...Have you ever defy your government or leader to do something that you think is right or should be done? In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, is about a man named equality. Who lives in a dystopian world where you have no identity and where you have nothing to call your own. Although they had different outcomes Equality felt a bond with Prometheus because of how alike they were. Equality does things to defy his government, but he thinks he’s helping. First, Equality creates light, alone by himself, as one. Equality made the “strange box” glow when he put wires to is. (59). He believed that because of this creation he can light everything. (60) this is not good because in this community anything new is bad and anything done alone is even worse....
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...In the book, Anthem, Ayn Rand describes a society where everyone is equal. In fact, it is a sin to be smarter, taller, etc, but the main character, Equality, is very different from the others. He knows there is more to the world than what is in front of him. He takes time to find out about the world. He realizes that the city he is a part of is doing things in a way that he views as wrong. The rules in the city make sure that everyone is doing something for others; you can not do things for yourself. Everyone has to be equal. You cannot love another more than others, for that is a sin as well. In my opinion, I believe the rules are there because the leaders’ intentions were to make sure no one feels hurt, but this in fact did the opposite to humans such as Equality. Equality wanted to be a scholar so he could learn more about the world, but instead, he was hired to be a street sweeper. Because of how much Equality disagreed with the ways of his old society, I believe that he will make his society basically the complete opposite of the city he used to live in....
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...Equality was always different from the “norm” in Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem. Whether it be sneaking out in the middle of a play to make new discoveries or just simply defying the Council, he was always doing things no other humans dared to do. Equality laughing when he remembers he is “the Damned” is no exception of his uniqueness. Most if not all humans living in Anthem would never understand what was comical about being “the Damned” in the situation, but Equality realized that he truly was free and that “the Damned” is actually the rest of the civilization he just escaped. Equality’s reasoning for laughing was because he is different, which helped him realize he is the only one who is truly free. Equality along with Liberty are truly the...
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...Growing up in a society where you were never treated like an individual your whole life could be very difficult. In the novel Anthem written by Ayn Rand, Equality (the main character) struggles to try to find himself in a society where everyone is equal. Modern day U.S is much more progressive than Anthem’s society, because of the living conditions, jobs, and freedom. Equality society is different than the U.S society in many ways. However, their living conditions, people get placed in certain homes to live in. “We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were five years old, together with all the children of the city who had been boring the same year.” (pg.20) They lived in the Home of the Infants until they...
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...The question of whether total equality is a desirable quality or the end of liberty has been a controversial topic for hundreds of thousands of years. But not only have there been discussions about this, there have been wars as capitalist countries have fought communist nations. Yet, not once has there been an example (we know of) where every single citizen was really totally equal to others. Therefore, the question of whether total equality is good or not is still accurate today. As it is easier to focus on a vision such as the one by Ayn Rand in the novel “Anthem” than to come up with a hypothetical solution, I will take Rand’s novel and “The Handmaid’s Tale” into account. In both visions there may be total equality for most citizens, but firstly, there are certain people with much more power (councils and the government), and, secondly, equality comes at the price of a major reduction of freedom....
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...Imagine being in a world where everyone is stripped of individuality and viewed as evil if him or her even show the slightest bit of vanity. In the book Anthem, this is reality. The main character, Equality 7-2521, is smarter than most people, yet he is forced to dumb himself down and is put into the job of an inferior street sweeper. The human race has replaced the words I and me with we and our. Anyone who speaks the word ego is burned at the stake in the name of equality. Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem, wrote the book in first person major for the purpose of better showing how this book’s society worked and how it influenced how the characters behaved. The book is written in first person major to further convey to the reader how the concept...
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...Rand says, “Altruism is evil” (Ayn). Altruism is the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others. Certainly not what Rand stood for, but Howard Zinn did. He believed in being there for your neighbor, friends, family, or others who needed you. Rand’s Objectivism was also not a loving and caring philosophy. She never once said, “Remember your friends and family, they are the ones who will be there when you fall.” Consistent with a display of selfish values, those were her ideas, “what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine.” Her ideas lacked generosity and faith or religion. Difficult as it may seem, she was said to be a nice old lady who has been just like a cuddly grandma, that's hard to imagine. Wikipedia says of Objectivisim, “that the only social system consistent with this morality is one that displays full respect for individual rights embodied in “Laissez-Faire Capitalism”, and that the role of art in human life is to transform humans' metaphysical ideas by selective reproduction of reality into a physical form—a work of art—that one can...
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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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...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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...Compare and Contrast HB+A Aristotle once said “Equality 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 depicts the dystopian future in which an unnamed society has completely “forgotten” the word ‘I’. While reading Anthem, Ayn Rand introduces Equality 7-2521, the hero who breaks away from the status quo of the unnamed society. Collectivism is the immoral guide for the unnamed society, a guide that Equality challenges to the extent of its extremities. The dictatorial leadership of this society restricts even thinking about one’s self, no one person is obliged to give priority to an individual. Thereupon, we see Equality’s entrance into the society, just by his physical characteristics rebelling against the status quo, being both too tall and too smart. Equality faces his own internal conflicts, he, in his misunderstanding, struggles to understand the gravity of his actions and his true differences from the society’s collectivism....
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...the book, Equality 7-2521’s growth can be seen throughout the book. In the beginning, he’s trying his hardest to fit in with the society they live in, but towards the end he questions the beliefs of the brothers and goes as far as to maligning them as well. Equality 7-2521’s final assessment of his so called ‘sin’ is indeed correct because individualism a key factor in growing as person due to everybody in the world being their own person so trying to confirm people as one is profoundly useless. “We are one in all and all in one”, is basically the prayer they’re told to repeat to themselves when they’re...
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...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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...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 on their wealth even as their wealth was depleted across generations. The family’s status and role in society did not change...
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...Unlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an affliction to be born with powerful intellectual capacity and ambition in Ayn Rand’s apocalyptic, nameless society in Anthem. Collectivism is ostensibly the moral guidepost for humanity, and any perceived threat to the inflexible, authoritarian regime is met with severe punishment. The attack on mankind’s free will and reason is most evident in the cold marble engraving in the Palace of the World Council: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (6). Societal norms force homogeneity and sacrifice among all people. Laws and rules are crafted to prevent advancement and preserve relentless...
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