Extreme Society Description

Paradise

I was gazing into the beautiful azure sky when the woman adjacent to myself spoke: “Would you like some sunglasses?” I replied with a “yes” but also asked how much they cost, and to my surprise, she said “Cost, what is a cost? I just want to help you.” It was with this strange encounter that I realized that I had entered a new world – a new earth, a place of harmony and paradise. I did not know how I had entered this extraordinary place, but I did know one thing, that this world could do anything to keep its citizens content. Here, everybody does business with a jovial countenance, and depression and anxiety are extinct. After conversing with that woman, I realized that problems did not, in a literal sense, exist. If someone needed a bowl of sugar, his neighbor was there in seconds to provide him with one and, then, his neighbor would help him in using that sugar. Nothing seemed to be impossible, and even though it would seem unfathomable from where I hail, it was true – a person could do anything they wanted, whether it be skiing on a hill made of ice-cream or having ten pizzas delivered to their mansion, with no penalty for any of their actions. Of course, it would be impossible to commit a “crime”, for the concept of immorality was, in the eyes of the inhabitants of this land, impossible. I found myself deeply engaged by this society, where trees grew in abundance, and kids danced freely in streets made of gold and sugar. My encounter with this paradise was so perfect and flawless that I knew it must not actually exist. And yet, it did. “Perhaps this is what heaven is” I thought, for my home has never experienced the harmony and tranquility that this paradise possessed.

Inferno

Alone, I silently descend into the night. My soles chafe as I traverse the barren, infertile landscape. In the distance, shrieks call to me, bringing me images of pain and fear. I stare at the gray sky, and wonder the origin of those screams? Into what world have I walked into? Only uncertainty and terror occupy my mind, and it appears as if there is no way out of this cruel universe.  Does anyone else know where I am, or am I lost, looking for an exit I will never find?  My question is answered as a mass of figures emerge from the distance. I run to them, and yet they do not greet me as I pass by. I halt myself, and observe their features: their garments are ragged, their faces ashen, and their eyes brim with fatigue and misery. I ask a man where I am, but his mouth remains closed. I ask a woman, and receive only a stony glare. I even ask a small, abandoned child looking into the gray abyss of the sky, but his only response is a single tear. It seems that in this world, people are alone. They do not interact with each other, share no emotion, have no friends, and live in eternal, agonizing solitude. Now I understand that the people here are damned forever, without companionship, love, or hope.

Note: I chose to write in the first person because I feel that emotions, descriptions, and reflections are best expressed in this format.

In addition, the titles do not necessarily correlate with the content of the paragraphs, for they are allusions to Dante’s Divine Comedy