...Ayn Rand “I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom.” (Rand. 58). Ayn Rand treasured her personal beliefs, which were reflected through her writing. Rand lived in two distinct countries: Russia and the United States, during her lifetime. Ayn also lived during a time where many major global events occurred. A very unique and interesting childhood and adult life, subjective beliefs and philosophies, and major events occurring in the world around her were all factors that contributed to Ayn Rand’s perspective and style of writing in her infamous novel, Anthem. Ayn Rand, the oldest of three daughters, was born on February 2, 1906 (Gladstein. 3,4). Rand’s given birth name was Alisa Zinovievna...
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...Free Will in Ayn Rand’s “Anthem” Ayn Rand’s short novel, “Anthem,” depicts a collectivist society where any thoughts are only considered good if they are thought by everyone. Individuality is considered a sin. Children are taken from their parents and raised in a collective unit. One’s vocation is not decided by the individual, but rather appointed to them by a group. The main character, Equality 7-2521 (Prometheus), is a free thinker who longs to learn all he can in hopes of making a contribution to his town, and being promoted to one of the scholars. However, when he presents his discovery (electricity) to the “World Council of Scholars” the group is terrified because they have never seen anything like it before. Prometheus is scorned, rejected, and sentenced to be burned at the stake because of his choosing to think as an individual. Free will is something that many people take for granted these days, but in the world...
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...Throughout Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 in conflict himself on how to think in his society. The totalitarian government controls the progress of technology and prohibits the flow of new ideas from other people that would strengthen the society as a whole. The council knew about the Unmentionable Times, and if everyone has the ability to think like Equality 7-2521, without fear, they would be more advanced in the field of science and technology. In the society of Anthem, technology is very outdated and primitive. This implies that the society does not have the necessary qualities that science and technology needs to progress and prosper. Comparing Anthem to the society that Ayn Rand was surrounded by, they are both primitive in their technology and willingness to accept foreign ideas. During the communist reign...
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...He has denounced everything he has ever known. Impeached the contrivance of his leaders to show his brothers the life they deserve to have. In the story, Anthem by Ayn Rand, it illustrates the strong character, Equality. Equality declaims the leaders of his society “The Council” due to their concealing and cruel ways. Living in a loveless, dark age in the future, he found himself alone. Feeling alone, being what his society would call an “unpardonable sin” because he differed from his mindless brothers. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, “The laws say that none among men may be alone,ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression and the root of all evil”(17). His brothers are always cowering in fear and sadness, making one know Equality was not only doing what was best, but what was best for his brothers, his community, thus even the world. Although Equality denouncing his leader can throw off the balance and scare citizens of his community with shock, if he hadn’t taken a stand his brothers would have continued to be depressed. His brothers are depressed due to being unfairly placed into...
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...One very prominent area of a society is its technology. The technology of a society can determine a lot about it, including its way of life. In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem the technology is very primitive. There is no electricity, so they live by candle light. There are strides made by the character Equality 7-2521 to improve this. After much hard work, Equality is able to recreate the light bulb. By the way this story is written, you can gather how Rand feels about science, technology, and advances in these areas. From her writing, you can presume that Rand is for technology, science and its improvements. In Anthem, Equality represents technological advances and those who seek them. He sees a lightning bolt and tries to recreate it so humans...
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...Equality’s discovery of electricity was an incredible feat considering the complexity of society Ayn Rand depicted for Anthem. Rand’s portrayal of society contrasts with the quintessential dystopian society portrayed in many novels such as The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The civilization in Anthem exists some time in the future, however, the intricacy of technology had declined to the point where citizens were using candles and torches as methods of illuminating their surroundings. The cause of this decline traced to the development of an intolerance towards individualism. Equality never fit in his community because of his strong nonconformist personality. He had preferences and objects of joy, a sin he called “the great Transgression of Preference” (6). He had a bias for science during his schooling and had a tendency to commit transgressions, which foreshadow his experiments in the tunnel. His...
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...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a worldwide totalitarian society of the future is depicted. The society of Anthem is extremely primitive, and lacks inventions that are commonly used in modern society, such as electricity, vehicles, and such. Many seemingly simple objects were reinvented in Anthem, such as glass and the candle, which is the “. . .newest [invention]...[and] was found only a hundred years ago…” A quote from Plato’s Republic was believed to be the inspiration of the English proverb, ”Necessity is the mother of invention.” In Anthem, the reason there are no new inventions is not that there are no necessities, but rather the lack of an individual to feel something is necessary, lest the needs of their brethren. Individuals do not do...
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...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, mankind destroys all traces of their materialistic and individualistic past to form a utopia. This so-called utopia is actually more of a dystopian society. Dystopias are defined as an imagined place that is usually totalitarianistic and environmentally degraded. Anthem’s society is one of these societies, due to the tyrannical leadership, lack of technological advancements, the indoctrination of people, beginning at birth, and the loss of individualism. The tyrannical leadership is shown through the ruthless enforcement of unreasonable laws. People were “burned alive in the square of the City” (Rand 49), and theft was punishable by “ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention” (Rand 18). Technology was also severely...
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...Anthem takes place in a unknown time in the past or future where technology nor science comes to the mind of the society. “A street sweeper walking in upon the world of scholars / It is against all the rules and laws”(69). Ayn Rand’s book Anthem takes place in a dystopian society that the council of vocations control. throughout the book there was not any change in technology over time other than equality discovering electricity. Also the candles that the entire society use took a long process of getting approved and confirmed. The council and scholars disagreed with Equality’s creating which could have been a revolutionary change in technology in Anthem. Technology in Anthem have not been moving forward and have not been improving in fact it might just be forgotten to the society. “We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and brighter, than any they have ever known” (60). No one under the class of scholar have ever tried to make an invention. Even in the book the scholars aren't even making inventions for the society...
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...Anthem Writing contest I am. I think. I will, when these words are thought nothing out of the ordinary comes to mind. According to Ayn Rand’s book anthem, mine, my, and I are all taken for granted. Ayn Rand was born in 1905 and her book Anthem, published in 1938 kick started a all new genre of dystopian society books. In Anthem a future world has lost technology and all knowledge of individualism. They have abandoned the thought of themselves and now “worship” the word we. Equality 7-2151 breaks we’s invisible bond made by us and we then created a brand new utopian society, that thrives on individualism. The perfect society equality created at the end of the book will include little to no rules from his past home because, he ran away from these rules, equality knows the unspeakable word, and the leader of his land is himself. Equality 7-2125 grew up just like everybody else. At age five left for schooling then at age fifteen got a job as a streetsweeper, doing everything as a whole with no thought of themselves whatsoever. Then years later his world changed when he found a grate within the outskirts of the colony and ventured inside. In the tunnel he was in awe at the sophistication of everything the tunnel...
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...consists in the same treatment of similar persons”(‘World of Quotes”) In Harrison Bergeron by kurt Vonnegut and Anthem by Ayn Rand there are two men who are forced by their government to try to be equal. Wearing heavy weights, and a huge nose to make him look ugly, while Equality 7-2521 is made to work in the home of Street Sweepers. Even though he is smart, he is also prohibited from using the word “I”. So they are both prevented from being individuals. Although Anthem and Harrison Bergeron are both a dystopian society their treatment of family and technology differs. If human thought is suppressed, then society is collapses on itself, “The heads of our brothers bowed, The eyes of are brothers are dull and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched and muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a word steals into our mind as we look upon our brothers, as the word is fear” (Rands 46) This quote illustrate that society is already collapsing on itself. The men are lifeless because the council will not allow them to think for themselves. The societies as well are not able to think for themselves for if they do, the council will punish them. Being...
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...Ayn Rand’s Anthem portrays a collectivist-minded and totalitarian society (also referred to as a dystopian society) where freedom is limited. The dystopian society strongly believes in the idea that everybody is equal and that everybody should only care about the each other and not about themselves. The society had created different councils, each with its own job, and people were not allowed to choose their job, but it was chosen for them. The society believed in one quote that summarized all their beliefs. Ayn Rand talks about this in the following quote: “Everything done by many is good. Everything done by one man is evil (Rand, 77).” The main character of Anthem, Equality 7-2521, was born differently, according to his society, because he had different features than the others. Accepting his difference, he started to separate himself from the society. He did this becuase his 7-2521's real passion was science and just wanted to understand the world, but sadly, in Equality 7-2521's society, he was forbidden from asking questions. Though he was supposed to be a street sweeper. he did not...
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...The society ‘Anthem’ takes place in is based solely on the collective, no individualism allowed. This limits the people in the community greatly, and since all the people of the world live under a select group of rulers, in similar communities, new technology is severely limited and must go through 50 years of tests in order to be approved (Rand 74). Any new technology proposed by the council of scholars must be agreed upon by the others, and only the scholars can make new discoveries. Equality had to learn that he could not make discoveries on his own the hard way, and running from this harsh society nearly cost him his invention, as well as his life. Ayn Rand’s short novella tells the story of his illegal discoveries, the people he meets along the way, and how he is changed as a person by the end. The nature of technology here is to be scared, and the conditions for technological advancement are for people to be knowledgeable, risk-takers, and to not be afraid of advancing....
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...Objectivism rejects this false alternative and offers an entirely different view of the world. Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where he has to follow rules and everyone has to be the same person. In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, it shows that Equality’s views have changed when he leaves that society. In the old society he had to use “we” to refer to himself. He can never be recognized as an individual. Equality had to respect everyone and stay where he was put. If he was not a scholar then he could not learn. He is sent to be a street sweeper so that is what he had to be. Ayn Rand’s philosophy ties into Equalitiy’s life because he is in a society and it is all he has ever known for a way of life but then he goes out of that society into...
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...ANTHEM QUESTIONS Chapter I – Response 1 In a well-organized paragraph, describe the society in which Anthem is set. Some areas to consider are the political structure, degree of technology, social relationships, quality of life, and education. ALSO comment on the following: ➢ Would you want to live in this society? Explain why or why not. ➢ How would your teachers react if you had Equality’s “curse”? ➢ Why do Equality’s teachers disapprove of his quick mind? Chapter II – Response 2 . Re-read the account of Liberty 5-3000 on or around page 38. Which character traits are revealed in this brief description? . Find several examples of the ways in which this society tries to obliterate each individual’s mind (and self!) by quashing personal choices, desires, and values. . Of the whole range of feelings possible to man (joy, excitement, anger, embarrassment, etc.) why is fear the prevalent emotion in this society? Explain the following terms-- WHAT do each of these terms symbolize? If you think about it, they are easy to label. The Great Truth, the Unmentionable Times, the Uncharted Forest, the Evil Ones, the Great Rebirth Chapter III – Response 3 Clearly, up to this point and beyond, Ayn Rand intended Equality to stand out from his “brothers.” Explain how she accomplishes this by contrasting Equality’s physical qualities and character traits to those of his fellow men. . What...
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