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Ego In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.” -- Banksy, Wall and Piece. A civilization cannot function without a system of rules to create order and morality. However, the creators of the nameless, collectivist society in Anthem took this concept too far with the complete removal of individualism—the root of ego. This mistake subdued the thoughts and actions of individuals, which is what allows a society to flourish. While the city in Ayn Rand’s novella attempts to suppress ego through a complex system of laws and government controls, their endeavors ultimately fail because there is always someone whose …show more content…

To begin, all parts of daily life are closely monitored and controlled by the Council. For example, during Equality’s fifteen years in the Home of the Students, which is a requirement all men must fulfill before being sent to work, “... we arose when the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it rang again” (20-21). Through controlling when citizens start and finish their daily tasks from birth, along with deciding how long they must attend school, the society has conditioned its citizens into knowing none other than what has been monotonously repeated daily for the majority of their lives. In other words, the people believe that no adjustment in day-to-day life is necessary. Second, the Council of Vocations assigns Students the occupation that they will carry out for the remainder of their lives because the Council: “knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little minds” (22). “If the Council said "Carpenter" or "Cook," the Students so assigned go to work and do not study any further. But if the Council has said "Leader," then those students go into the Home of the Leaders… And there they study for many years, so that they may become candidates and be elected to the City Council and the State Council and the World Council” (25). Since this select power allows the government alone to determine the profession of the Students, it grants them the ability to designate leaders and workers from the idea that those chosen would insist on preserving their current way of life. This power, combined with the ability to control every aspect of daily life, suppresses rebellion, in most cases, before it

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234 Words | 1 Pages

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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1196 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1879 Words | 8 Pages

In the 17th c., the Massachusetts Bay Company centered around the trade between England and the Massachusetts Bay Indians. Upon the realization that the original company charter issued by the king did not explicitly bind the company’s meeting to England, the Massachusetts Bay Company founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Great Puritan Migration. The Massachusetts Bay Colony consisted of a large group of Puritans-- those who sought to “purify” the Church of England of the remnants of the Roman Catholic papacy whose name was grievously tainted in the late middle ages. The Puritans were fervently loyal to their ministers who were under religious persecution by the Church of England. Therefore the Puritans followed their ministers to

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1128 Words | 5 Pages

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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605 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever heard common phrases such as “every man for himself”? Phrases like this are common sayings that have been knitted into our vocabulary which demonstrate our egotistic nature. From a young age, we’ve been told that we must take care of ourselves first, because no one else will. On the contrary, the book, Anthem, presents a society that is shockingly different. From not being able to use the pronoun, “I” to the idea of living only to serve to serve fellow men, the altruistic, “we” society presented in Anthem is the exact opposite of America’s egotistic, “me” society, due to the fact that we are a capitalist society and because of our society’s competitive nature.

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1239 Words | 5 Pages

‘‘We are nothing mankind is all , By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives ‘’ Ayn rand the author of Anthem wrote the book after she left Russia because of the war, she moved to New York writing Anthem a dystopia about the future of mankind In her novella there are two major themes talking about the collective society vs. individualism were every one is the same nobody has the authority to be a individual also the council of vocations determines there jobs life and future the people don’t have a choice whatever they choice they accept and that is it no discussion, the council of vocation has removed all individuality so when equality may have started to uncover the coated truth the council has another plan for him as known the council of vocations has an absolute rule when it comes to jobs and they assign equality to the home of the street sweepers because they want to keep him down. The council of vocations make equality a street sweeper because they hope to prevent him from developing his intelligence even more as they assumed that may have dumbed him down and get people to assume he is beneath them and this is achieved when the council makes a mockery of equality for wanting to join the world council of scholars “A street sweeper! A street sweeper walking upon the world council of scholars!

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263 Words | 2 Pages

An individual in an authoritarian socialist society has no ability to prosper because it is in the best interest of the government to keep the people down. This allows for easy control over the people by the government. In Anthem, you are held back as an individual and are not allowed to prosper because goes against your brothers. If you have “What is not done collectively cannot be good”(Rand 73). The quote was said by a scholar in anthem.

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530 Words | 3 Pages

How could losing individuality affect a society? The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a guy named Equality 7-2521 who is trying to find himself in a society where everything is controlled and different. Later, he finds himself even though he will have to go through many obstacles to get there. The process behind losing individuality in an Anthem’s society are in forcing strict laws, brain washing of their citizens, and removing of family. The Anthem society in forcing of strict laws made it easy for everyone to lose their individuality.

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419 Words | 2 Pages

Anthem is a story written by Ayn Rand as a propaganda piece portraying the evils of communism. The book takes place in the future in a undisclosed city surrounded by forest. In this city a collectivist society dwells. The conflict of Anthem is character vs. society where one man by the name of Equality decides to go against his broken government. Equality took a stand against his broken society, he has defied the council of scholars and his government, had a relation with a women, and escaped the city to The Uncharted Forest.

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594 Words | 3 Pages

Collectivism and Selfishness in Anthem Imagine living in a world where everybody's lives are completely mapped out by the government. Where every decision is made without the input of the citizens it affects. In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts a completely collectivist society, where every idea, action, and invention is purely for the benefit of society as a whole. Everything is done with the entire population in mind, and individuality is extremely frowned upon.

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749 Words | 3 Pages

In the novella Anthem, individual rights and freedom do not exist. The word “I” is prohibited to be spoken by men. Equality 7-2521 is a street sweeper of the city and he is different from the others in the society. Equality is more intelligent, taller, learns quicker, and he enjoys learning about science; especially how things move and work. Since the word “I” is the unspeakable word, Equality uses the word “We” to resemble that he is doing these actions .

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891 Words | 4 Pages

Anthem was written by Ayn Rand and published in 1938. In the beginning of the book I didn’t think much of it. It consisted of a grey city where everyone is equal and works as one, and individualism is nonexistent. This city is controlled by totalitarian leaders. The main character or protagonist, Equality 7-2521 has always been different from the rest, in terms of knowledge, height, and physical strength.

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289 Words | 2 Pages

In Anthem, Equality egotistically breaks past the barriers of conformity and collectivism with innovation and invention. Equality creates the light bulb and believes that his creation will help him become a member of the Council of Scholars. When Equality presents his invention, the Scholars say “A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of Scholars! It is not believed!

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1284 Words | 6 Pages

Objectivism in Ayn Rand’s Anthem Ayn Rand established her philosophy of objectivism in order to eliminate the traditions she experienced while she was growing up under collective governments, and to emphasize the importance of the individual over the collective group. It can be defined as a philosophy for living stating that man himself is the greatest power, and man must decide what is best for himself based on reason. The four basic tenets of objectivism are reality exists as an objective absolute, reason is man’s only method of interpreting his surroundings, man must exist as an individual in order to pursue his own interests, with the ultimate goal being happiness, and the economy of an objectivist society should be laissez-faire capitalism,

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725 Words | 3 Pages

Naomi In today’s generation, we have learned about collectivism in history classes. In the Holocaust the majority of the people didn’t have a say about anything. In today's generation, we have individualism in our society today. Everyone has the right to make their own choices, such as, if one wants an education or not.

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