The values at risk in Anthem are not merely those of the central luminary; they are the ostensible values of an entire civilization—our own. Our society is founded upon the notion of individual rights; its existence, as Ayn Rand depicts, cannot be conceived on any other grounds. Anthem, Rand’s dystopian novella, is about us, and about what will happen if we do not follow alongside Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 in their discovery of the importance of individualism.
Rand intends Equality’s name to be a misnomer, since we know that he is far superior to his peers and later comes to reject the principle his name characterizes. Liberty 5-3000 is a character meant to epitomize freedom—although it is quite paradoxical that her society would
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One of the expounding stories of Western culture is a central theme of Ayn Rand’s Anthem—the myth of Prometheus. In Prometheus the Greek Titan and Equality’s epics, both bring some kind of “fire” down from the heavens to his fellow men—Prometheus, by trickery, stole fire itself, while Equality discovered and developed electricity and the light bulb. Though what they did was paramount, both were punished for their egoistic, creative actions—Prometheus by the almighty Zeus, Equality by the World Council of Scholars.
Upon discovering the nature of selfhood and the many texts in the house of the Unmentionable Times, Equality employs, for himself, a just, individual name: “I have read of a man who lived many thousands of years ago, and of all the names in these books, his is the one I wish to bear. He took the light of the gods and he brought it to men…His name was Prometheus” (98-9). The newly named Prometheus expounds fundamental crises faced by man, upon his birth: explaining that man was once enslaved by gods, kings, kin, and by race, but that he later broke free from all of their chains (101). And in doing so, “[Prometheus] declare[s] to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor any other man can take away from him…for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right” (101-2). He selects the name of a god who “taught men to be gods,” gave them fire, and was punished
“Anthem” – one of writing authors Ayn Rand, shows her at her most vicious, hungry, and ambitious reading personality not only as a writer, but as a storyteller as well. The classic hit novel “Anthem” is the predecessor to Ayn Rands later books and storytelling works such as “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”, often tackles controversial themes that are still prevalent within modern America today, such as Family & Love. The grandeur novel “Anthem” is a reflection of such topics, all whilst being told with almost an aura of mystery within the novels plotline / storyline. “Anthem’s” take on things such as individuality and self discovery along with universal, self serving terms such as “I” & the word “We” are the key factors in helping differinciate this author Ayn Rand from other authors that write and compse the same genre of literature as Ayn Rand. Anyways, please allow for me to introduce you to the under the surface, deeper themes expressed in the classic debut novel, Ayn Rands “Anthem”
In “Anthem” by Ayn Rand Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where there are many rules and controls. The people in this society exist to coexist. These rules cause them to have no individuality. Everyone is completely equal. Equality knows that he is different and that no person was made to be the exact same as the one before.
For the first time in his life, he saw his face and what he looks like, he thought, “We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were beautiful. Our face was not like the face of our brothers for we felt no pity when we look upon it.” (Rand, 80). He saw his reflection in the water and now he isn’t like his brothers both mentally and physically because he broke all of the laws. Another law he broke was instead of using the word “we” Equality told the Golden one they shall finally use the word “I” that he had just discovered at the house from the Unmentionable Times. There were so many unique items from the Unmentionable that Equality discovered, like names, he found out that before the government change their ways every person had a say in a name and they weren’t assigned. They knew that they wanted their lives to be like that.
Nowadays, individuality is perched on top of the highest pedestal. There's nothing that compares with the ability to stand apart from each other and no one dares take that away. But in Ayn Rand’s novella called Anthem, it is the complete opposite; there are numerous Councils who are in charge of everything for the people. Some of the things include, what jobs and what future people have and also they regulate intelligence and inventions. Equality 7-2521, later renamed Prometheus, is a member of this dystopian society; he isn't at all similar to his brothers. This, leads to his urge to break away from them. The Council and the society damn him because of his actions and brain, but after his escape, he realizes this damnation is hilarious because they are the damned, not him.
Equality defied that and asserted his right to personal freedom, which led to his eventual exile. This illustrates the societal growth that occurs when individuals break free from control and embrace themselves, as can be seen with Prometheus. His exile highlights the stagnation of society. The condemnation of personal freedom aligns with the regression unfolding in society, despite its futuristic setting. Ayn Rand's historical influences were shaped by events she lived through, including the Russian revolution and its turning into a communist state.
Similar to the actions of young adults who are trying to find an identity in relation to the people around them, Equality begins to question his identity and role. Her choice of ethos in relation to the logos presents a subtle path to explaining why collectivism is bad, and why someone would need individualism. When Rand creates analogies that hold familiar situations to those of young adults, those situations highlight why group mentality is not always good. Aristotle’s theory can also explain how Rand utilized epideictic and deliberative. Rand uses the epideictic rhetoric to blame the society and condemn what they were doing.
A captivating novelette in which a man’s priority is to serve only for his brothers, Ayn Rand’s Anthem illustrates a society that has suffered the ghastly consequences of collectivism. She depicts an oppressive culture in which the word “I” is unheard of and men belong to the collective “We.” Men’s lives are determined through the Council of Vocations, a group that maintains a powerful dictatorship by subjugating the public from the beginning of their lives. The idea that “If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies” (Chapter 1) has been forced into average mindset of the vehemently maintained society. In contrast, Rand mocks the totalitarian civilization through the main
The extensive amount of rules and controls of the society Prometheus lives in has lead him to insanity. Prometheus of Ayn Rand’s Anthem society’s amount of control over the community and has restricted the human capacity to a slave like being due to having no choice over what you do with your life. Contrary to the superior’s belief, Prometheus’s vision of his society would make humans able to reach their highest ability and prosperity.
Within Anthem’s society, there is an Unspeakable Word, and it is a very blatant symbol that Ayn Rand uses. Within Equality’s society, the thoughts of the many are overpowering the thoughts of the one. Men cannot hold their own opinions, but they must be congruent with the rest of their brothers. Yet the Unspeakable Word is a symbol of dissent; of individual thought. Though we do not know the Unspeakable Word at first, Equality remarks “There is no crime punished by death in this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word.
Novelists create science fiction novels that represents what today’s society could possibly look like if the government has too much power. Today’s society would fall into a state of corruption, where nothing belongs to a single person and everything is owned by the government. It would be a place where people cannot openly voice their thoughts or opinions without getting in trouble with the powerful government. Ayn Rand’s science fiction novel, Anthem, depicts a dark vision of the future world where individuality is not permitted to exist. The main character, Equality, sets himself aside from the other people living in society. He knows that he is different, but with a sense of naivety, he finds his independence wrong, but he cannot help it. Liberty, the female character in which Equality has feelings for, also finds herself to be different from others and follows Equality’s path. In conveying the insidious corruption of the collectivist society of Anthem, Ayn Rand uses dramatic and situational irony.
The future as we imagine it, is to be filled with hi-tech gadgets and gear. Yet we consistently forget about the past and how the past always catches up, where light is gone and equality is a must were no sight of uniqueness is allowed. If that were the case we wouldn’t not be human. “Anthem” by Ayn Rand explains this world where everyone is the same and everyone is told exactly what to do. Equality 7-2521 is the main character of this story and tries to fix this problem. In this story, there is a dystopian protagonist, and a dystopian protagonist is a character that feels trapped and is struggling to escape his/her society. Equality, the dystopian protagonist in “Anthem”, questions the society he lives in by figuring out that being
Chapter 8 through the end of Anthem by Ayn Rand brings resolution to conflict of the book and fully develops motif into theme. The main conflict in this book is without a doubt conformity versus individuality. This conflict is mainly exhibited by the main character Equality 7-2527 but is designed in such a way that it represents the conformity of all individuals in a society and the lack of thinking for one’s self as a result. Chapter 8 in Anthem represents a drastic shift towards resolution in this conflict because it is during this time that Equality begins to act on his beliefs rather than just think them. Up to this point, Equality has clearly defied the laws of the described society in Anthem by pursuing self interest which may be
In conclusion, in Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality’s new society will have none of the rules of the old society. The rules were put in place to shun differences and keep everyone equal. Because Equality hated the old society, he encourages differences, and he was an outcast in the old society, he will not allow any of the rules to carry over into his new
“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil… We have broken the laws” (17). Thus begins Anthem by Ayn Rand, a novella about a future collectivist society and a man named Equality 7-2521. Though the story takes place in the future, all technology that came after candles and glass has been taken away. The word “I” has ceased to exist in anyone’s vocabulary. Every person must agree on everything and feel like everyone else. To accomplish ‘cleansing’ the evils of mankind, society lead its people to believe that nothing can be done independently. The story is told through the eyes of Equality as he purposely defies the laws
The novel Anthem illustrates women in an inferior light, demeaning their importance and value to the world. Ayn Rand creates woman as a creature to lick the dust from the soles of man’s feet, and to endure anything he