Equality 7-2521 Research Paper

“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

Equality 7-2521, who decides to change his name to Prometheus in the final chapters of the novella, had his own vision of a perfect society. Upon discovering “I” while he is reading in the house, Equality 7-2521 becomes aware that he is the center of his own universe, and nobody has control over his actions now. He says, “I understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him” (Rand 58). It is clear that he would never include any of the rules that were present in his past society in his new and improved one. Equality 7-2521 completely let go of his old life and refused to be held back among the masses. Equality 7-2521’s curse that was always frowned upon finally was looked at in a positive way. He is unafraid and proud, finally discovering himself and becoming his own man.

Rules, some people follow them, others do not. Many people ask why these rules exist, or what they even mean. In Anthem, the rules in their society were created to assure that society would not have another catastrophe, like one before the Unmentionable Times, when the Evil Ones wreaked havoc on the World, destroying everything in their path. Many of these rules limit one's capabilities to think independently. Failure to follow these rules result in harsh punishment. One man, by the name of Equality 7-2521, has defied a numerous number of these laws. This man has made a monumental discovery that could advance mankind. Unfortunately, due to the World Councils stubbornness, he was rejected of his idea. In this moment, Equality finally realized

“We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike”(7). In Equality 7-2521's society, everyone must think and be just like everyone else. The society's commitment to Equality 7-2521 eventually means a confinement to sameness. If the individuals are not like everyone else, the Council Of Vocations threaten them by using brutal punishments for every law that is broken, they also threaten them from possibly being superior to others. It can be argued that it is moral to act in an individual’s own self-interest to find joy. Self-sacrifice is not an obligation. Collectivism states that people should exist for the co-operation for others and that the pursuance of individual happiness is not preachy. The dominance of mankind’s free will and the reason is most evident in the distant 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). "Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you" (20). Equality 7-2521 is proclaiming about what his teachers told him when he was a student. Evidently, in his society, no one is allowed to think or choose what they want to do with their own lives, or even to think about what they are capable enough of doing in their lives. These were

The struggle of Equality 7-2521 is that he is positive that everything the government is doing is wrong. He finally realizes all of the wrong doings in his world. He first discovers an underground railroad. He realizes all of the amazing things that is out there that his world isn’t allowed to know about. He takes in that everything he has been raised thinking is all wrong. At first he becomes confused of why his world would do this. All these laws are placed because the government wanted a perfect world. What they think is perfect is the total opposite of perfect. You are selected into your job and department. You have no name, all you have is what category you are in and some numbers after. Those numbers are there just so you can know who one another is. Men can’t love women. Women can’t love men. They want everyone to be happy and not go through

　　Equality 7-2521 conviction in the validity of his societies social values was crumbling. He reflects that “strange are the ways of evil… we are defying the will of our Councils” (Rand, 36) and that “never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones’ Ancients, never have men done that which we are doing” (Rand, 37). He remarks with some astonishment that his activities caused him no feelings of guilt. He was shocked to realize that “in our heart there is the first peace we have known in twenty years” (Rand, 37).

Throughout the novel, Equality 7-2521 grows farther and farther from the society in which he lived. With the discovery of the tunnel, he begins spending less time with his peers and more time alone making discoveries. After he is exiled, he grows even further apart by changing his name to Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, very similar to what Equality 7-2521 did to bring electricity the civilization. When Equality 7-2521 reads the books in the house and discovers the word “I”, he finally completely detaches himself from his past society, and begins living individually, not collectively with his brothers. From the beginning of the story Equality 7-2521 believes that he is evil and struggles to realize that he isn’t evil.

Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that forbids individualism and believes that they are all one, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible, and forever,” as stated on page 4. Equality 7-2521 wishes to be sent to the Home of the Scholars so he can learn about the great things on earth (pg. 10). However, instead of being sent to the Home of the Scholars he was sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers. While working he found a tunnel that was left from the Unmentionable Times (pg.20). He has stolen many materials from different houses including candles, powders, acids, and manuscripts, He uses these materials to experiment and study (pg. 23). “We have solved secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge,” says Equality 7-252. This shows that Equality 7-2521 has discovered and gained more knowledge than the House of the Scholars. While working as a Street Sweeper Equality 7-2521 falls in love with a woman he calls The Golden One, (Liberty 5-3000) although it is forbidden for men to take notice of women (pg. 26) he ignores that and still converses

During his time in the community, Equality 7-2521 continues to trust the beliefs he has been taught as a child, which shapes most of his character in the beginning of the story. Afterward, when Equality is introduced to the things of the Unmentionable Times, he goes against the rules he’s been taught and sneaks out to study the information from that period. During this time, Equality 7-2521 starts to question the beliefs of the community and strives to learn beyond what he’s been taught. Near the end of the novella, Equality moves to an isolated place away from the society, where he can openly learn without the restriction and false belief he’s been taught from a

Ever heard of a society that does not have an individual? A society that is completely controlled? The book Anthem by Ayn Rand shows a society without an individual. An Anthem is an uplifting song that is identified by a certain body or cause. Ayn Rand wrote Anthem because she grew up in the Soviet Union, where it was a very communist society where people were supposed to be equal, but she saw that other people were higher above her

Anthem Essay Anthem, by Ayn Rand, depicts a futuristic society, an alleged utopia where everyone was created the same, no exceptions. Men in this novel are taught that it is a virtue to agree and be agreed with, when no one praises the creator, the egoist. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, struggled his whole life to separate and free himself from collectivism, and develop an ego, obtaining victory at last. From a young age, Equality 7-2521 has differed from his ¨brothers¨. He was more knowledgeable when he was younger, more curious in his teenage years, and more futuristic in his twenties than his peers. First, Equality 7-2521 has been more knowledgeable than his brothers in school.

The motif of Censorship drives the theme of self discovery by providing hidden knowledge that is available to be found. When Equality 7- 2521 discovers the tunnel in chapter one, it leads to him finding more about himself, even though it is illegal, as shown in the quote “all things that are not permitted by law are forbidden”. When Equality-2521 finds the tunnel, he discovers that he like to spend time alone, and write for his own benefit. The censorship of not allowing men to talk to women helped Equality 7-2521 to discover that he was happy, unlike all of his brothers who were in a state of perpetual fearfulness. This is shown in the quotes “There is fear hanging in the air… but we feel it no longer”. Another example of this is when Equality

Equality slowly becomes his own person and therefor gradually starts to break the laws. In the very beginning he know his breaking he law but does not stop “It is a sin to write this… it is base and evil”(Rand 17) shows he is no a slave to the government and has his own mind. He wasn’t told to do this and came up with it his self, shows uniqueness and independency.

During the novel, Equality 7-2521 has broken many of his societies rules. “It is a sin to right this,” (Rand Chapter 1 (??)) he writes these seven words in his diary. Earlier in the nove¬¬l, he wished for a job with the Council of Scholars. With this statement, Equality 7-2521 has committed what is known as the “Transgression of Preference”. He has done this by making a wish, something that is illegal and a sin in their society as all men are to be equal, and must accept their given fate. “We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it.” (Rand, Chapter (??)) After learning his fate, Equality is satisfied. Although a position in the Council of Scholars would have been his ideal choice, he is both pleased and relived to hear that he was assigned a job as a Street Sweeper. This is primarily because of the guilt he felt for committing a sin, and making a wish for another

In Equality 7-2521’s society is it a sin to be by yourself at all, have opinions, or any sense of individuality. The word “I” does not exist in their society since the Great Rebirth. They refer to themselves as the “Great WE” at all times and live in the Dark Age, which consists of nothing from the “Unmentionable Times.” The main issue throughout the book is Equality 7-2521’s desire to be named a “Scholar” by the Council of Vocations, but instead, he gets assigned a street sweepers job for life. One day, Equality 7-2521 came across, what we see to be a subway, and makes it a spot that he can sneak out to experiment, write, and think by himself. Through his experiments, he discovers electricity, although he does not know the name, he decides