...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a society is built on the ideology of “Brotherhood” and togetherness. One man, Equality, defies this ideology and threatens the “perfect” society built by the councilmen. When Equality discovers the word “I”, he explains the word “‘we’ must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a second thought”. Rand, with this quote, wants one to understand the collectively as a group is harmful and restricts one’s freedom. The communist society is unequal and suppresses one’s freedom. While the people are brainwashed to believe everyone is “equal”, there are still those with higher power and control. In the community the council is the “voice of all men”. Even though the community is thought to be equal, the council...
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...As once said by John F. Kennedy, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” Anthem by Ayn Rand is a dystopian fiction novel in a future setting where mankind is expected to follow a set of rules as a whole society. Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright and screenwriter. In her novel, Anthem, It shows a way of putting a society as a whole to function the same and think the same way where no one can be independent. One of the main characters was Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000. Equality 7-2521 is described with the pronoun “they” as in not being his own person, as well as the other characters who are also described with the pronoun “they.” He’s strong, independent, and intelligent who ends up falling in love with liberty 5-3000, who he describes as “the golden one.” Even though Equality knows it is a sin to think the way he does, he does it anyway because of his “cursed wish to know.” Equality slowly becomes more independent as he’s falling in love with Liberty 5-3000. Throughout the story, we see Equality’s path to self-discovery and his journey throughout moving away...
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...Imagine not being allowed to be yourself due to your society telling you so and you aren’t allowed to question it. That’s how Equality is in Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem; the leaders of his society disapprove of people being an individual. No one questions the logic of the leaders, including Equality, until the book concluded. He writes down his thoughts and feelings, knowing he is not allowed to, which causes him to question why they can not be who they want to be. Equality sets out on a personal journey to figure out answers why and once he gets those answers, his approving thoughts of the leaders change to critical and denouncing thoughts. Children are taught obedience, but maybe they are actually taught compliance. Equality complied for years...
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...The book Anthem is written by Ayn Rand is a dystopian novel about a boy named Equality. Equality lives in a society where everyone is the same, no one is different, they identify themselves as “we” and not “I”, the society can’t think for themselves, and the Council is in charge of them and whatever they do. One day Equality finds a hole that no one knows about except Equality himself and his friend International (find the page but in chapter 1). So Equality goes to the hole every day. In the hole, there are numerous thing in there but Equality finds a tool box and some wires and plans to use his own brain and make something new that will benefit the society. At first, he was excited about his invention then his primary motivation changed....
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...Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that emphasizes the moral worth of the individual. Individualism is something thats makes a person one, giving them the right to be an individual, the freedom to equality. In the novel Anthem By Ayn Rand individualism is a central idea explored through the story. The main character Equality 7-2521 is living in a society where the concept of individuality is non existent, he is very curious about the world he lives in and the science and nature that surrounds it. But unfortunately it's a sin to think/wonder such things and that it's not good to be different from his brothers but it is evil to be superior to them. According to the text it states (Rand 6) “We...
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...The word ego is often misinterpreted to have a negative connotation, but for Prometheus having ego is a sacred opportunity. In Anthem by Ayn Rand Prometheus discovers his individuality in a strictly collectivist society by becoming a creator to his own idea of society/culture/civilization that embraces the selfishness and ego found in people. To Prometheus, being an egoist is to positively pursue the ideas he believes are right for society, for himself and his happiness. The connotation of being an egoist is something different to every person whether they interpret it in a positive or negative way. Living for himself is one way Prometheus is an egoist. His selfish qualities of believing he is somewhat superior to others while being curious...
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...In Anthem, the Uncharted Forest symbolizes everything that people are too afraid to explore. It embodies all the things people don’t do because they are fearful of stepping out of their comfort zone and/or of breaking the social construct that surrounds them. In Ayn Rand’s society, it specifically symbolizes all that is unknown to the society Equality 7-2521 lives within. It represents all the things Equality 7-2521 has been curious about throughout his life and all the things he and his brothers have left unexplored due to Council’s orders and the fear of the unknown that the Council induced in them. While reading Anthem we get a couple of glimpses at Equality 7-2521’s thoughts. These glimpses show us that he has always felt drawn to the...
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...At the end of Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, Equality 7-2521 breaks from the collective society and discovers the lost and unspeakable word, “I”. I believe that the newly named Prometheus will not resort back to his collective ways due to his determination to learn and the actions he has made in order to learn; however, I can not say the same about the generations that may come after him. To start, during one of his reflective moments, Equality 7-2521 says, “[I’m]glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue” (47). For all of his life he has been chastised and scolded for thoughts like this, yet he still chooses to embrace them and be different than his brothers. He has been taught, in almost a religious sense, that, “‘[t]here are...
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...Compare and Contrast Anthem with Night Even though books come in many genres, they can still be compared and contrasted. This applies to almost all books. For example, Eliezer Wiesel’s Night and Ayn Rand’s Anthem are different genres. However, the similarities and differences between these author’s works are definite and deserve analysis. Such similarities include how the societies handle the executions of criminals. In Anthem, Equality has to stand “...in the great square with all the children and all the men of the city, sent to behold the burning” (Rand, 38). During Elie’s experience in the Holocaust, he and everyone else in his camp has to walk “...past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue gaping from his mouth. The Kapos forced everyone to look him squarely in the face” (Wiesel, 63). Also, both Elie and Equality receive messages from watching a public execution. When the pipel is hanged, Elie thinks that God is no longer with the Jews and takes it to...
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...Socialism. Altruism. Communism. The great evil of collectivism bears many names, but all are based upon the same unattainable ideal: equality. The societies that embrace these totalitarian political forms, including that of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, intend to become the paragon of parity by having their citizens sacrifice their own happiness for that of their brethren. The leaders of Anthem’s supposedly egalitarian society justify this subtly sadistic method of rule with the ideals of equality, fraternity, and selflessness. The principles that blinded Equality 7-2521’s brethren to the grim reality they faced too often imbue members of modern society, especially as these standards are broadcasted by religious, social, and governmental groups. The...
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...-Conformity and Rebellion: In my analysis of Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” I would tend agree that people are divided based on their roles and functions in society. This division of people may be outside of an individual’s or group of people’s control. This division of people may be driven by socioeconomic, geographic, political, ideological or technological reasons. There may be individuals in power that will dictate where classes of people should live and work. The divisions of people into classes can be seen in both the real world and fictional writings. There may be divisions of classes within the same group of people based on power and influence in that group. Some of these individuals in these groups may also consist of those rare individuals with a conscience, that Thoreau speaks of, who can influence change or incite a rebellion. If the actions of these rare individuals incites a revolution and takes down those individuals currently in power then I would agree they would be considered an enemy of the state. People can also be divided based on their roles and functions in society without force or coercion. Their culture or customs of a society may dictate roles and functions. An individual may be born into this society with fixed expectations of their roles or functions. This agreement can be the seen in the case of Changez, in the Reluctant Fundamentalist. Changez was born into a caste system where his family held some form of power and influence based...
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