shows the dangers of when
an extreme group takes over the United States after a
nuclear holocaust, with women being placed in a submissive
role to men, only being used to reproduce. This Perfect
Day could also be used in a section with novels such as
Uncle Tom's Cabin which portray the evils of racism and
discrimination, just as the land where Chip ends up after
career. Levin's work, despite being written in 1970, is very
plausible having realistic technology, such as scanners and
computers which watch over the entire family, the entire
population of the world. This novel could be used to show
the dangers of a Utopian society as well as being full of
anti-Communist and anti-racist sentiment. This Perfect Day
also displays the feeling that communist and segregated
institutions can be defeated, as the protagonist Chip over
powers the "family" and their vile Uni Comp as well as rising
above the segregated community he reaches after fleeing the
family.
This work could best be placed in an area of the curriculum
where it is the students job to learn that although everyone
might not be equal, nor should they be, they are still human
and deserve to be treated with the respect and kindness we
would expect to be treated with. This work could be used in
conjunction with other works of literature that display the
same ideals against communism and discrimination as well as
a lack of compassion for others. Other works that could be
used in cohorts with Levin's This Perfect Day, are
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and even the
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Both of these
novels show the dangers of trying to create a Utopian
society and the chaos it causes. In Harrison Bergeron,
handicapping has become an American institution and it is
the governments responsibility to make sure that everyone is
equal in every way which ends up causing chaos and
rebellion. The Handmaid's Tale shows the dangers of when
an extreme group takes over the United States after a
nuclear holocaust, with women being placed in a submissive
role to men, only being used to reproduce. This Perfect
Day could also be used in a section with novels such as
Uncle Tom's Cabin which portray the evils of racism and
discrimination, just as the land where Chip ends up after