...One very prominent area of a society is its technology. The technology of a society can determine a lot about it, including its way of life. In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem the technology is very primitive. There is no electricity, so they live by candle light. There are strides made by the character Equality 7-2521 to improve this. After much hard work, Equality is able to recreate the light bulb. By the way this story is written, you can gather how Rand feels about science, technology, and advances in these areas. From her writing, you can presume that Rand is for technology, science and its improvements. In Anthem, Equality represents technological advances and those who seek them. He sees a lightning bolt and tries to recreate it so humans...
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...Anthem takes place in a unknown time in the past or future where technology nor science comes to the mind of the society. “A street sweeper walking in upon the world of scholars / It is against all the rules and laws”(69). Ayn Rand’s book Anthem takes place in a dystopian society that the council of vocations control. throughout the book there was not any change in technology over time other than equality discovering electricity. Also the candles that the entire society use took a long process of getting approved and confirmed. The council and scholars disagreed with Equality’s creating which could have been a revolutionary change in technology in Anthem. Technology in Anthem have not been moving forward and have not been improving in fact it might just be forgotten to the society. “We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and brighter, than any they have ever known” (60). No one under the class of scholar have ever tried to make an invention. Even in the book the scholars aren't even making inventions for the society...
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...The society ‘Anthem’ takes place in is based solely on the collective, no individualism allowed. This limits the people in the community greatly, and since all the people of the world live under a select group of rulers, in similar communities, new technology is severely limited and must go through 50 years of tests in order to be approved (Rand 74). Any new technology proposed by the council of scholars must be agreed upon by the others, and only the scholars can make new discoveries. Equality had to learn that he could not make discoveries on his own the hard way, and running from this harsh society nearly cost him his invention, as well as his life. Ayn Rand’s short novella tells the story of his illegal discoveries, the people he meets along the way, and how he is changed as a person by the end. The nature of technology here is to be scared, and the conditions for technological advancement are for people to be knowledgeable, risk-takers, and to not be afraid of advancing....
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...A collectivist society where individuality is punishable by death and men are viewed as “all in one and one in all… indivisible and forever”; herein lies the world of Anthem, an atypical yet discomforting dystopian world. Like most dystopias, the government is oppressive and tyrannical, hiding behind a false veil of fairness and equality. Different is the retrogressive development of technology, which can be described as primitive at best. The stark contrast between this portrayal and portrayals in other dystopias highlights the impact individualism has on the progression of technology in society. Ayn Rand’s Anthem implies that invention inherently encourages the development of the individual and technology thrives when independent thought...
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...What is the future going to be resemble? Will it resemble The Jetsons from 1960’s TV? Or will it be closer to Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables? In Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts a world void of modern technology set in a new dark age. Anthem proposes a different school of thought when it comes to our future. When juxtaposed with other stories set in the future, Ayn Rand’s world is drastically different. Anthem’s school of thought is based on the prospect that technology is a cycle, freedom of thought is necessary for technological advancement, and, in Anthem, totalitarian governments will purposely try to hinder technological advancement. In our current world, we view technology as an ever progressing entity that will either allow us to live forever,...
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...Throughout Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 in conflict himself on how to think in his society. The totalitarian government controls the progress of technology and prohibits the flow of new ideas from other people that would strengthen the society as a whole. The council knew about the Unmentionable Times, and if everyone has the ability to think like Equality 7-2521, without fear, they would be more advanced in the field of science and technology. In the society of Anthem, technology is very outdated and primitive. This implies that the society does not have the necessary qualities that science and technology needs to progress and prosper. Comparing Anthem to the society that Ayn Rand was surrounded by, they are both primitive in their technology and willingness to accept foreign ideas. During the communist reign...
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...Many famous dystopian novels and short stories are about advanced futuristic societies that have amazing technology. This is not the case with Anthem by Ayn Rand in the future technology has taken steps backwards; in Anthem it seems to be intentional to keep citizens in line and complacent. The leaders of the society are purposely holding back technology as well as schooling to form more of control of their citizens and if the leaders keep control of the citizens by limiting their technology it will allow them to keep citizens from developing pride and individuality. The leaders of this society purposely do not school children to keep them complacent. While at the Home of the Students children learn many things unfortunately some of the things...
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...About five years ago, eight-year-old little girls played with Barbie’s, baby dolls, and made mud pies in their back yard. In 2017, you can find an 8-year-old girl on her couch watching Disney channel or playing candy crush on her mom’s phone. Over the year’s technology has negatively adjusted the way humans act. Similar to today, the society in Anthem has been affected by technology because they put technology in charge which has resulted in them losing value of human life. The book Anthem, is a great representation of what could happen if technology kept growing the way it is today. If one takes a step back and looks at people today compared too people twenty years ago, they would notice that we are losing our humanity just like the people...
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...Anthem portrays a totalitarian world of the future. What does this imply about the nature of science and technology and how do events of the story establish that view? The totalitarian society represents a group based run government where the citizens life are run for them and controlled by the government. How did the events in the story establish the view that technology is behind? At the beginning of the story all the kids that turn 15 have to be assigned a career that they will work for the rest of their life. But unfortunately for equality his dream of being a scholar was ended when he was assigned to a street sweeper. Before as a kid equality was different from the others he would learn faster and ask more questions. Many calling it a "curse" ....
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...Ayn Rand was only 6 when when her home country became overrun by the communist party run by Vladimir Linen. After the communist took over russia went in an extreme decline in technological advance much like the society in Anthem. The technology in this society was that of the dark ages that the candle took 50 years to perfect. During the unmentionable times people had cars and planes but for some unknown reason that society collapsed and all that technology vanished. Equality 7-2521 is told he can't not be smart or outgoing and to never try to surpass his brothers in intellectual or psychological superiority he will be killed for being different. When Equality brings his invention to the world council the council turns him down because equality is not a scholar and because they believe that the society they made would change to much if they allowed his invention to be used. That is when equality realized that his society is brainwashed. When, Equality ran away for the world council into the the forbidden forest he finds himself alone. When equality finds himself alone in the forest he realised that the forest sets him free from the world of we to the world of I. That is...
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...Ayn Rand “I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom.” (Rand. 58). Ayn Rand treasured her personal beliefs, which were reflected through her writing. Rand lived in two distinct countries: Russia and the United States, during her lifetime. Ayn also lived during a time where many major global events occurred. A very unique and interesting childhood and adult life, subjective beliefs and philosophies, and major events occurring in the world around her were all factors that contributed to Ayn Rand’s perspective and style of writing in her infamous novel, Anthem. Ayn Rand, the oldest of three daughters, was born on February 2, 1906 (Gladstein. 3,4). Rand’s given birth name was Alisa Zinovievna...
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...Free Will in Ayn Rand’s “Anthem” Ayn Rand’s short novel, “Anthem,” depicts a collectivist society where any thoughts are only considered good if they are thought by everyone. Individuality is considered a sin. Children are taken from their parents and raised in a collective unit. One’s vocation is not decided by the individual, but rather appointed to them by a group. The main character, Equality 7-2521 (Prometheus), is a free thinker who longs to learn all he can in hopes of making a contribution to his town, and being promoted to one of the scholars. However, when he presents his discovery (electricity) to the “World Council of Scholars” the group is terrified because they have never seen anything like it before. Prometheus is scorned, rejected, and sentenced to be burned at the stake because of his choosing to think as an individual. Free will is something that many people take for granted these days, but in the world...
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...He has denounced everything he has ever known. Impeached the contrivance of his leaders to show his brothers the life they deserve to have. In the story, Anthem by Ayn Rand, it illustrates the strong character, Equality. Equality declaims the leaders of his society “The Council” due to their concealing and cruel ways. Living in a loveless, dark age in the future, he found himself alone. Feeling alone, being what his society would call an “unpardonable sin” because he differed from his mindless brothers. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, “The laws say that none among men may be alone,ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression and the root of all evil”(17). His brothers are always cowering in fear and sadness, making one know Equality was not only doing what was best, but what was best for his brothers, his community, thus even the world. Although Equality denouncing his leader can throw off the balance and scare citizens of his community with shock, if he hadn’t taken a stand his brothers would have continued to be depressed. His brothers are depressed due to being unfairly placed into...
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...In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a worldwide totalitarian society of the future is depicted. The society of Anthem is extremely primitive, and lacks inventions that are commonly used in modern society, such as electricity, vehicles, and such. Many seemingly simple objects were reinvented in Anthem, such as glass and the candle, which is the “. . .newest [invention]...[and] was found only a hundred years ago…” A quote from Plato’s Republic was believed to be the inspiration of the English proverb, ”Necessity is the mother of invention.” In Anthem, the reason there are no new inventions is not that there are no necessities, but rather the lack of an individual to feel something is necessary, lest the needs of their brethren. Individuals do not do...
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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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