To rule, a ruler needs control. It is the cornerstone of any society with a leader. The society Ayn Rand creates in Anthem is no exception. In Anthem, the rules in the society depicted by Rand exist for control, and were initially created for equality but spiraled out of control into a world built on collectivism and backward teachings. The society Prometheus, or Equality, envisions in the final chapters of the novella would never have any of the rules in his past society, as he realizes through his journey that they are evil and damaging. The Unmentionable Times turned into the society we see in Anthem through giving up freedom for the sake of equality. A high school teacher mailed Rand her students’ questions about the novella,
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 by Ayn Rand is set in a totalitarian, collectivist society in which individuality, as well as many other things, is viewed as a crime. Throughout the story, Equality 7-2521’s views on these laws change. He begins with the feeling of guilt for going against the leaders, but by the end of the story, Equality feels no regret or shame for his transgressions. The shift in Equality’s appraisal of his actions is equitable because the leaders of the society deliberately took away his individuality and withheld significant informations from him.
In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, it is stated from the start that individuality is a threat to the society of collectivism that is trying to be accomplished. Humans, by nature, tend to express preference in all aspects of life, whether consciously or subconsciously, leading them to favor one choice over another. Preference is a show of individuality, and from the beginning of the novella, Equality 7-2521 makes it clear that his work “is a transgression, the great Transgression of Preference.” In the society illustrated in Anthem, having a preference for one’s job is considered a transgression against the forced collectivism. The “Council of Scholars shall prescribe” each person a job and that is what they must do.
Imagine living in a future totalitarian society. Everyone followed a uniform schedule, treated the same way, had orderly assignments and jobs, and welcomed with no freedom. This is how a man witnessed most of his life. Ayn Rand’s novella of Anthem is a story based off a citizen named Equality trying to find his own sacred freedom in a strict orderly society. (Rand 17) Equality and his local brothers lived under a totalitarian government with brutal rules and controls they must’ve followed or they served harsh punishment.
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.
In the short story Anthem the nameless society described by Ayn Rand is filled with rules and controls. They exist to do exactly that control and rule. “We are all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever”(Rand 19). The purpose of this society is one of perfect unity, a society in which all efforts are a combination of one mind and one person. There are no “people” in this society, there is only one person. The rules are there to keep the individuals clueless, to the point of being innocent. When Equality 7-2521 breaks free of the society he vows to create a whole different society, one of uniqueness and individual knowledge. At the same time Equality was brainwashed for many years, and years of
How would you want to live in a Society? In Anthem by Ayn Rand Equality- 7-2521 struggled to learn about individuality in the strict society he lived in. Equality would let his society be free and let the people in it make their own decisions. He believes that everyone should take pride in the word I. Equality would not make his society like “The City of the Damned.”
We, the Society will form an order of how the society will stay and think as one. As we choose the steps of the future, we ask that we all accomplish what we are assigned to do. The future, we plan for. The present, we live for, and the past we will never speak of. We all have a job to do, and as we achieve them, we need to learn our ways there and back. Forget the past, and look forward to the future. We of all people need to respect and obey what we choose for society, to make it a place where we feel comfortable and safe. We all will establish to be in The Council of Scholars, the Home of the Peasants,The Palace of Mating, The Council of Vocations and more jobs. Though, we the people may be forgiven for
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.
Do people change in different scenarios with different people to fit in or to make them like one another? The answer is yes; without even realizing, everybody changes their actions or views for others’ benefit. Prometheus, which is the name change of Equality 7-254 in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, states that using the word “We” caused modern society to collapse because the word “We” is used to control the collective society over individuals. “We” undermine individuality to maintain control of the society. Being free in society is an issue because they are all “brothers” and nobody is an individual person because they are all one.
“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.
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 this paper, I will be talking about the book called Anthem by Ayn Rand. I will be talking about characters such as protagonists and antagonists and how some characters impacted the story. I will talk about the setting, conflicts, and the plot of the story. I will also talk about literary devices such as point of view, symbolism, mood, tone, and theme.