In Ayn Rand's work, society views knowledge with ignorance and fear. The book states that, He realizes he is to smart and slowly remembers his past when he was young. Equality says in the book that, ¨All men are good and wise; it is only we alone who were born with a curse.¨ Equality was sent to the house of students at 5. Equality though was not happy when he was young. He would fight against himself because of his intelligence. He was afraid to show how smart he was because he knew the consequences. His society would not accept him because he was supposed to be the same as all of his brothers.
In the story, Equality does just that. On page 100, Equality states “Our son will be raised as a man. He will be taught to say “I” and to bear the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight and on his own feet. He will be taught reverence for his own spirit” (Rand 100).This quote said by Equality, shows that Equality is symbolizing Individualism by choosing how he wants to raise his son and not having anyone else tell him how he wants to live. This quote also shows that Equality is living a life that he wants to live. He is living and doing what he wants to do, unlike in his old society when he is chosen for a job that he does not want to do and a life he doesn't want to
My hands... My spirit... My sky... My forest...This earth is mine...” (Chapter 11 Paragraphs 1-2)
Ayn Rand was specifically against all monolithic forms of government and hated totalitarianism. Living in Russia when she was young and fleeing to Crimea for refuge during the Bolshevik Revolution, her disgust for dictators and collectivist societies was enormous. When she was 20 years old, she traveled to New York to visit relatives, assuring the USSR that her stay would be short. Ayn Rand never returned to the Soviet Union for any reason. Her books always discuss or show some form of totalitarianism, this is because of her background and experience. In the very first paragraph of Anthem, totalitarianism is depicted quite well. “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.” (Rand, 1961, pg. #17). This is an example of censorship, collectivism, and indoctrination. This society teaches and molds everybody from a young age to strive to be the same as everybody else. This thought process is even being explored today, why? Because it always looks like a good idea from the outside, but once your eyes are cleared, when you are looking from the inside, it's usually too late.
In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the City has numerous rules and controls on what their society can and cannot do. The whole book tells about how their society lives. Their people look upon their brothers and always do what they are told to do. They also do not try to explore new things their knowledge is based on what the Council tells them. Towards the end of the story it goes more into depth on why they have these rules and what all the things the Council was hiding from them.
Ayn Rand’s assertion in Anthem is that it shows mankind has had their freedom hidden and it exactly what the book says and shows. One of the quotes in Anthem was “We are one in all and all in on. There are no men but only the great we, one, indivisible and forever”. Anthem’s knowledge is skills, information and practical understanding of a subject. Equality remembers that his “Happiness is not the means to an end”. Relevant quote “Happiness is not a ended”. The purpose of knowledge is it causes us to known things. It helps survival, so therefore it’s often useful and pursued. The way how it benefit mankind is that Equality understands that his invention will benefit mankind greatly. Dystopian societies control knowledge by his images and how
Anthem by Ayn Rand is a collectivist society. In Anthem the highest leaders are the World Council. The World Council forces them to say “we” instead of “I,” so that everyone will think they are one with society, but if anyone thinks or speaks as an individual they will be sent to the Corrective Detention or burned to death; but Equality has no fear and discovers that individualism is just.
Many factors contribute to a broken down society. Though many may not see it , once pointed out, all becomes clear. In “Anthem”, the novella by Ayn Rand, societal blindness is caused by a government who limits information and conformation to society. Blindness, not in the sense of not seeing, but not knowing or understanding. With that societal blindness can be cause by a secretive government, which could start dangerous uprisings, or raging wars that could highly impact the community.
Anthem is a short dystopian fiction novel written by Ayn Rand. It was published 79 years in 1938 in England. The setting of the novel starts off in a dark tunnel. As we get further in the book we learn that the story takes place in an undetermined point in the future in a City that’s not specified. The main character, Equality 7-2521, narrates his thoughts to the reader throughout the whole book. He feels guilty because he’s breaking the laws by writing down his thoughts but feels it is necessary. It is forbidden for the people to have their own thoughts or do anything by themselves. A long time ago, there was something called the Great Rebirth. After that happened, society started to refer to themselves as “we” and lost the word “I”,
In the novella, Anthem, author Ayn Rand depicts a futuristic journey of rediscovery by the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, and his struggles against the totalitarian government rule of his society. Throughout the novella, the government shows full manipulation on the life of the people, revealing their moral views and standards. In fact, everyone within the society is compelled to forget significant aspects of humanity. However, when Equality 7-2521 escapes from the oppressive government, he undergoes a series of events that creates contradictions regarding various principles and views he has been taught to follow since childhood.
From the earlier times in our lives till now, we humans have been struggling hard to be free and independent of the things that limit our right to be free. And even though some people say that having security in life can regulate our lives and messy societies, I believe that too much security or limitation causes more dilemmas. Also, by being independent and free, one can learn new things rather than just by sticking to some widely held beliefs. We can see many examples related to this assumption everywhere in our lives, movies, books, and history.
In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, we can see our main character Equality changing his looks and beliefs about society. In the beginning of this book we can see that he is accepting of his society, following their rules and commands, as the book goes on his perspective starts to change, he follows his society less and starts questioning their ways. In the beginning of the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, we can see that the main character Equality accepts his society. In this book around page 21 we hear Equality discussing on how it is a sin to be smarter than your brothers, all brothers must be the same, non better than the other, all Equal “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, so we fought against this curse.
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.”
By the end of the story, Equality 7-2521 has changed his mind and become very critical of the leaders of his society, denouncing them in moral terms. Do you think he is correct to do so? Why or why not? Do you think he would agree with the advice that Rand offers in her short essay “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?”? Explain.
“What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away from men? What whip lashed them in shame and submission? The worship of the word we.” is what Equality 7-2521 thought of on page 102. What Equality 7-2521 describes of is what Ayn Rand calls collectivism, which is production for use and that a person’s own job ignores their aims, desires, and happiness. Early in the story, Equality 7-2521 shows he has a desire to become one of the few people who are chosen to live in the House of Scholars as their job. However, the Council of Vocations decide that his job for the rest of his life should be a street sweeper. Equality 7-2125 believes that the Council of Vocations has made a mistake, however there was sinister motivation of why the
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