Final Writing Assignment

Sam Piscopo

December 9, 2013

Final Writing Assignment

Art 441

The Perfect World

It is 2014, and scientist Shannon Mahoney shares her and her crew's latest revolutionary discovery at a press conference. The last 15 years, Mahoney and her co-workers have put diseases in a slower more controlled environment by sending infected subjects into space where time appears to move slower. Mahoney continues to explain that they have been able to slow down the disease progression allowing more time for bodies to react and form a synthetic antibody cure for all diseases that affect the human body.

As the press conference continues, a reporters asks if the allegations that this cure could cause harm to the human reproductive system are true. Mahoney, looking over at the senator, Jeff Casey, explains that their studies have shown there is a diminished chance of natural human reproduction after administering the cure, although the cure itself does not cause impotence.

As cameras flash and hands from reporters shoot up, Jeff Casey stumbles up next to Mahoney to explicate the government's support towards the cure. He guarantees that the United States government health care plan will make it possible for every family that wants children to receive artificial inseminated pregnancy in the near future.

It is now 2015 and people are waiting in line to get their vaccinations for the cure. It became a mandatory requirement that everyone, including the US and European union, be vaccinated with the cure. As some people are outraged, small riots begin to break out. The government makes sure that they are to be controlled by police and other officials. Although there were many fatalities because of the new cure, everyone eventually was vaccinated.

58 years pass.

It’s year 2073, earth's human population is down 35% since the year 2013 due to the cure and lack of procreation. However, the government did not keep it's word about free universal fertility treatment. As a result, people in poor financial situations could not afford to have children slowly diminishing the poverty in the world. Building towards the perfect world where starvation and homelessness are becoming things of the past. But there is always a silver lining.

Low end jobs are losing manpower leaving the government to force a mandatory recruitment on such jobs. Parents must give their children an aptitude test that will place children in a specific class and give them a job that pertains to that class. First class being the best, and fourth class being the worst. This will fix the lack of people working in the low end jobs the country needs to survive.

A middle class family in Sacramento, California, brings home their second child, Derek, from the hospital. Karen and Steve Levy, the parents Derek and Derek's brother, Connor, question their son's eye color. Thinking they should have chosen green or blue instead of brown. Karen laughs and says their choice was perfect and so is their new born son.

About five years pass and Derek is growing up like any normal boy, talking, playing and laughing. While Steve is home from work one weekend, he shuffles through the mail finding the local census letter. Steve opens letter and enclosed in it is a personality and aptitude test given to every child in America used to determine a future career and social class. Steve calls Karen and asks why they would be sending their five-year-old child the test when they got theirs around 15 and Connor got his at age 12.

Steve and Karen are shocked, but tell Derek at dinner time that he has to help them answer a few questions. After dinner, Derek is told to stay at the table as his brother leaves to his room. As Karen reads the questions from the aptitude test, she has to reword them for Derek to understand. Derek stops his mom and shows a picture he drew of himself with blue eyes. She tell him to stop and pay attention. As she asks more and more questions, she gets frustrated by how hard they are for a five-year-old to answer. Karen gets frustrated with the test and tells Derek to go to his room. Karen and Steve agree to fill out the test on their own.

A few weeks pass, and Karen discovers a letter from the government. The letter states that Derek Levy, age 5, scored a 98% on the aptitude test and will be placed in social class 4 working in sewage management.

Shocked, Karen calls down Steve to show him the letter and she begins to call the census bureau. She gets a hold of someone in charge asking why her son was placed is such a low class when he had a high score. The woman on the phone explains that Derek scored much higher on test than most 5-year-olds. Kids his age normally score between 20-40% on the aptitude test. Apparently there was a discrepancy in the test. When our systems noticed the discrepancy, they automatically placed Derek in the lowest class. Karen doesn't respond to the woman and hangs up the phone. Steve grabs her arm and Karen says that it was their fault since she filled out the test themselves.

10 years pass.

Derek is showing amazing skills throughout middle school and high school. Although he is progressing well, his parents know where he will be placed when he turns 18. Still hesitant to tell him the truth, his parent continue to lie to Derek about his class and his upcoming profession.

One day, Karen finds the 10-year-old government letter under a pile of old papers in her closet. She starts tearing up after rereading the mistake she made. As she walks downstairs with the paper, Derek runs from his room to show her pictures of the world before and after artificial insemination. Derek then asks why she and Steve chose brown eyes instead of the more popular green or blue. She explains that no matter what color they chose, he was going to be perfect no matter what. Derek gives his mom a hug.

Karen tears up, and continues to walk downstairs. Derek is confused and asked her to tell him what was wrong. Karen sits him down and shows him the letter. In shock, Derek asks the same questions Karen asked ten years ago. After Derek receives all the answers, he goes up to his room and shuts his door. He hasn't felt such anger towards his parents before and begins to throw things around his room.

Steve and Karen barge in and grab Derek. As he falls to the ground crying, his parents hold them and say, “We're so sorry, Derek.”

Three years pass.

Derek has graduated and is working in sewage treatment. Since Karen and Steve are in class 2, they don't see much of Derek anymore. Holographic screens around Derek's job play a commercial on repeat expressing how important his work is to his country.

Derek is not happy and begins drinking a lot when he is at his apartment. Since the drinking age is now 18, beer and vodka bottles lay around the Derek's home. His home phone lays next to his bed with 13 unheard messages. As Derek continues to drink, he stares at the missed messages shaking his head and decides to fall asleep.

The next few days, Derek goes to work like any other day. Eric, an honest friend and co-worker, informs Derek that someone in their faculty committed suicide. As people mourn, Derek continues to finish his work for the day and go home.

Finally Derek decides to call his parents and talk to them about his life in class 4. They were beginning to worry that there was something wrong since he wasn't answering their calls. Derek then replies, “There is something wrong. I'm not where I'm suppose to be.” He begins to yell and hangs up. As he looks out his apartment window, he stares at a screen on another building across the way that is playing the same commercial from his job. Derek smiles, shuts the curtains and falls asleep.

It is now year 2094. A news report on Derek's television shows that suicide in the United states has risen 28% in the past fifteen years, mostly in the lower classes.

Derek's apartment is looking more torn up than ever. About 17 missed calls are flashing on Derek's phone. Meanwhile, a pounding on Derek's front door starts getting louder and louder. It's Derek's friend Eric, asking why he hasn't shown up for work or answered any calls. He grabs the key from under the mat, opens the door and sees Derek with a rope around his neck.

A week passes and few friends and family come to Derek’s funeral. As his family mourns, the casket is placed in the ground along with the picture Derek drew of himself with blue eyes.