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Creativity In Anthem By Ayn Rand

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The society in Anthem, a novella by Ayn Rand, depicts an unchanging environment, desolate of abnormalities. The main character in the book, Equality 7-2521, was raised in a totalitarian environment, run by the Council of Vocations. The Council of Vocations is the group in charge of placing people into their specified work fields, one of which is the Home of the Scholars. The Home of the Scholars is the highest ranking group in the society, where the people put in this group are in charge of discovering new inventions. Allowance of creativity and ideas governs invention in life, however the autocratic habitat shown in Anthem demonstrates that the conditions of that environment limited the amount of technological advancements that were available. Creativity plays a large role in the creation of most new innovations. Without the approval to explore new ideas and experiment with different plans, Thomas Edison many have never invented the light bulb. Another case in which imagination played a large role is when Henry Ford thought of the idea of having the first buggy without a horse, therefore creating the first automobile run on gasoline. The citizens in Anthem were not allowed …show more content…

His entire life, Equality was distinguished as different. He was exposed to the idea that being, acting, and even thinking differently than his brothers, was a sin. Equality was denounced as different referring to him as having a higher level of intelligence. Ayn Rand included in Anthem a quote that the individuals must say, it reads, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.” The government exhibited does not allow anyone to be dissimilar, therefore preventing any technological advancements to be made. The undemocratic way this government is run has resulted in its society becoming very technologically

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In Anthem by Ayn Rand International 4-8818 agrees to keep Equality 7-2521’s secret of the tunnel under the ground because much like Equality 7-2521, International 4-8818 is different than the rest of the people in the place they live in. This is because while Equality 7-2521 explains how he found the hole that led to the tunnel he talks about International 4-8818 and explains that, “they are a tall, strong youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the Students, as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the

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The word contentious means tending to argue or strife; quarrelsome. This connects to what the chapter is portrayed in many ways. In this chapter, Equality 7-2521/ Prometheus go to the council to discuss the light box and all of their discretions. I think that this chapter title is exactly what is going on in this chapter because they spend most of the chapter arguing with Equality. On the second page, Equality tells the council that they are street sweepers.

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Tohniiya Yazzie per 1 Be unique in your own way, do not let other people tell you what to do. Anthem is a dystopian society. No one thinks for themselves, and there is no individuality, everyone has to think like a group. The leaders are called Council of Scholars and they tell everyone in the society what to think and do. No one is allowed to be different, and everyone is supposed to be the same, which is expected to make the society equal.

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Ayn Rand’s Anthem starts by Equality 7-2521 saying “It is a sin to write this.” Throughout the story, Equality’s views and mindset changes, he realizes that he is different from his brothers and its ok to be different. He discovers that if something is legal it is not certainly right. His eager for knowledge taught him the word “I” abandoning the word “We”.

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Anthem by Ayn Rand is the story of how a man broke free from a society where singularity and being different was evil. Anthem deals with the topic of communism and how everyone is supposed to be equal and the same. This is shown in the book where in Equality 7-2521’s society, the use of the word “I” is non existent. Instead they use the word “We”. This is because that in this world, no man is alone and does everything alongside his brothers.

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In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, mankind is a philanthropic machine. The brotherhood nobly works together to achieve a common goal. In doing so, each man is asked to disregard his own personal means and goals. For every decision must be a collective thought and every advancement, a joint action. However, one man in this machine malfunctions.

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Equality lives in a collectivist society, which is a society that believes, “that man must be chained to collective action and collective thought for the sake of what is called “the common good.” Therefore, Equality being the person he is, struggles with being an individual. He knows it is against the law but he enjoys knowledge so much, it confuses him. He states, “And in our heart-strange are the ways of evil! - and in our heart there is the first peace we have known in 20 years.”

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In the story of Anthem, Ayn Rand intended the book to be a depiction of a possible future for multiple reasons, even though it doesn't make sense of how it could be a possible future. Like how the word “I” has been removed from the entire language and is a sin as well as an illegal word to even say. Rand wants people to see in the story how it would be if the whole world was basically taken over by collectivism and to show a world that bans forms of individualism. Rand showed many examples in the book of how Anthem is a depiction of a possible future. To begin, in the Society of Equality “ In the Home of Infants; the children were born not knowing who their parents are.

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He searches for development of individual morality, but is struck dry by the restrictive society, by which he is forced to be, think, and live like everyone else, average and accepting. However, throughout, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality’s view of morality transforms from group mentality and collectivism to individualism and independence due to the discovery of his true purpose for living; himself. Through the control of their citizens, Equality’s initial society forces him to feel guilt and loneliness through his differences, but as he discovers the rationalisation of his independence, he begins to develop a moral existence. In the beginning of the novella, Anthem, Equality is bound to his “brothers”, in a society of total equality, for which he is forced to sacrifice his intelligence and curiosity to fit the ideal of the equal being.

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Well-known American author Ayn Rand in her short novel, Anthem, describes a post-apocalyptic world where individualism has vanished. Rand’s purpose is to inspire non-conformity and boldness while educating her readers about the dangers and horrific effects of communism. Rand describes the people she considers ideal in this society and those who are considered anything but idolized. Rand’s tone towards the people who do not fit the mold described is that she feels pity for most of them, but has the utmost respect towards the two main characters, Equality-7521 (Prometheus) and The Golden One (Gaea), the two that have the courage to think differently. Rand wrote this novel in English to emphasize to her probably American audience the reality of communism and why it causes more harm than it could ever help.

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In 1937, The Author Ayn Rand wrote the novel Anthem to illustrate how different the world would be without individualism. In Anthem, there is no such thing as I but only we, except when Equality 7-2521 rediscovers the forbidden that is when everything is jeopardized. In Anthem the city has numerous rules and controls to keep its citizens in order or in line. Ayn Rand’s Anthem is the story of a man’s personal growth and quest for freedom from the rules and regulations in the society, which he lived. As the novel’s main character, Equality struggles to find meaning in his life and to understand his own unique nature.

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Ayn Rand’s 1938 novella Anthem, all people live as a collective society, where everyone is equal. Individualism no longer exists in this dystopian story. The government in this society controls all of its citizens and decides that person’s life for them. The main character, a young boy named Equality 7-2521, decides to challenge this collectivist government on his quest for new discovery and accomplishments.

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“Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth” (John F. Kennedy). The novella “Anthem” written by Ayn Rand expresses the battle between one's self and conformity through the character Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 struggles to conform within the collectivism of his society. As he grows through life he realizes how divergent he really is from his fellow brothers. Through his actions Equality slowly discovers the importance of egoism in a society.

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Anthem Essay Equality 4-2521 in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand ensured his freedom and victory by concealing his find of the tunnel from the unmentionable times. There were many factors that fed into this victory such as stealing the manuscripts for the House of the Scholars, introducing his discoveries to the House of the Scholars, and choosing his own name later in the book. These ideas introduce a rebellion by Equality 4-2521 or later known as Prometheus that helps him break free from the communist society and shows him the great things that can be done as an individual and not as part of a whole. Also, Equality 4-2521 had conflicting emotions because he wanted to help his brothers but when he refused to tell the council about where he was when he arrived late to the House of the Street Sweepers and running into the forest for his own safety not for those of his ‘brothers’ he realized that the council was wrong.

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"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 Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel, Anthem, the citizens are trained from birth to think only in the plural, to the point where they cannot even conceive of individuals, but only see each other as part of the whole group. Rand’s protagonist, Equality 72521, begins the novel as a street-sweeper who is devoted to the group, but begins to move towards individuality as he progresses towards pure selfishness, as Rand believes we all should. Rand uses the words “we” and “I” to represent Equality’s journey from being dependent on the group, to being utterly independent of everyone.

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