Truth Exposed In Ayn Rand's Anthem

During his childhood, he was blessed with an individual spirit and the intelligence to understand the knowledge of the world. In spite of this, he reckoned his abilities as transgressions. He acknowledged that the way of life was that “Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from the one is evil” (Rand 85). Equality strives to accept the totalitarian society and consequently, he desperately struggles to disregard his abilities and subdue his desires. The grisly effects of society are portrayed immensely through the profound sense of guilt he suffers while committing the Sin of Preference. He continually recites that, “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by, and for our brothers who are the State. Amen” (Rand 21). Gradually, his aspirations contradict with the dogma of society. He discovers that he finds more joy committing the Sin of Preference rather than restraining himself from happiness, which ultimately, allows him to elude his conscious premises. Equality’s belief that “[he] [has] torn [himself] from the truth which is [his] brother men… [he] knows [this], but [he] [does] not care” (Rand 76) marks his complete triumph over collectivism. Prior to his transformation, he belonged to a society in which the Sin of Preference revoked all rights for any desire, which ultimately disallowed citizens to think for freely. If permitted to do so, no

“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

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.

“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

As the story goes on, Equality 7-2521 commits another crime by falling in love with a woman. Her name is Liberty 5-3000, who he later nicknames the Golden One, and he met her in a field while on duty sweeping the streets. Love is another forbidden thing in society because they’re not supposed to care for anyone more than another. In this part of the novel the reader also learns about something called the Unspeakable Word. It is a word from before the Great Rebirth and if anyone were to even whisper it, they would be immediately punished by death. The novel keeps progressing and when Equality 7-2521 writes his thoughts again, the reader finds out that he had been experimenting with some items he had found in the tunnel and created a source of light by using wires. He makes up his mind and decides to show the Scholars from his community and from other communities his invention and he hopes that his job will be changed from Street Sweeper to Scholar. However, he loses track of time and when he remembers to check, it’s way past the hours given for free time. He gets out the tunnel and hopes to sneak back into town unseen but unfortunately he is caught. When asked about where he was, he did not give up his location and as punishment he is whipped. When he was asked again, he still refused to tell them where

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

In the book Anthem, Equality 7-2521 (Equality) lived in a society where everyone was equal and treated with disrespect. The society had no tolerance for being different and having their own opinion and ideas. People couldn’t even pursue the career they dreamed of having. They were punished for disobeying any of these “rules”. Despite Equality’s strict society, his motivations in conducting his experiments are finding individuality, starting a new revolution, finding freedom, and trying to become a scholar.

Equality 7-2521 would sneak away to their secret tunnel everyday when the town citizens were at the town meetings. Equality 7-2521 would steal scrolls and supplies from the House of Scholars, they studied and learned lots of new, different, and exciting things.

The world in Anthem is ideal and it’s a sin for anyone to think that they are more or less than “WE”(Rand, 20). However, in Anthem there is a character that knows there is more to be discovered that his brothers does not know about yet. When Equality goes to the scholars, to inform them on the spectacular stuff he has recently learned, he is chased out of his community and into a forest that no one dares to enter (Rand, 75).

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 put them down on a paper no others are to see¨ - Equality 7-2521 (17). This quote grabs the reader's attention right of the bat. The Anthem, written by Ayn Rand is about Equality 7-2521 who lives in a world where ¨I¨ does not exist. It is forbidden to think about something not everyone thinks.

“It is a sin to think words no others are to see.It is the base and evil...We have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bud them so. May we be forgiven!” (Rand 17). The rules that he has grown up with will stay with him all his life, and some remnant of them will find their way into his “new and improved” society. Then at the end of the book he seems less undecided and frightened, but he still has the remnant of the scare unity has burned into him. “And man will go on. Man, not men” (Rand 104). Here, Equality is dreaming if his future society, and even though he is speaking about his own society there is still a protective and unsure manner in which speaks of it. It is almost as if he is repeating it the second time to ensure he can say it. It might not have been a conscious act of unsurety, but he wavered nonetheless.He still fears the society. He also still respects the society. So its rules will make it into his rules through some way, shape, and form. Equality’s problem at the end of the book is his mindset and the thought process that has been engraven into his mind by the nameless Anthem society’s

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

“It is a sin to write this”, announces Equality 7-2521 in his journal. The chapter opens up with equality 7 2521, the narrator, telling us He is 21 years old and 6 feet tall which he believes is a sign of evil because it is unusual for him to be taller than most people. he tells us it is a crime to be writing about what he is writing about he said is a sin to think and write for No One.Equality believes that he was born with a curse that makes him think ,What the council thinks is, forbidden thoughts. The council also believes that men should be United and indivisible by using and referring to each other as we by all means. From the age of five to 15 equality warmed and studied at the house of the students where he felt that the learning experience

“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.” Equality 7-2521 has been programmed to believe self-thought is a sin to his fellow men. From childhood, he was raised to respect his fellow brothers and sisters as nothing less than equal: Calling them by gender neutral names, serving his place in society as it was assigned to him, and never imagining rebelling against the ideals of his government. Equality remembers the day in his youth when a ‘sinner’ was burnt upon a pyre, “the eyes of the Transgressor had chosen us from the crowd and were looking straight upon us.” This haunting experience always left Equality 7-2521 with a longing for words he couldn’t put to mind.