...Anthem: The Process of Liberation Many years ago, I read my first book by Ayn Rand, Anthem. I completed the book in about four hours. At the time, I was not mature enough to fully appreciate Anthem's powerful symbolism. My attitude as I read the beginning of the book was one of indifference and confusion, maturing only later into concern and vigorous interest. This experience began a new phase in my intellectual development that soon led me to read Atlas Shrugged. I then started on Ayn Rand's non-fictional works. My understanding of Rand's philosophical system, however, came piece by piece. There was no one instant of recognition, no single ``aha.'' Until recently, I was not fully aware that I had been affected so deeply. My progress was step-by-step and I had never looked all the way back. As I began to read Anthem for a second time, I found myself in acute pain, even at the first paragraph. I continued to read it feeling much as a person would when touring a concentration camp, for, in effect, that was exactly what I was doing. There was not one hint of levity in my mood; I do not even recall breathing. I was truly looking all the way back. At the end of chapter nine, when Equality 7-2521 is alone, in the most profound sense of the word, with his Golden One, she says slowly, ``We are one ... alone ... and only ... and we love you who are one ... alone ... and only,'' I feared I could tolerate the book no longer. I had finally...
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...Ayn Rand’s Anthem takes place in a society that discourages individual thoughts and actions. The author herself was living in Europe as World War II was breaking out. Most of the people in Europe then were thought of as a whole, not as individuals. Ayn Rand felt as if she were being encouraged not to think individually, and wrote Anthem to warn people about the dangers of not being themselves. The characters in the novel are kept ignorant about any individual ideas by the rulers of their society, the Council. This prevents the people from asking questions and keeping them in the Council’s pocket. They are not allowed to say the word ‘I’, instead using the collective term ‘we’. They make their people repeat the same phrase over and over again...
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...ANTHEM In a time after mass destruction, when the world has ended up where it started, the idea that people are one and all and all in one is ingrained into their minds. They go through school at the exact same pace, all for their careers to be chosen for them by the council. In this society, no one stands for themselves, but they stand for each other, and are punished when they don’t do this. Throughout Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 learns that it is not a sin to be an individual in the radical and strict society he lives in, which condemns individualism. He does this by seeking knowledge from the Unmentionable Times after realizing how powerful it can be, alluding to his individuality. Next, he breaks free from...
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...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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...Over the course of Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521’s view of his leaders greatly changes. At first, Equality believes his actions are a sin. In time, Equality begins to denounce his leaders, but the reader is left wondering if he has the right to. In the novella, Equality denouncing his leaders is used to demonstrate Equality’s advancement towards individualism. To begin, Equality starts off as a very naive and acquiescent character. He believes even writing his thoughts down is a substantial sin because the leaders in his society have trained him to be altruistic. Over time, he begins to realize that the leaders in his society are just controlling the people. After he was in prison for being in the tunnel, the leaders have made all individualistic work somewhat illegal, and Equality having his own space in the tunnel that did not include his brothers resulted in punishment, he begins to realize that the leaders think the people of...
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...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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...Ayn Rand’s Anthem focuses on a society in which individuality is crushed and conformity is the source of survival. A citizen of that society by the name of Equality has been punished all his life because of his differences, those being his outstanding intelligence and physique. He and his peers are taught at the same pace in school, and potentially looked down upon if one did any better than the person next to them. On page 21, Equality says “We tried to forget our lessons, but we always remembered. We tried to not understand what the teachers taught, but we always understood it before the teachers had spoken.” It was the obvious superiority which brought the job of Street Sweeper to Equality, in an effort to restrain his mind usage and brain...
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...view, portrayed in Ayn Rand’s Anthem, promotes collectivism, or the practice of valuing the group over the individual. To maintain this mindset, there are numerous rules and restrictions that must be enforced to prevent the people from discovering individualism. These include being prohibited from valuing yourself over others, bonding with the opposite gender, and traveling to the uncharted forest. The most severe crime is articulating the unspeakable word, which is revealed at the end of the novel: ego. The first mentioned sin is to have private thoughts, which supposedly reduces the companionship of the group. Next it is mentioned that no citizen must ever be alone, as this is the root of all evil, because...
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...In Ayn Rand's novel Anthem, the author describes how a man's oppression can not contain Equalities desire for freedom much like The Cave. The claims are supported by Rand’s illustration of Equalities long journey to becoming an individual and likewise in The Cave. As the prisoner escapes the cave and enters the real world to discover what he thought of the world was not true. Rands purpose was to point out the flaws in society - (For the coming of that day shall i fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor - Rand; page 104”, while Plato showed the flaws in humans by believing what they see and not what they know! Both authors write in a very serious tone for readers interested in Science Fiction novels....
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...Underlying Motives in Anthem Oscar Wilde said, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” His quote explores how a person's personality is shaped by the personalities of others, and this sometimes makes it hard to find one's self-identity. Ayn Rand’s book Anthem explores this topic through the eyes of Equality, a man who was solely raised on the belief that he is to serve his fellow citizens, his brothers. But he alone discovers electricity, and he finds joy in his discovery. Even though he wants to help his brother men, Equalitie’s primary source of pride and joy from his work is caused by his discovery of how self motivation and perseverance can pay off while...
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...Russia was in chaos, with all citizens panicking or dead. Most of the fallout is still there, except for one spot in the mountains. The government thinks this is a perfect opportunity to “fix” society, just like in the Soviet Union. In Ayn Rand’s story Anthem, there is a society ruled by a council where you have no sense of self. The main character, Equality 7-2521, suspected the Council of not being what they seem. He realizes later in the story that they are holding back advancements in their civilization on purpose. Many people think that something like this is much to horrific to ever happen. The problem with that argument is that history repeats itself. Anthem is a...
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...fault, offense, or omission defines a sin. Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem describes the journey of Equality 7-2521 who retaliates against his collective and communist government. The idea of individualism does not correlate in a communist society that Equality lives in. However, he harms nobody within his society. Freedom and individualism should not be considered sins. Equality commits a sin when he discovers new ideas, commits multiple transgressions of preferences, and writes his actions down in his journal. Equality creates his own ideas and inventions and begins to realize how to become an individual within himself. He works alone in a tunnel he discovers for three hours each day and working alone defines a sin in their society. Ironically, with the name of Equality, he does not believe that everybody should be equal to one another. He believes this when he ponders, “The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them” (Rand, 52). Equality gathers items from the streets and other houses and takes them down to the secret tunnel continuously. He continues to do so due to the lack of yearning from all of his brothers to explore and discover. International discovered the tunnel with Equality but he did not want to return due to the consequences that would occur if they were caught. After he escapes the community and the Uncharted Forest, he discovers a house with his soon to be wife he calls the Golden One....
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...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, people are indoctrinated in a utopian society, the oppressive dictatorship that society has been ruled by has never seen much hostility. This is about to change because people have free will and free thought. People have not known that life could be different. But one person, Equality 7-2521, wishes for himself instead of following the collective ideology. This frightens him at first so he hides his thoughts from others. He has heard stories of torture, and even witnessed this at the young age of 10, and reports of imprisonment at the Palace of Corrective Detention. Equality is a hero that discovers the glitch in the matrix. Being a coward is about to change, all because of free will. Living under an oppressive government is like living as a soulless, mindless robot....
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...In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, the main character is Equality 7-2521. He lives in a society in the far off future after a major war that tore the world apart and so started the Great Rebirth. In these times, citizens of this society must follow rules so that another war will not happen. These rules state that all men are equal and no man is better than another. There isn’t just one man, only we. The citizens cannot say the word “I”. If they do, they will be punished in front of everyone in the City. Equality 7-2521 must live in the Home of Infants until age five. Once he has reached the age of five, he will be sent to the Home of Students until he reaches the age of fifteen. Once students have reached fifteen, the Council of Vocations come...
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...“We strive to be like our brother men, all men must be alike”(Rand 19). In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the society lacks individualism. However in Equality’s case he constantly feels that “we were born with a curse. it has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden”(18). Equality only feels that he is cursed because of the standards in the society. The true reason for the “sin” Equality committed was due to the pressure of collectivism from the society he lived in. Although the actions he committed were seen as a sin in his society, Equality has a correct moral assessment of these sins because of his self-individuality and egoism in his own pursuit of happiness. Equality has always stuck out among his brothers when it came to his wits. In...
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