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Theme Of Motivation In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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Jim Rohn, a motivationist once claimed “If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.” Ayn Rand’s protagonist in Anthem, Equality 7-2521, lives in a society where almost everyone is going down the wrong road. A society where it is a forbidden to own one’s opinion, occupation or freedom. Although this might seem like a black hole that one cannot get out of, Equality climbs out using knowledge resulting from his motivation. Throughout Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Equality’s primary motivation of curiosity is morally correct, however, when examining the real world when everyone strives from the same motivation, there is a lack of justice.
Throughout his life, Equality’s primary motivation had constantly been curiosity. During Equality’s childhood, …show more content…

Equality’s society is unjust because everyone strives for the same moral idea of equality. In the real world, there is absolutely no such thing as absolute equality, therefore when a slight difference occurs, there will be unjust. Equality stated,“This 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. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked upon us.”(21) Even a small difference such as intelligence still made Equality suffer. Motivation can also change one’s morality. The society’s morality changed when all everyone push for is equality. Equality’s journal claimed, “ ‘What is not thought by all men cannot be true,’ said Collective 0-0009. ‘You have worked on this alone?’ asked International 1-5537. ‘Yes,’ we answered. ‘What is not done collectively cannot be good,’ said International 1-5537.”(69) In this society, no matter how beneficial to mankind the aftermath could be, if it’s not achieving equality then is automatically morally

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