The Ideas of Community in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula Le Guin

How do we define community and what is it like being a part of one? The term community can mean many different things depending on the person. However, my definition of "community" would be a group of people coming together for a certain belief or goal. In today's society, we see a lot of different groups joining each other for a shared view on life. Sometimes we form a community and don't even realize. Out of all the Unit 1 texts we read, the one that most defines community, in my opinion, would be, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin. She creates a short story and within the story establishes the meaning of what it’s like being a part of a community and how it affects others. The main message in Le Guin’s story is that there can be no happiness or love without misery. Another Unit 1 text that goes in-depth about belonging within a group is Maya Angelou’s poem “Alone”. She described what it means to be in a community in eight simple words, “But nobody Can make it out here alone.” (Angelou lines 9-10 ). The poem suggests no man (or woman) is an island; no one stands alone. As such, a community refers to the basic social unit, usually shaped by geographical proximity where a group of people shares customs, religion, values, and an overall sense of identity

A community is more than the people we interact with, the people around us. To be in a community means the relationships we find value and where we draw our significance of existence. In the article, “There is so Much More than the Nuclear Family, Even Now” by Mandy Len Catron, she mentions that after the sudden pandemic, Eva Hagberg became close with her neighbors and friends and they began to form bonds with each other as there was nothing else they could do. She states, “When the pandemic hit and New York City issued shelter-in-place orders, she invited her friend Jason Snell to move in. Because Snell had a mild cough at the time, he stayed in the back bedroom for two weeks while she left food by his door. They arranged lunch or dinner by text and sometimes sang Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” to each other through the walls.” (Catron p2). Here she explains that Hagberg began to form a close bond with Snell. As the story goes on, she mentions that they were even sick together at one point which brought them closer. A community is a group of people who struggle and come together as one when facing a problem. They share solutions, adapting to their environments in the process. 

 Community means a person’s default condition of shared attitudes, interests, and day-to-day practices with those within our close proximity. A personal example of a community within close proximity would be villages in Iraq. Coming from a Middle Eastern community, most of our families were born in Iraq within these villages. My mother was born into the village we call “Telkaif” which is where most of the Chaldean community was from. After moving to America, we now become friends with the people from these villages and socialize within the Church and culture. Sharing customs, norms, and religion is also involved heavily in communities. Survival practices passed down from generation to generation not only lead to increased populations over time but also the development of different ways of marking cycles of existence. One example of community in the form of religion is Catholic groups and volunteering. People get together and put their minds to one thing, hence a community. Being a part of the Chaldean Catholic community, we all come together as one group and host festivals, fundraisers, gatherings, and more. Things that we do in these festivals are usually raising money for a specific cause. It could be for the Church itself or homeless/women shelters. This brings our community closer together as a family and assists in bonding. This extends to thoughts and perceptions of the supernatural and religion.

To be in a community means sharing value systems. Customs, practices are a means of creating an expected code of conduct, a desired way of life. For example, in “The Ones who Walk Away from the Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, the people fear a loss of happiness and peace so they come together as one and ignore the cries of the child. Although this leads them to a happier life, most feel an emptiness from knowing the wrong thing is being done. Le Guin states, “Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox.” (Le Guin p4). She suggests that although these people were a part of a community, there was no meaning of togetherness which led many people to escape the lies of the circle. Such value systems help construct communal expectations (roles) that help assign a sense of identity. 

Being in a community means having a sense of identity. Value systems are streamed down to the individual to help improve expected roles and duties. Gender roles like caring, nurturing, preparing meals, and bringing up children are the roles for women. On the other hand, provision, protection, strength, combat techniques, and leadership are the roles for men. An example of this is seen in the Unit 1 text, “If They Should Come for Us” by Fatimah Asghar. She briefly mentions at the beginning of her poem that the women of her culture are seen in a specific light. She states, “my people my people, a dance of strangers in my blood, the old woman’s sari dissolving to wind, bindi a new moon on her forehead, I claim her my kin & sew, the star of her to my breast, the toddler dangling from stroller, hair a fountain of dandelion seed.” (Asghar lines 4-11). Each person has a role or duty to follow although some of these roles we cannot agree with, these are the specific purposes in each community. Through roles, we draw a sense of belonging and identity.

Indeed, a community is far much more than the people that surround us. Although geographical proximity is a huge contributor to a sense of community, to be in a community entails a host of other factors. Being in a community means the condition of sharing the same customs, religion, and values. It is how we come together and create an impact with shared ideas and intentions. This creates a sense of identity and purpose through communal roles. 

Works Cited

Angelou, Maya. “Alone.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 1975. www.poets.org/poem/alone.

Asghar, Fatima. “If They Should Come for Us.” Poetry Magazine, March 2017. www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/92374/if-they-should-come-for-us.

Le Guin, Ursula. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” New Dimensions, 1973.

Len Catron, Mandy. “There is So Much More Than the Nuclear Family, Even Now.” The Atlantic, 18 July 2020,             https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/07/how-people-care-their-community-during-pandemic/614275.