Theme Of Propaganda In Ayn Rand's Anthem

At first glance, the book Anthem by ayn rand is pretty good. The book flows nicely and makes you want to stay up reading it instead of sleeping(at least that’s what I did). But there is a lot more hidden in the writing than you might think. In this essay, I will be discuss the topics of the unspeakable word, Objectivism, Rand putting her life into her work, and the possibilities of a connection between Anthem and the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld. Ayn rand is a really smart author, and she has hidden many secrets in her book.

“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible, and forever” ( Rand. 19). In Equality 7-2521’s life, he was forced to be equal to the people who were around him. He couldn’t be different from society, because it was a sin. Equality was born with a curse which made him different from his brothers. He was cursed with the quick learning ability. He tried to be like other people who were not as smart as him, but somehow his plan never succeeded. Although he tried to forget his lessons, it always came back to his remembrance. Anthem interested me when Equality 7-2521 met Liberty 5-3000, how he discovered electricity, and how he wanted his rights. Society wanted the people including Equality 7-2521 to be equal. Even though Equality 7-2521 went through some hard times, he finally got his rights at the end of the book.

In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand the main character, Equality, lives in a collectivist society, but he leaves because he does not agree with these values. Anthem is a prime example of the hero's journey because the novel is very similar to what criteria the hero's journey contains. This essay consists of how the Equality experiences the Apotheosis, Master of Two Worlds, and the Ultimate Boon.

“Anthem” – one of writing authors Ayn Rand, shows her at her most vicious, hungry, and ambitious reading personality not only as a writer, but as a storyteller as well. The classic hit novel “Anthem” is the predecessor to Ayn Rands later books and storytelling works such as “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”, often tackles controversial themes that are still prevalent within modern America today, such as Family & Love. The grandeur novel “Anthem” is a reflection of such topics, all whilst being told with almost an aura of mystery within the novels plotline / storyline. “Anthem’s” take on things such as individuality and self discovery along with universal, self serving terms such as “I” & the word “We” are the key factors in helping differinciate this author Ayn Rand from other authors that write and compse the same genre of literature as Ayn Rand. Anyways, please allow for me to introduce you to the under the surface, deeper themes expressed in the classic debut novel, Ayn Rands “Anthem”

When Equality 7-2521 begins the novel by saying, “It is a sin to write this.” he has a different moral assessment of writing than at the end of the novel. Throughout Anthem, Equality’s actions affect how he views his society and the people around him. By the end of the story, Equality begins to realize that the government and society that he lives in might not be so perfect, and it might not be a sin to write. Equality’s eventual moral assessments of his sins are correct and are supported by; his growth throughout the story, the themes of independence developed in the novel and Ayn Rand’s concepts concerning communism. These are the three ideas that will be developed and explained in this paper.

Coco Chanel once said “The most courageous act is to think for yourself, aloud.” Imagine living in a society where decisions and life is already planned out, and no input is granted. This is the society that Ayn Rand has built. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses the main character, Equality 7-2521, to introduce her major issue - individualism. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses her character Equality 7-2521 to inaugurate the main theme - individualism. Rand does this by showing the importance of individuality by creating a society that allows no alone time, no preference, and no self expression.

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.

“Anthem” was written by Ayn Rand, and she was born on February 2, 1905 in Russia. Russia at the time was heavily focused on collectivism, which is the idea that people should prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual, and was highly influential on Rand’s life. When she was introduced to American history, her ideas of what a free nation should be was America. When she left Russia, she decided to never go back to Russia and 13 years later, wrote Anthem. Anthem is set in the future and is based in a city that has collapsed from modern day society and accepts collectivism. “Anthem” is a novella about a man named Equality 7-2521 and throughout his life, he struggles to find self-identification in a society that has no sense of individualism. Throughout the story of “Anthem” the main themes are the importance of the individual and the value of martyrdom. Ayn Rand wrote “Anthem” as a warning to us westerners about the horrors of collectivism regardless of how it was put in use. She experienced most of the horrors first hand and this was also another reason for writing “Anthem”. Some of the horrors of what she experienced was the Kerensky Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution which ended in her father’s pharmacy being confiscated and leading to periods of near-starvation. So, based on Rand’s past experiences and her ideas, she wrote “Anthem”.

On page 19, Equality 7-2521 states that there are words cut in marble, which they repeat whenever they are tempted to be untruthful to themselves. “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible, and forever.” The meaning of this quote leads you to believe that their community has been taught to think as one, to act as one, and to do everything as one. The community has a will to strive to be like their brothers, for all men must be alike. The two quotes above show collectivism by providing examples on how the people in the community think alike and act alike. The society of Anthem is collectivism because they work together as one unit and are “owned” by a leader.

Ceaseless collectivism is not something that can be forced upon a community. Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem conveys this through the writings of Equality 7-2125, a man willing to stand up to the collectivism of the society he is confined to. Anthem not only shows how dull and lifeless a society can be with a lack of individuality in its people, but also reveals how one person can significantly impact a community. This novel displays the importance of individualism through Equality’s thoughts and actions. This includes when he reinvents electricity in the tunnel, falls in love with Liberty, and when he completely separates himself from society.

In conclusion, in Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality’s new society will have none of the rules of the old society. The rules were put in place to shun differences and keep everyone equal. Because Equality hated the old society, he encourages differences, and he was an outcast in the old society, he will not allow any of the rules to carry over into his new

The story of Anthem takes place in some unspecified future in which freedom and individual rights have been obliterated. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, is a street sweeper who finds a tunnel where he conducts his science experiments. Throughout the book we see him change and move towards individualism as he discovers how capable he really is. Ayn Rand uses vast amounts of literary devices to describe the evolution of Equality 7-2521. In the dystopian novella, Anthem, Ayn Rand expresses epochal symbolism and poetic personification in order to passionately display the individual’s superiority over the collective.

Ayn Rand’s Anthem discusses many controversial ideas throughout the book. Often times the ideas shown are extreme examples and often polar opposites. Most often the ideas used by Rand can be perceived as one is completely bad and the other good. One of the best examples of this is the extremes of caring only for the whole and the opposite of caring only for the self. Rand has extreme ideas of both of these and expresses them often in Anthem. These two ideas are the backbone for the whole story and deliver the main message Rand wanted to express.

Basic summary: The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is a dystopian science fiction novel that is set in the future where there are no rights or freedom there is no such thing as “I”. Everyone is equal to each other; they work and live in collective groups everyone is thought as one. The narrator, Equality 7-2521 has always stood out from everyone else, he was much smarter, later on, he vows to use his new knowledge to build a society based on individual freedom.

A crucial question people often find themselves asking is whether to live for themselves or to live for others and to what extent. Ayn Rand's novella, Anthem, explores a dystopian society that takes the theme of living for others to a whole new level. The sternness of this culture creates an emotionless and a bland society set on fulfilling collectivist principles. Anthem's society manipulates language to enforce collectivist doctrine by excluding words which cultivate a personal identity and merging religious and government views.