...A free market economy is an economy where most means of production are privatized and guided and where income is distributed largely through the operation of the market. To many people, it is seen as ultimate freedom and true economic liberty. Others, however, think that it is corrupt. Ayn Rand, the author of the novella Anthem, strongly believed that in order to have a progressive and stable economy, a country must have a free market. This belief is supported by the history of many post-communist countries. The Russian federation is one of the most well known post-communist countries. This is because once a free market was introduced, the countries scientists and scholars had a chance to develop innovations and advance society. With the freedoms...
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...In Ayn Rand’s “Anthem”, a plethora of themes is presented. Ayn writes about a collectivist society at an indeterminable date in the future, but the residents ae lead to believe by the government that this is a utopia. They had lost all individuality and free will to collectivism. So, the main character, Equality 7-2521, tried to change this and instead got cast away by his brothers. He wanted them to thrive. Collectivism is detrimental because human nature is to be selfish, self-reliant, and independent. Through characterization, Rand’s character Equality 7-2521 learns that selfishness is not a sin, but a right. Since Rand grew up in a Communist government she could accurately model Equality off a common citizen under collectivist...
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...Anthem: The Process of Liberation Many years ago, I read my first book by Ayn Rand, Anthem. I completed the book in about four hours. At the time, I was not mature enough to fully appreciate Anthem's powerful symbolism. My attitude as I read the beginning of the book was one of indifference and confusion, maturing only later into concern and vigorous interest. This experience began a new phase in my intellectual development that soon led me to read Atlas Shrugged. I then started on Ayn Rand's non-fictional works. My understanding of Rand's philosophical system, however, came piece by piece. There was no one instant of recognition, no single ``aha.'' Until recently, I was not fully aware that I had been affected so deeply. My progress was step-by-step and I had never looked all the way back. As I began to read Anthem for a second time, I found myself in acute pain, even at the first paragraph. I continued to read it feeling much as a person would when touring a concentration camp, for, in effect, that was exactly what I was doing. There was not one hint of levity in my mood; I do not even recall breathing. I was truly looking all the way back. At the end of chapter nine, when Equality 7-2521 is alone, in the most profound sense of the word, with his Golden One, she says slowly, ``We are one ... alone ... and only ... and we love you who are one ... alone ... and only,'' I feared I could tolerate the book no longer. I had finally...
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...Compare and Contrast Anthem with Night Even though books come in many genres, they can still be compared and contrasted. This applies to almost all books. For example, Eliezer Wiesel’s Night and Ayn Rand’s Anthem are different genres. However, the similarities and differences between these author’s works are definite and deserve analysis. Such similarities include how the societies handle the executions of criminals. In Anthem, Equality has to stand “...in the great square with all the children and all the men of the city, sent to behold the burning” (Rand, 38). During Elie’s experience in the Holocaust, he and everyone else in his camp has to walk “...past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue gaping from his mouth. The Kapos forced everyone to look him squarely in the face” (Wiesel, 63). Also, both Elie and Equality receive messages from watching a public execution. When the pipel is hanged, Elie thinks that God is no longer with the Jews and takes it to...
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...A dystopia is an anti-paradise usually with a totalitarian government controlling it. A dystopian novel is often a futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state. Ayn Rand was a Russian-born American novelist who wrote Anthem during World War 2. Ayn Rand’s Anthem is an example of a dystopian novel based on the society worshipping the council, independent thought, free speech and the ability to retain any knowledge they wanted is restricted and the Unmentionable times being banished and forgotten. The first reason showing that Anthem is a dystopian novel is that the society worships the Council of Scholars. The Council makes the rules and disciplines the people who do not follow the rules. One of the Council’s...
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...what is and is not allowed in the totalitarianistic society pictured in Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and proceeds regardless. While the outright and truthful account is being given at the beginning, the reader comes to understand that Equality is unsure of what the response will be to his purposeful fracture of the law. But something more subtle is apparent following the conclusion of the book: Equality’s underlying carelessness with the law. Though acknowledging his refusal to adhere to every law set forth by the Council, he still maintains his sense of apprehension. The arc Equality undergoes throughout the course of Anthem...
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...Ayn Rand’s Anthem takes place in a society that discourages individual thoughts and actions. The author herself was living in Europe as World War II was breaking out. Most of the people in Europe then were thought of as a whole, not as individuals. Ayn Rand felt as if she were being encouraged not to think individually, and wrote Anthem to warn people about the dangers of not being themselves. The characters in the novel are kept ignorant about any individual ideas by the rulers of their society, the Council. This prevents the people from asking questions and keeping them in the Council’s pocket. They are not allowed to say the word ‘I’, instead using the collective term ‘we’. They make their people repeat the same phrase over and over again...
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...Equality’s discovery of electricity was an incredible feat considering the complexity of society Ayn Rand depicted for Anthem. Rand’s portrayal of society contrasts with the quintessential dystopian society portrayed in many novels such as The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The civilization in Anthem exists some time in the future, however, the intricacy of technology had declined to the point where citizens were using candles and torches as methods of illuminating their surroundings. The cause of this decline traced to the development of an intolerance towards individualism. Equality never fit in his community because of his strong nonconformist personality. He had preferences and objects of joy, a sin he called “the great Transgression of Preference” (6). He had a bias for science during his schooling and had a tendency to commit transgressions, which foreshadow his experiments in the tunnel. His...
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...ANTHEM In a time after mass destruction, when the world has ended up where it started, the idea that people are one and all and all in one is ingrained into their minds. They go through school at the exact same pace, all for their careers to be chosen for them by the council. In this society, no one stands for themselves, but they stand for each other, and are punished when they don’t do this. Throughout Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 learns that it is not a sin to be an individual in the radical and strict society he lives in, which condemns individualism. He does this by seeking knowledge from the Unmentionable Times after realizing how powerful it can be, alluding to his individuality. Next, he breaks free from...
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...Anthem Contest Essay Within the dystopian setting of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the human spirit is enslaved and oppressed. Living under a totalitarian dictatorship, all people are obligated to live unselfishly. Beneath this collectivist regime, everyone lives a life of servitude and dependence on one another. There is no individuality, no identity, no sense of self, no word “I”. Taking its place is the word “WE”, emphasizing the collective body that encompasses all. In order for the State to maintain control over its subordinates, it has meticulously brainwashed all to believe that it is wrong to be different, to have a preference, to be superior, and to think or act independently from the collective. With these rules as the moral doctrine, each person is...
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...An individual’s creation is a vital component of their identity and individuality, and its power can overcome the rather weak stagnation surrounding an individual. This predicament is scrutinized in Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, where she applies imagery to express the concept of the significance of creation. Through the use of a simile, Rand describes “the sky…[as] a black sieve pierced by sliver drops that tremble, ready to burst through” to convey how the environment, controlled by the World Council, is trying to extract all creation from society (Rand, 1938, p.32). The silver drops express the creation, that trembles due to its struggle to shine through the screen of limitation yet its readiness to unleashed, conveys of how creation is so...
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...Equality was always different from the “norm” in Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem. Whether it be sneaking out in the middle of a play to make new discoveries or just simply defying the Council, he was always doing things no other humans dared to do. Equality laughing when he remembers he is “the Damned” is no exception of his uniqueness. Most if not all humans living in Anthem would never understand what was comical about being “the Damned” in the situation, but Equality realized that he truly was free and that “the Damned” is actually the rest of the civilization he just escaped. Equality’s reasoning for laughing was because he is different, which helped him realize he is the only one who is truly free. Equality along with Liberty are truly the...
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...What makes one unique? A personality, look, or even intelligence can be the difference between two individuals. Think of a world where none of that exists and everyone is identical. Ayn Rand creates a perfect picture for that. In the book, Anthem, Equality’s primary motivation is his desire for individuality. Like every other human-being the challenge of finding who you really are and what your purpose is, is a rather difficult task to complete. After being strained to be someone he’s not and living off of strict rules the aspiration to establish who he really was, was the fire within him to conduct his experiments. Equality’s experiments were a symbol of his developing self. If everyone in the world were to be like Equality and have the same motivation, the world would be a more developed and efficient environment with very confident individuals. In similarity to Lois Lowry’s book The Giver, Ayn Rand establishes a society with uniformity. Lowry’s book refers to what is known as sameness and is a world that’s only black and white. What’s the point of no color? Color expresses one’s personality when both authors are trying to achieve the theme of equality. Everyone is seen the same and in most ways are the same. Going back to Ayn Rand’s writing, the kids attend a school where...
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...ANTHEM QUESTIONS Chapter I – Response 1 In a well-organized paragraph, describe the society in which Anthem is set. Some areas to consider are the political structure, degree of technology, social relationships, quality of life, and education. ALSO comment on the following: ➢ Would you want to live in this society? Explain why or why not. ➢ How would your teachers react if you had Equality’s “curse”? ➢ Why do Equality’s teachers disapprove of his quick mind? Chapter II – Response 2 . Re-read the account of Liberty 5-3000 on or around page 38. Which character traits are revealed in this brief description? . Find several examples of the ways in which this society tries to obliterate each individual’s mind (and self!) by quashing personal choices, desires, and values. . Of the whole range of feelings possible to man (joy, excitement, anger, embarrassment, etc.) why is fear the prevalent emotion in this society? Explain the following terms-- WHAT do each of these terms symbolize? If you think about it, they are easy to label. The Great Truth, the Unmentionable Times, the Uncharted Forest, the Evil Ones, the Great Rebirth Chapter III – Response 3 Clearly, up to this point and beyond, Ayn Rand intended Equality to stand out from his “brothers.” Explain how she accomplishes this by contrasting Equality’s physical qualities and character traits to those of his fellow men. . What...
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...Ayn Rand’s book Anthem is a story of a boy named Equality 7-2521 and his hunt for his freedom from the many harsh rules and controls that is city had. On his quest for freedom, he discovers how cruel his society actually was. If any of the laws in the city are disobeyed, the people will either be severely punished, or even worse, sentenced to death. When Equality discovers electricity, he decides to present it to the World Council of Scholars. They are furious with his discovery, so they send him away to the Palace of Corrective Detention. While he is there, he decides he has to escape. So he breaks free, and runs into the Uncharted Forest. Now Equality is on his own, independent, and free of all of the unnecessary rules and restrictions that...
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