Council Of Vocations In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Throughout the book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 changes his perspective on how he views the leaders of society. As he starts to realize that there is more meaning to his life than he previously thought, he changes his view which leads him to start thinking of himself as an individual instead of just another member of his society. He no longer accepts the way his government is telling him to live his life as a proper way to live. Equality 7-2521, is correct in denouncing his leaders of their morality as he finally starts to realize that the leaders are hindering him and the rest of the society from expanding their knowledge in development of technology and advancements in the medical field.

“Anthem” is an engrossing novel by Ayn Rand focusing on the character Equality 7-2521’s descent into rebellion against the new socialistic government that has taken all previous scientific advancement out of life, only to leave the ideology of collectivism. His quest to discover, learn, and invent is problematic to those that oversee the progress of the civilization, and from roughly around the age of five, he is punished for his nature. Soon enough, the twenty-one year old is on a journey to learn, not only about nature’s mysteries, but also about what sets him apart from his dead-eyed peers. Equality 7-2521 has many distinctive characteristics that others in the restricted city do not, some of which are relatable, and others that are indeed unique.

“We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike… We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great we, one, indivisible and forever.” (Rand Chapter 1.1 (??)) The Council of Vocations assigns Equality 7-2521 the job of Street Sweeper purely out of sinister motivation. Equality 7-2521 exemplifies the qualities of an independent young man, a concept that the council is against. They believe that all individuals should be the same, and that the differences that set them apart must be relinquished, or it will tear their society apart.

All his life he had been told that it “is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them” (21). The Teachers made Equality believe that everything he did was wrong, and because they were appointed by the Councils, he believed them to be correct. The appointing of all things by the Councils relates to the Supreme Court. This situation relates to the moral sin in society. Everything is controlled. When Equality turned fifteen, the Council of Vocations appointed him the job of a “Street Sweeper”; it pleased him. This happiness did not last because he was unsatisfied. He always craved more, and one day, a gift was given. Equality 7-2521, with fellow Street Sweeper International 4-8818, uncovered an underground tunnel that was used for subways during the Unmentionable Times, which gave Equality hope. This underground tunnel became everything to Equality because it gave him peace, and it became the one of the many reasons why he was able to break free from being controlled by the leaders of his time of the Great

Just imagine, knowing there's a better world you can be living but your being held back by a force. You are put on a set of rules and told to follow or else. This force is authority, and in Anthem that is what there society runs on, Authority and fear. Authority means to have power or give right to an order and in Anthem the power is held by the Great council. The council uses fear and power to control their people. They use their authority to is why people conform to their daily schedule and don't break it. From waking up working, eating at noon, then theater at dark just to repeat for the rest of their life. Why don't people do otherwise, and that's because there scared.

Some people, don’t realize how much Anthem’s society compares to our own. We put people down for being different from ourselves, similarly, Anthem condones Equality for asking too many questions, being taller than his brothers, and being too curious about the past. Nowadays our society uses names to chastise children, teens, and adults that don’t behave in the same manner as we think they should. The way I look at it, the leaders in Anthem, can be seen as the “popular” kids in school. Everyone wants to be like the popular kids; they all want to be indistinguishable in their personalities. I believe this is why almost everyone in Anthem gave up the right’s to themselves and dropped the word “I”, from their vocabulary. The self respecting few

“To be a judge one must possess an unimpeachable character…” (Rand, ”How does one lead a rational life in an irrational society?” Paragraph 4). Equality is that “unimpeachable character” in Anthem. He is not afraid to judge. Ayn Rand is a philosopher and a writer and she wrote Anthem and How does one lead a rational life in an irrational society. Anthem is a about a post-apocalyptic society with a government with morals that are against our morals today and humans knowledge destroyed in the disasters that took place, and the article is Ayn’s outlook on life. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses Equalities actions to emphasize that when you are discontent with the government's morals you should denounce them.

The novel of Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, contributes to controversial subjects in society that are still relevant today. Some issues addressed by Rand in her novel include: equality, social hierarchy, individuality, and government. Throughout the duration of reading Anthem the issues in which Rand makes relevant are not obvious, but more so discussed through conflicts and situations that the main character, Equality 7-2521, encounters. Although many of the altercations that present social issues are provided by either other characters singlehandedly or by a group of the characters in alliance, some of the main issues that arise in this novel are presented within the main character himself.

The dystopian society displayed in Anthem is what leads one to believe that people are no longer adored for their ability to stand out but for their ability to concur to the rules provided. There is no emotion towards the people of this society, as their careers are doled out to them, “For the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: Street Sweeper.” (Rand, 26) for it is not the ability which someone has that they consider when picking a job for them, but their amount of compliance to the

Standing before the Council of Vocations, Equality 7-2521 waited patiently to hear what would become of his future. With all the jobs the council had to offer, there was only one that Equality 7-2521 dreamed to be. He wanted to be a Scholar. When the Council of Vocations told Equality his future, “ A finger of the hand of the oldest rose, pointed to us, and fell down again. This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: ‘Street Sweeper’.” (Rand 26). The Council of Vocations assigned Equality the job of Street Sweeper not because that was his full potential, but because of the potential he had to change the way their society lived. They knew he would change things in their community that

From the day that Equality 7-2521 were united as one they have been considered freaks, because they were all about six feet tall and looked down upon by the other groups within the society. After their schooling, Equality 7-2521 were sent to the "Home of the Street Sweepers" and there they were assigned a certain sector of the city to keep

The society in the book Anthem is very controlled. Equality is one of the main characters in the book. He is super smart and different from others. In the book, Equality says,”It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that the learning was

The government closely monitors people's lives, and has control over every aspect of society. Equality is different than his peers, as he is much taller than them. He is more intellectual and bigger than most, therefore somewhat superior to others. The government would not have forgotten the tall genius, as even his teachers took note of him, when they tell him “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has outgrown the bodies of your brothers.” (18) When the government monitors the lives of people so closely, they leave no margin for error. The Council of Vocations know Equality by reputation, and know that he is highly intelligent. His appointment to street sweeper is obviously a calculated act, not a government

Every citizen believes the way they are living is correct and that there is no problem with the society. “This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: ‘Street Sweeper’(Anthem)”. Equality 7- 2521 feels differently when he knows that he is extremely smart and is given the job to be a street sweeper. Throughout the story, Equality 7-2521 learns to realize that the society is brain washing every single citizen. “The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were ordered to be (Anthem).” Any citizens who were supposed to be locked up would never to attempt to even escape because they knew they would be put to death, however, escaping was easy for Equality

The story of Anthem takes place in some unspecified future in which freedom and individual rights have been obliterated. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, is a street sweeper who finds a tunnel where he conducts his science experiments. Throughout the book we see him change and move towards individualism as he discovers how capable he really is. Ayn Rand uses vast amounts of literary devices to describe the evolution of Equality 7-2521. In the dystopian novella, Anthem, Ayn Rand expresses epochal symbolism and poetic personification in order to passionately display the individual’s superiority over the collective.