Council of Vocations Why did the council give equality the job of street sweeper? Street sweeper one of the worst jobs you could get. The council thought that by putting equality in one of the worst positions, they could keep him from being different . Equality provered them wrong really quick ,and they were somehow surprised. The society believed in no change but equality had different ideas. The council was scared because they knew equality asked questions and if asked the right questions he could expose the council for what they were doing. Another reason the council put equality as a street sweeper is that equality could change the society in a good way which they didn't want. Equality had good ideas and they don't like different. Equality had good ideas such as the lightbulb and the experiments that led to the being able to rediscover electricity.The candle on the ceiling is just another example that the society was dead set on the no change police. “Our name is Equality and we are a street sweeper form the city.” (69) This is showing that he acknowledges the fact that he is not in his right “place”. The society did not want people to change anything because they want it their way.equality affronts the council many times and is reprimanded for it. …show more content…
collective somehow is the only one that will speak up and say anything to him about his idea. Which makes Equality think that collective knows something about the light bulb. The most puzzling part of this is that the ancients are supposed to be in a thing like a group home and yet he is in the
I think that the Council of Vocations assigned Equality to a street sweeper because he was different from everyone else and so he could not
The story’s settings of the novel, Anthem, greatly influences the plot. The novel’s setting takes in a Dark Age where there is no creativity, technology, progress, or optimism. The “society” is completely controlled and manipulated by a central group of leaders. The story primarily centers around a young man named Equality 7-2521 who is a street sweeper. This occupation does not offer him opportunities to expand beyond his small controlled world. Equality 7-2521 take his readers on an adventurous life journey as written in his own journal. Readers feel his oppression and personal desperation as they travel through the dark tunnel and live each day in the shoes of Equality.
All his life he had been told that it “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” (21). The Teachers made Equality believe that everything he did was wrong, and because they were appointed by the Councils, he believed them to be correct. The appointing of all things by the Councils relates to the Supreme Court. This situation relates to the moral sin in society. Everything is controlled. When Equality turned fifteen, the Council of Vocations appointed him the job of a “Street Sweeper”; it pleased him. This happiness did not last because he was unsatisfied. He always craved more, and one day, a gift was given. Equality 7-2521, with fellow Street Sweeper International 4-8818, uncovered an underground tunnel that was used for subways during the Unmentionable Times, which gave Equality hope. This underground tunnel became everything to Equality because it gave him peace, and it became the one of the many reasons why he was able to break free from being controlled by the leaders of his time of the Great
He was thought that it was bad to be different but he did not care, he just wanted to show other citizens that there was more than what meets the eyes. Not only is equality an individualized thinker but he is also smart and brave. Equality makes a statement in his society by creating light and sharing the new invention with others. “We MADE IT. WE CREATED IT. We brought it forth from the night of the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our minds. Ours alone and only. We knew not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon the light which we have made” ( Rand 59). This shows that Equality made a new invention and is eventually going to show it to the council of scholars. This affects society because the council of scholars thinks that Equality is being superior to his brother. “We have much to say to a wretch who have broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of your brothers? And if the council had decreed that you should be a street sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater use to men than in sweeping the streets?” (Rand 71). This proves that no one, besides Equality wants to change society. This ties to the theme by trying to break out of the controlling society and leading into Equality standing up for individualism and for himself. In addition this concludes how the two short stories “Anthem” and “Harrison Bergeron” have different themes.
So they stop people from knowing of things like lightbulbs and people getting smarter than them. During the time that equality lives in his community he lives and people do get along so they actually have a working community. There could be people that don't want power just peace and equality. When equality finds the electricity that could possibly change the way their society works and break the peace.
He is unlike anyone else, being six feet tall, smart and prideful. He is assigned street sweeper to break him, so he will start acting like the other men. The council is aware of his uniqueness, and they try to put him in his right place by assigning him the job of a street sweeper. The Council of Vocations wants to prevent Equality from reaching his full potential, making this a sinister motivation. Equality is supposed to be like the other men, and when the council places him as a street sweeper they are hoping that he will become like the men around him.
Equality lives his life, over twenty years of it, being oppressed by the system. When he finds the subway tunnel, his hideout, he begins to discover a new way to live; a new world to explore is opened for him. It scares Equality at first, but he quickly realizes that there is more to his life than sweeping streets. As he continues working in the subway and developing his light box, he meets the Golden One, and
“We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense” and uses them for his life in his tunnel (Rand 36). He commits the greatest crime of his society, being alone, by spending several hours everyday in an abandoned sewage pipe and living a second life there, “And in our heart-strange are the ways of evil!-in our heart there is the first peace we have known in twenty years” (Rand 37). By breaking the laws of his city, Equality shows his individuality in his rebellious spirit and begins to show his individualism. Equality 7-2521 discovers electricity and with this discovery, he acknowledges that his individual ideas are different than those of society.
When Equality 7-2521 is assigned the job of a street sweeper, he replies to the council that, "The will of our brothers be done.” (Rand, 26) Equality 7-2521 wanted to be a scholar, but accepts the assignment of a street sweeper because he is still contributing to the group. In this society, even being genetically unique is considered selfish for standing out. "This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick.” (Rand, 20) Just because Equality 7-2521 is smarter than his fellow men, he is looked down upon. He is scorned for being tall as well, which shows the irrational view this society has towards
He is in a society where his knowledge is stifled and not encouraged to think for himself. Equality expresses, "We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike”(7). This had to be implanted into Equality's head by the council which is why it is natural for individualism to be what he wants most and why he should be able to follow his own ideology. Readers see not only in Anthem but in today's world how people are taught to only think of what they know. Equality wants the council to know of his accomplishments and as a outcome to show all men how it can help improve society. He wants the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that through his accomplishments he has uplifted others within the community.
He brings this invention to the World Council of Scholars. Here, Equality is immediately reprimanded for being a street sweeper. “A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all rules as all the laws!” (69). This is seen as an immediate violation of the society’s traditions and laws, arousing worry in the men. Furthermore, Equality proceeds to explain his invention to the council. The men are galvanized back into fear when he touches the wires together and the light bulb glows. This is a force which is unknown to all men, including the council, making it evil. They chastise Equality for his transgressions. “What is not done collectively cannot be good,” (73) says International 1-5537. “This would wreak the plans of the World council,” (74) adds Unanimity 2-9913. The fear which the society has constructed over the men has caused them to be blind to improvement and advancement, they see only destruction in change and the unknown. This view causes the Council to disregard Equality’s
Equality is motivated by himself. He wants to invent things. He’s not doing it for fame or to try to impress the council, but for himself. He’s eager to discover and he’s curious about things and how they work. He is very passionate about his experiments and puts a lot of pride and work into them. Equality is much smarter than the rest of his society as it states “It was that the learning was too easy”(21). He dreamed of being a scholar where he can put his talents to a good use;
From the day that Equality 7-2521 were united as one they have been considered freaks, because they were all about six feet tall and looked down upon by the other groups within the society. After their schooling, Equality 7-2521 were sent to the "Home of the Street Sweepers" and there they were assigned a certain sector of the city to keep
Every citizen believes the way they are living is correct and that there is no problem with the society. “This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: ‘Street Sweeper’(Anthem)”. Equality 7- 2521 feels differently when he knows that he is extremely smart and is given the job to be a street sweeper. Throughout the story, Equality 7-2521 learns to realize that the society is brain washing every single citizen. “The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were ordered to be (Anthem).” Any citizens who were supposed to be locked up would never to attempt to even escape because they knew they would be put to death, however, escaping was easy for Equality
I am approaching the end of my schooling here at the University of Michigan – Flint; I graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a focus in Entrepreneurship in May 2017. The reason I chose Business Management as my major is because when I graduated high school I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or what type of career I wanted to pursue. I sat down with my parents one day and we talked about the things that interest me and talked about the type of life I want to live when I’m older. After discussing with my parents we decided I should go to school for Business Management and throughout my years at school find some type of business I am interested in and possibly open or manage my own. After a little over three years of college, I think I figured out what kind of business I want to manage.