“we strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Rand 19). In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand the main characters name is Equality7-2521. He lives in a collective society that he does not agree with. Equality’s personality and actions is what eventually led to him running away.…
What is egoism? Something that Prometheus seems so interested in. Egoism is a doctrine that individual self worth is the motive behind all conscious action. In this day in age being an egoist is wrong, but in Prometheus society being an egoist wasn’t even heard of. Why is it that Prometheus writes down “ego” at the very end of the book on page 105 of Anthem.…
Collectivism means that there is a group and together, but independence means that there is one person and one thought. Which one do you prefer?…
Imagine yourself unable to be your true self or even look in the mirror, Equality learned that is not the way to live his life. In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, the Council promotes a collectivist society with practices like lack of freedom of career choice, self-view, and overall individuality. This relates with our world today. People’s lives are greatly impacted on their particular political figures opinion. This relates to another piece of work by Ayn Rand, “The Soul of a Collectivist”. In both, there are many similarities and differences on power.…
Have you ever done something, thinking you’re doing the right thing, and then suddenly things get flipped around and now you’re the one getting in trouble? Having all of your technology taken away as a consequence? In the book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 experiences something a little similar, only he is the one discovering technology.…
The concept of egoism is presented in Anthem, authored by Ayn Rand, using the principle that every man’s primary obligation should be toward his own well-being. Once Equality realizes what the sacred word to his society is, he begins to write about how the concept of altruism should not be placed at the root of a man’s heart, rather the concept of egoism. As Equality sits with his journal he writes, “For the word ‘We’ must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a second thought” (Rand 96). Equality believes that man shall not serve others, rather service themselves in an almost ‘selfish’ manner, with the exception of a man’s choice to work alongside other people. In summary, Equality believes that egoism should be the primary obligation…
In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the main character is brought up into a society where individualism is never an option. In secret, this character broke these laws and constantly made what was called “transgressions” to the book’s authority figures. Near the books closing he states “Why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins.” Prometheus has came to understand that he was different and that his sins gave him his happy ending. For being different it made those around him believe that It was indeed sinful.…
Ayn Rand is known for her liberalist writings and very compelling works of fiction that border along being something of an attempted prophecy, specifically in the case of Anthem. While we may not have direct words from the author to prove this, the book gives off this aura as though it were a vision of what the world could become if communism as Rand knew it during her time continued on in the direction it had then been traveling. Perhaps Anthem was written, in contrast, to simply deliver a message of self-worth and independence to a new extreme. Her new arrival to America could have opened her eyes to the way that the world and government had the ability to be; it would have been a discovery that could have further turned her off the sort of…
by his subordinate sister, the Railroad Unification Plan permits him to seize his competitors’ profits, and he even wins his wife’s admiration by taking credit for his sister’s achievements. Yet his parasitic empire is unsustainable. It can persist only so long as there is something to steal, and this is yet another truth that Taggart cannot bear to…
Ego. A word shamed upon in western society, because of negative implications. Men who have become wealthy through their hard works and sacrifices are depicted as “self-centered”. Since, society is angry toward people with huge amounts of wealth. Although egoism is portrayed as a bad thing, it should be a reward and gift. In our world today and language, the word “I” is significant, because it presents individualism. Everyone has knowledge that no one is the same, everyone has unique characteristics. However, to live in a collectivist society, individuality is impossible, as everyone is oppressed under a leader or government. Sadly, a person cannot challenge authority or meet goals, because of the limit to one’s thoughts. Moreover, a collectivist…
"It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon paper no others are to see,” this is the first sentence in the book Anthem. It shows that they are not allowed to even think differently or say differently, everyone has to think the same. It is said by Equality 7-2521 that he was beaten by his teachers for being smarter, and he is told that he was told he is sinning since he is taller than all of the other people. They are not even allowed to know what they look like, because it might make them have different thought and that they don't fit in the society.…
The power and knowledge of individualism is lost in the novel Anthem and Ayn Rand does a good job showing us the downfalls and troubles the future might hold. The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in is harsh and believes only in collectivism instead of individualism. The main collective government figures are known as Council of Scholars and Council of Vocations who make the rules and strictly force each brother in the society to follow each rule. They are forced to be alike in every way and live for each other instead of themselves. “We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Rand 19). This is something that is not taken lightly and anyone that goes against this will have to go to the Palace of Corrective Detention…
Living in a collective society where you can't express yourself or be independent is hard to imagine. In Anthem, the collective society they live in forbids individuality like thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. It says “We must strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike.(17)” In Anthem, when Equality stumbles upon a chance to detach himself from the collective society, he makes the most of it. I think Equality’s primary motivation was to make something for himself and detach himself from his collective society he lives in. I think that it was good for him to be motivated this way, and I think that in our world today if everyone were motivated this way that life would be better.…
Ayn Rand’s Anthem portrays a scared world with a homogenous culture and mindset, imprisoning its citizens with their thoughts. This imprisoned mindset caused a regression of technology out of fear of being different and the consequences that came with that. When an individual is erased to be a part of a whole and they are not allowed to question what is “known” nothing new can come about without retaliation, which is depicted in Equality’s story of the society he lived in. Equality 7-2521, a street sweeper, is about to challenge the morality and ethics of his society. In Anthem the rules and restrictions of the society stifled the questioning of established “norms,” showing that to progress, people must be allowed to be individuals, people must be allowed to question, and they must not be afraid to stand alone.…
The dystopian society that is depicted in Ayn Rand’s Anthem is all about selfishness. The Great WE runs the world. It is the way of life. Even through the dark cloud that is WE at least one I shines through. This light is Equality 7-2521. He is the individualism in this society. He is the first domino in the chain of individualistic life.…