Questions About The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

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Answered Questions (17)

Rachel What I love about BTS's MVs is that they're up for interpretation. The songs and the music videos that go with them can mean different things to diffe…moreWhat I love about BTS's MVs is that they're up for interpretation. The songs and the music videos that go with them can mean different things to different people. Trying to uncover a definitive and objective meaning is beside the point of art. We're supposed to interpret it. Le Guin said in the Afterword of this story that, "[i]n talking about the "meaning" of a story, we need to be careful not to diminish it, impoverish it. A story can say different things to different people. It may have no definitive reading." One might even interpret it differently than they meant it, but that makes their interpretation no less true than anyone else's. I take this to heart with BTS's music videos.
I think "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" asks if we can accept suffering as the price of our happiness, but more essentially, I think it asks if happiness can even exist without suffering. For me, what BTS is saying is that suffering and happiness exist side by side in life, which I agree with. It's possible to be happy and sad at the same time, and this happens to be exactly how Spring Day makes me feel. What the MV says to me is simply that suffering does not last forever, it has an end. Pretty much what they say in the song.
"The morning will come again
Because no darkness,
No season
Can last forever"
I don't know that their MV is directly based off of this short story. I think that it is loosely inspired and that they referenced it for this reason. And even though I read this because of BTS, I was genuinely intrigued with the story once I learned what it was about and greatly enjoyed it. Thank you, BTS, for excellent music and for making me add yet more books to my already ridiculously long TBR, lol. :p <3 <3 <3(less)

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why would one walk away from something like this in Omelas?

Nemo This is a question of humanity and morality. It is to throw away the privilege you have because you know there's someone who suffers. And to have the …moreThis is a question of humanity and morality. It is to throw away the privilege you have because you know there's someone who suffers. And to have the courage to sacrifice the bliss for others simply because you feel the happiness is false if it only exists when someone bears the sadness.(less)

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Guys do u know any online shopping websites that has The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas with cheap price ? Im from Vietnam so its kinda hard to find books like this . I already went to Amazon but it seems to only have the hardcover one and its about 120 bucks T^T And yes, Im an ARMY and its V in the avatar :)

Kaitlin Dunn The author actually has a collection called The Wind's Twelve Quarters, this includes 'The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'. It is significantly cheape…moreThe author actually has a collection called The Wind's Twelve Quarters, this includes 'The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'. It is significantly cheaper compared to the hardcover of 'The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'. The link to get it on Amazon is https://www.amazon.com/Winds-Twelve-Q...(less)

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Tony Perez

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Has there been any short film or video adaptation based on this book?

Johnny As of 2022, no, it doesn't look like there has been any video adaptation of 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas'. Not yet, at least.

However, it was re…moreAs of 2022, no, it doesn't look like there has been any video adaptation of 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas'. Not yet, at least.

However, it was referenced in the 2017 music video for "Spring Day" by South Korean boy band BTS, which helps explain all the odd comments, reviews and questions for this book.(less)

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