Tyler Barclay Williams/Krisanda Compare/Contrast Essay 15 October 2024.

The book Anthem by Ayn Rand and the film 2081, which was based on the short story by Kurt Vonnegut, both feature dystopian societies that are governed by totalitarian rulers whose aim is a perfect society. Anthem is set in a future post-apocalyptic world where there is no power in the individual man, everything must benefit the collective, and there is no scientific or technological knowledge available to the community. The film 2081 depicts life in the future where the government forces equality on everyone by removing physical or intellectual advantages through handicaps. Anthem and 2081 are both examples of how governments punished the individual, but in Anthem the …show more content…
In Anthem, the main character Equality 7-2521 is struggling to recapture a word that was considered to be an,“Unspeakable Word, which no man may speak nor hear” (Rand 49). This word, “I,” had been erased by the Council from men’s vocabulary. Speaking this word was the only crime punishable by death because it went against the foundation of the dystopian society the Council wanted to build; for such an idea to be spread by the common man would mean death to the society the Council had carefully built. In 2018 the people were forced to believe that “Everyone is Equal” and this was necessary for society to be successful. If a person was found to excel in any area, the person would be handicapped. For example, if someone was intellectually superior, they would receive an implant in their brain that would disrupt their thoughts. In Anthem and 2081 the individual was suppressed, never being able to experience the benefits of being unique. In Anthem the council was able to suppress individual thought, while in 2081 the government destroyed hope in the citizens by removing their advantages through handicaps. All members, including Equality 7-2521, believe the lies and propaganda that has been told to them about the superiority of the council, seeing them as,