Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem enunciated, “I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity for its failure to live to these possibilities” (1). I believe that Equality’s eventual assessment of his sin is correct. “I understood the blessed thig which I had called my curse. I understood why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins” (98). Every person should be able to think for himself or herself. It is the only way a person be content with his or her life. When a person is prohibited his or her unique identity, it is up to him or her to retaliate against collectivism. For instance, when Equality met the Scholars, he exposed the truth: Freedom …show more content…
He found things that he thought at the beginning of the story were not possible. This includes the use of “I” instead of “We”. “Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon colors, colors more colors than we thought possible, we who had seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey” (90). “We found garments and the Golden One gasped at the sight of them. For they were not white tunics, nor togas; they were of all colors, no two of them alike” (91). “I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of all of these is freedom. I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask non to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet” (95 and 96). “The word ‘We’ is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and their which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal virtue of the good, by which the tools steal the wisdom of the sages”
A noticable interesting topic about the story is the way Liberty acts. It seems Ayn Rand, the author, has something against women even though she is a woman herself. The meaning of this is, the women out there that act like girls and only care about fashion and themselves is what is being spoken of. The literary element that is being focased on deals with this issue. This essay will focas on the story "Anthem" written by Ayn Rand containing the literary element of character.
The novel “Anthem” is written very uniquely. It encloses individuality and makes the readers believe of how people can adapt to humankind and to do as they are advised to do without being aware of the results of their compromise. Also, it teaches the significance of self expression and the independence that comes additionally with being your own individual and obtaining the capability to choose what direction to take in your own lifestyle. Figurative language is used frequently in this novel and with differently use of quotes that have excellent importance to the theme, plot, and conflict of the novel. “We blew out the candle….” The primary thing that is obvious about this quote is the use of “We”. The expression “We” is used all through the
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.
Have you ever read a book and thought that there is a song that will fit in well with a scene in the book? In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, there are two main characters Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000. These characters live in a society where the government chooses everything's for them. It is to the point that they can’t even talk about themselves. They have to talk a collective group like we instead of I. Equality found a tunnel that led him to find the light bulb. This light bulb led him into some trouble, and he discovered that there is a lot hidden from the people. He tried to show off this discovery to the supposed scholars who are the smartest people. They denied him; this caused him to run away into the woods. Liberty followed him
When Equality 7-2521 begins the novel by saying, “It is a sin to write this.” he has a different moral assessment of writing than at the end of the novel. Throughout Anthem, Equality’s actions affect how he views his society and the people around him. By the end of the story, Equality begins to realize that the government and society that he lives in might not be so perfect, and it might not be a sin to write. Equality’s eventual moral assessments of his sins are correct and are supported by; his growth throughout the story, the themes of independence developed in the novel and Ayn Rand’s concepts concerning communism. These are the three ideas that will be developed and explained in this paper.
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Could a tune often sung by children in Bible study also be used to depict an expedition of self? Similarly, Ayn Rand portrays a hymn of “I” in Anthem through a boy confined within a collectivist society. Throughout Anthem, Ayn Rand uses Equality’s journey to awareness in which Rand displays religious connotations’ ability to stifle individuality, foreshadow through the Saint of Pyre, as well as consecrate “ego” in order to emphasize the need for self-worth and individuality.
In today’s society, we tend to imagine what the future will be like. Our imagination leans towards flying cars and being able to read one’s mind. This is not the case in Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem. In Anthem, the society is deprived of technology and the people are ruled by a totalitarian government that controls everyone. The people of the city are told what and how to learn, how to speak and act, and how to live their lives. Equality 7-2521, the main character of the novella, sits in candlelight and tries to gain insight on new things such as electricity and inventions to make life easier. The lives of the citizens aren’t filled with expensive gadgets and trees that plant themselves; it is filled with darkness and oppression. Just beneath the surface of the city’s oppression is the lack of technology. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, society doesn’t have the chance to expand its knowledge, embrace new ideas, and
“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose” (Rand, 95). Anthem is written by American author Ayn Rand about Equality 7-2521 on his quest for happiness. The novel is set in an unspecified time and place in the future. Years after human civilization has gone through a deconstruction in which all knowledge was lost and a new society established with no concept of the individual. “The novel describes the efforts of the main character, Equality 7-2521, to reestablish a sense of personal identity and restore the knowledge of the past by objective scientific inquiry. In doing so, he must face many dangers and privations” (Anthem). Anthem is a dairy of the Equality
Ayn Rand's Anthem shows us her view of our world united under what seems to be communist rule. For example their view of right and wrong; which Anthem portrays is a system of very strict rules which mainly make sure that everyone is involved in a collective role within the society in this system no one is considered an individual or that they can even think as an individual.
How could Ayn Rand’s Anthem have been altered if Equality and his society had been founded on Christianity? Throughout the story, beliefs and convictions were a significant factor in plot progressions. In addition, different doctrine also provided a huge contribution to character development. However, these various viewpoints established throughout the story, directly contrast with Biblical values. Looking closely at the development of society’s and Equality’s beliefs, a reader can easily distinguish his ideas from Christianity.
Imagine a place where the individual meant nothing and everyone is the same. By definition a dystopia is characterized by human misery, oppression, and other problems. The book Anthem can be defined as a dystopia because of symbolism, the mood, and the theme of Anthem.
brought them for a civilization where the word ?I? did not exist to a world
Vision a lifestyle where one perceives it as a sin to comprehend data more efficiently than of one’s peers; a felony to long for things that others do not wish upon. Where floods of white tunics and austere minds obliterate the Earth. A colony built upon leaders who asphyxiate anyone from infatuation of any object or significant being; moreover, a world suffocating in collectivism. Through exasperated transcription, Anthem brings about such a community; nevertheless, a world of black and white. Ayn Rand does not overemphasize the effects of totalitarianism, but amplifies it so that it is more effortless for one to enlighten he or she’s notion on the particular proposal. First, by analyzation of “Equality 7-2521”, and
In life, you are born into societies where various ideas or things are thought to be normal and the customs are already established. The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand has many themes, but what I believe the theme of the novel is, to think for yourself. To think for yourself means to make your own decisions and opinions, without depending on other people. I also think that if you are going to think for yourself you can’t worry about what other people will think of what you believe in. Whether you believe that you should only have school a few days a week or you believe in a certain god, no person should feel ashamed for what they believe in. In today’s society and in the society of Anthem, people don’t think for themselves and they just follow people blindly. In the media, today we see what celebrities are saying, who they like, who they dislike, what they use, what they endorse, and we follow them because we want to be like them. Sometimes you don’t realize that you’re not thinking for yourself, but not being able to think for yourself can make you miserable and that is what Equality 7-2521 realized in 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… 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