Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

“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” (17). Equality 7-2521 was born into a society that portrays a totalitarian rule. The people living in the controlled environment have been taught and brainwashed to know only one thing: the priority of the group over the individual person. Equality 7-2521 is one of the few people raised in the world of collectivism that is born different – filled with curiosity, gifted with intelligence; the difference leads him to believe he is cursed and evil. He was ashamed of his unique qualities and believed that he was a flaw. It is this divergence that makes him believe there is an initial

In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, nature is portrayed as a safe haven, and it is something that Equality can experience without thinking twice. Nature is an escape, a place to be you, a place to be unique. Everything in the society is sheltered and unknown, Equality describes nature in a different way than he described anything else in the book. There is a sense of relief, and it is like Equality lets his guard down and is free to be himself for a short amount of time as he describes nature. Equality describes the sky with great detail. He explains the three different colors of the sky at three different times of the day. “The sky is green and cold in our windows to the east” (Rand 27). He pays great attention to detail and the vivid colors and the way the sky looks at various times. Equality feels a sense of relief throughout the book through nature. Individuality is

Basic summary: The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is a dystopian science fiction novel that is set in the future where there are no rights or freedom there is no such thing as “I”. Everyone is equal to each other; they work and live in collective groups everyone is thought as one. The narrator, Equality 7-2521 has always stood out from everyone else, he was much smarter, later on, he vows to use his new knowledge to build a society based on individual freedom.

Ayn Rand wrote a short novel called Anthem. Anthem is similar to the known movie The

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.

In the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 has changed how he views the leaders of his society, and now is very critical of the leaders, referring to them in moral terms. He lives in a very collectivism society, where his leaders control the aspects of the citizen’s lives. The citizens are characterized by a number rather than a name. All the brothers of this society are not allowed to speak to or look at any one of his brothers or women. They follow a repeated schedule day by day, following the totalitarian rules given.

“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible, and forever” ( Rand. 19). In Equality 7-2521’s life, he was forced to be equal to the people who were around him. He couldn’t be different from society, because it was a sin. Equality was born with a curse which made him different from his brothers. He was cursed with the quick learning ability. He tried to be like other people who were not as smart as him, but somehow his plan never succeeded. Although he tried to forget his lessons, it always came back to his remembrance. Anthem interested me when Equality 7-2521 met Liberty 5-3000, how he discovered electricity, and how he wanted his rights. Society wanted the people including Equality 7-2521 to be equal. Even though Equality 7-2521 went through some hard times, he finally got his rights at the end of the book.

Achieving equality has been attempted by many, however, none have completely succeeded. The problems lies in the individualism each person poses. By wiping out the individualism in a society, while not completely achieving equality, equality would be as close to perfect as it could get. In the novel Anthem, Equality 7-2521 and his fellow brothers live in a society in which perfect equality is being attempted to be achieved; individualism has been weeded out over time. During Ayn Rand’s novel about dystopian society, the Council of Vocations assign Equality the job of street cleaner due to a sinister motivation of believing Equality and his intelligence pose a threat to their “perfect” society.

In the book Anthem, there are many sins, as well as transgressions. There is a transgression of preference, of being alone, of thinking alone, of writing, and even of disobedience. In this essay, I will talk about why I feel this society is corrupt as well as how I believe Equality 7-2521 has come to the same conclusion and why he doesn't care about his transgressions. I will also talk about how I think Equality 7-2521 realizes the importance of the written word. And lastly, I will talk about how I feel that Equality 7-2521 has come to his current state of enlightenment. An epiphany, if you will.

“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. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone.” (pg. 1)

“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

Would you like to be told what to do and what not to do in life? Well in Ayn Rand's novelette "Anthem" the character Equality 7-2521 along with his other brothers don't have the choice. In there society they do what they have to do no questions ask if questions or anything having to do with the Great Rebirth then they are to go to the Palace of Corrective Detention. Everyone is to be alike one can't think of themselves in terms of "I" known as the Unspeakable Word they must think and speak as if all of them were a group using terms like "we" or think they are better than others in there society. The Council of Vocations are the ones who decide an individual's occupation by which they are forcing the best young minds into manual labor, which

Anthem depicts a dystopian society in which everything is for the community, and no actions should be committed for self. Equality has a curse. He has selfish thoughts and commits transgressions frequently. Equality does not think for his brothers or sisters in the way that is “normal”. The society that controls the city where Equality lives believes they have congruity within the community and demands blind obedience to their morals and values. In the beginning of Anthem, Equality at first follows the rules of the society and presumes their morals are free of error, but eventually begins to realize that the society is depriving people the freedom of individuality.

At the beginning of Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 states that it is a sin to write his individual thoughts in secrecy. Later in the story, especially in the past few sections, he has completely changed his view of his individuality and past actions against the society of his brothers. Equality 7-2521 changes from being a scared slave to his community and lifestyle, to being Prometheus, a confident man working to change the world for “I” and against “we” with his plans for the Uncharted Forest. Prometheus’ view of society is correct, opposed to how he thought when he was Equality 7-2521. He approaches this new prospective and favors it because it has given him the most, and possibly the only, happiness that he’s ever had in his life.

“It is a sin to write this” (Rand 17). Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where it is forbidden to have individual thought and to write those thoughts down. Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, is a journal of Equality 7-2521’s thoughts and actions from his point of view. The story takes place in the future, in an unidentified city with a collectivist society. This setting is important because Equality 7-2521 does not fit in with the standards of the society and is different from the other citizens, which causes much of the conflict throughout the story.