...“We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike.” The quote from the Anthem by Ayn Rand sums up a society completely polar opposite to our own. The society in the Anthem is a world filled with sameness and a very rigid social structure that oppresses individuality in an extreme way. There is no bettering of one’s self, no having a family, no free will. The men and women in the anthem are taught from birth, they all work together as one unit and there is no such thing as being different. People work not for themselves, but for the great of the city. This idea is so deeply seeded within their minds, they can’t even conceive the meaning of the word “I” This word is unspeakable and for the rare few that do speak the word are put to death. Later in the book when the escape the city into the forest, they have trouble expressing...
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...To control the population, the leaders in Anthem, by Ayn Rand, impose a tyrannical regime, disguised as the perfect form of society. They attempt to enslave their citizens bodies and minds through government-given names and jobs. Also, they control through cruel punishments for small problems and the total destruction of the concept of individualism. Beginning at birth, people are indoctrinated to follow an ethical code of society that goes as follows: “We are one and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, one, indivisible and forever” (Rand 19). They are also given a generic name and a number code which lack any sort of individuality. Their names are written on a bracelet that “all men wear” (Rand 18). People are also assigned...
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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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...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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...advances through the book, Equality 7-2521’s growth can be seen throughout the book. In the beginning, he’s trying his hardest to fit in with the society they live in, but towards the end he questions the beliefs of the brothers and goes as far as to maligning them as well. Equality 7-2521’s final assessment of his so called ‘sin’ is indeed correct because individualism a key factor in growing as person due to everybody in the world being their own person so trying to confirm people as one is profoundly useless. “We are one in all and all in one”, is basically the prayer they’re told to repeat to themselves when they’re...
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...“We strive to be like our brother men, all men must be alike”(Rand 19). In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the society lacks individualism. However in Equality’s case he constantly feels that “we were born with a curse. it has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden”(18). Equality only feels that he is cursed because of the standards in the society. The true reason for the “sin” Equality committed was due to the pressure of collectivism from the society he lived in. Although the actions he committed were seen as a sin in his society, Equality has a correct moral assessment of these sins because of his self-individuality and egoism in his own pursuit of happiness. Equality has always stuck out among his brothers when it came to his wits. In...
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...Unlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an affliction to be born with powerful intellectual capacity and ambition in Ayn Rand’s apocalyptic, nameless society in Anthem. Collectivism is ostensibly the moral guidepost for humanity, and any perceived threat to the inflexible, authoritarian regime is met with severe punishment. The attack on mankind’s free will and reason is most evident in the cold marble engraving in the Palace of the World Council: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (6). Societal norms force homogeneity and sacrifice among all people. Laws and rules are crafted to prevent advancement and preserve relentless...
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