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Lack Of Knowledge In The Book Anthem

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In a society where knowledge is tucked away, how will there ever be any progression forward? In the novel Anthem, the Council tries to maintain , through fear and intimidation, a community of uneducated and dependent citizens, however a boy named Equality 7-2521 breaks free from the primitive technology the Council tries to impose, proving that when knowledge itself is grasped and individuals can perceive life through their own eyes, and not have false knowledge forced upon them, only then will there be any sort of technological independence and development. The Council wants to keep their community in a secluded bubble devoid of knowledge. Should the citizens become aware about the words, devices, and culture from the unmentionable …show more content…

The citizens do not respect their leaders , they fear them. “Our brothers are silent…; for they dare not speak the thoughts on their mind” (47). The citizens have been turned into terrified pets wanting to please an abusive owner, never knowing the correct answer, so maintaining a safe silence at all times.. The unrealistic standards set by the council have ripped away all the citizens want of self expression, or self identity. The subjects cannot mind read, therefor they cannot know if they are thinking the same as their brothers. Rather than trying to constantly ensure that all words spoken by each brother is the same, the brothers and sisters of the community have come to a safe conclusion of …show more content…

The Council is terrified that someone will soon realize how ridiculous their government system is, and use the power of knowledge against them. The Council protects themselves with false truths and violence to keep their civilians submissive and blind to the truth. One example of this would be when Equality 7-2521 revealed his light bulb to the World Council of Scholars (69). Equality spoke of the bulb’s potential and gave logical reasoning to how it could be a great help to the city, Equality explained how the light would be much more practical than candles. “But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another’s bodies to give them courage” (70).
Equality is smart, perhaps too smart or so that's what the councils thinks. The council recognizes that Equality is too knowledgeable and too inquisitive to allow himself to become a blind sheep in the herd. In the puzzle of which Equality lives, he is simply a tiny piece of a bigger picture. If he were to step out of place it would mess up the puzzles organized pattern, and Equality would be punished

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Are you currently bombarded by rules set by your parents or boss’? Imagine all the rules you currently have and then times them by ten! It might seem like it’s hard to imagine but the book Anthem by Ayn Rand takes place in a very controlling city. In the city of Anthem, they have a numerous amount of rules and controls set on the city and the people. Anthem has put multiple rules into action so that everyone is “equal” and there are “less” problems.

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Prompt: Explain the following quote: “To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.” How does this quote exemplify a theme of Anthem? In the novel “Anthem” by Ayn Rand, the main character Equality 7-2521 expresses his own individuality. Through the challenges that he was faced with, he learned many way to express himself differently.

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In the book anthem by Ayn Rand starts off by saying that “Its is a sin to write this.” Why does he start the character by saying these words? in the book the main character is named equality 7-2521 and in his society they have taught him differently than ours. in mentioned in pg 19 “we are one in all and all in one there are no men but only the great we , one, indivisible forever.” The people in equalities society were taught by using the word “we” not

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When the people below are told that judgment is a sin, they will never try to take those above out of their positions in power. Rand writes in How Does One Live a Rational Life in an Irrational Society that “to pronounce moral judgement is an enormous responsibility (Rand, Paragraph 4).” For as long as anybody can remember, conditions in the society presented in Anthem have always been the same. In truth, this is due to the citizens never criticising the actions of the Council. Equality would preach Rand’s essay to the masses like gospel if possible because he understands the true benefits of being opinionated and free.

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Equality’s greatest strengths and personal qualities were intended to be restricted and abhorred. Indeed, Equality and his gifts were abhorred, but he found a way to circumvent each restriction, consciously or not. And, though he maintained use of his strengths and kept a strong spirit, Equality was never able to permanently influence the society because, as a Street Sweeper, he was no longer part of the great WE. The Council of Vocations mandated Equality to life as a Street Sweeper in order to limit his intellectual opportunities.

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Throughout the book Equality 7-2521 challenges the idea that everyone is and must be the same. Instead he acts on his own. In the book everyone is supposed to be equal alongside their brothers. That means that no one is more important, intelligent, and so on than their brothers and by being so it is an evil in the world.

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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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Those who possess great knowledge are often praised among society. They are viewed as leaders of the future as they assume the raw knowledge will lead us towards a greater life. While the ignorant eyes focus on the intelligent, the wise become overlooked. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” portrays how philosophers struggle with others as they are often ignored or shunned for their different views. The “Book of Job” from the Old Testament also shows the ignorance that is apparent in the world as common people tend to stick to what they know.

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Equality defies the council of scholars and his government by studying and learning about the world. “How dare you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the mind of your brothers” (Rand 71). Equality goes against

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So long a road lies before us, and what care if we must travel it alone!” (54) In this statement all Equality cares about is his invention and he is still trying to expand his

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In response to the choice of Street Sweeper, Equality thinks, “We knew we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it” (26). With his intelligence and curiosity, Equality would do much better as a Scholar. The government punishes him for being different, and as a result, they can’t see him become advantageous. They are blinded by their beliefs on

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“Those who kept silent yesterday will remain silent tomorrow”. That was what Elie Wiesel said in the original yiddish version of his book Night. Society creates labels for everyone and everything. If people go against the society will be hostile. The hostility of society has made people not speak up when they see something wrong.

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However, since the council fails to recognize this idea, Equality has two options: either face imminent execution or flee. By choosing the latter and fleeing into the Uncharted Forest, Equality finally is, in a physical sense, free from the rule of collectivist society. Now he is alone in the forest, alone with his thoughts. He decides where he goes, when he sleeps, what he eats. However, he is still not fully

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With all of his experience that nobody has known in at least a century he is extremely capable of deciding whether of his choices are right. His personality keeps him from giving up hope and giving up on his society and his companion but keeps him curious enough to keep searching for something better in life. Equality has aged to the point where he thinks he needs to change the world and will try to do so. Most would believe that Equality’s actions were righteous and could not contemplate that his actions were

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