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Summary Of Anthem By Ayn Rand

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The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is set in a collective society. Collectivism by definition from Merriam Webster is, "emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity”. Ayn Rand Was Very against Collectivism She shows this by making the main character, Equality 7-2521 an independent thinker. though he starts out being Compliant to Society's rules he always knew he was different. throughout the novel he Starts to Follow his own beliefs rather than Stay a part of the collective.

Being a Part of the collective Society means following Strict rules put in Place to Prevent any Kind of individualism. No one is allowed to express attraction or love for another person. people are Chosen to be put together only to most be put together only to mate all bossed off Of genes. This is all Set up just so the human race can Continue on sent with perfectly matched genes, thus Continuing the collective society. Equality, however Does not accept this. he expresses …show more content…

Everyone must work for the collective, and all must work hard. If labor were to be limited it would leave time for people to think more. Work keeps them brainwashed because they dont think, and they are doing things strictly for everyone. The world they live in has no technology, this keeps the people working for everything. There are only candles, no cars, and no assistive machinery. Equality was assigned to be a street sweeper, he starts out with the attitude of a person brainwashed to work for the collective. He expresses this by saying, “we would accept our life mandate, and we would work for our brothers, gladly, and willingly” (Ayn Rand 26). It isn’t until later he truly realizes that the society is stuck in the past. He re-invents the light bulb, to not only try and move up in the world and impress the council, but also to change the way society worked. Equality feels a sense of pride even though he is no longer only working for the good of the

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At the beginning of Anthem Equality has changed his mind about a lot of things in the beginning of the story. Equality got picked to be a street sweeper by the government, but he really wanted to be a scholar but couldn’t because of the government. Equality had a rough life. Well he was a street sweeper but he was smart enough to be a scholar the government did not think he was. In the book anthem by ayn rand Equality was not good for any body or anything at the beginning he had a rough start to his life.

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Flaws with Collective Governments in Anthem and Catch-22 Without systems of government or leadership, the world would crumble into an anarchic chaos, leading to a dangerous environment for its citizens. However, oftentimes governing bodies lean the other direction, with laws and enforcement so strict their people become oppressed. Ayn Rand and Joseph Heller explore the negative consequences of oppressive dystopias in their novels Anthem and Catch-22, respectively, which describe two men’s struggle against their governments. Ayn Rand, staunchly against collectivism in her own life, wrote the allegory Anthem to reflect her anti-collective sentiment. In Anthem, the central character, Equality 7-2521, describes growing up in a collectivist society

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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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452 Words | 2 Pages

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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611 Words | 3 Pages

Another example shown is, if anyone says the word “i” the “punishment of the unspeakable word is death”( Rand 49). This shows collectivism and individualism because the punishment shows collectivism if they say the unspeakable word. Furthermore, the book shows a lot of euphemisms like “wagons not pulled by horses and lights burned without flame.”(Rand 19) These don't just happen in life today and can not happen, so this does not express the individuality of now and a depiction of a possible future.

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889 Words | 4 Pages

Equality was motivated by a desire for knowledge and created a great invention because of it. Equality wanted to “harness this power”(page 71) and because of that and because he wanted to learn he achieved something great. Equality knows that with his invention he can “give our brothers a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known. ”(page 60). If everyone was as motivated as Equality the technology we would have would be amazing.

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Equality 7-2521 starts the novel as misguided, who has just never understood that he is not quite the same as everyone around him. When Equality 7-2521 incidentally returns late to the Home of the Street Sweepers, he postponed to tell his Home Council where he has been, and is thrown into the Palace of Corrective Detention, where he 's beaten. "Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective Detention. Lash them until they tell" (64). The refusal to account for himself, based on how the Elders treated him and his lightbulb , was strengthening the thought of "self", which until this minute was truly not understood.

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After Equality leaves his old society, he finds a new purpose, to “break the chains of the Earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and [his] home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake.” In the excerpt, the Earth is a representation of the Cities, and how they have chained down the citizens, restricting them of their full potential as individuals. Equality, now that he knows he is an individual, knows how much better it is than being “chained to the Earth”. He is more passionate than ever, and has decided to devote himself to liberating the people of the unjust society that they had no choice in being part of. Equality’s independence has sparked a desire to help others and given him a sense of empathy and freedom.

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The World Council of Scholars tells the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, that he is happy because he is living for his brothers. The society's focus on collectivism means that the individual's desires, opinions, and values are of secondary importance compared to the needs of society as a whole. The society's strict rules and regulations ensure that the people conform to society's expectations, which reinforces the society's collectivist

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U.S society Vs. Equality’s society Anthem, by Ayn Rand, describes a dystopian society much more different than that of the U.S, a society in which freedom is restricted, knowledge is limited, and the government has absolute power. After reading Anthem, it is clear to see that Modern-day U.S society is much more progressive and advanced than Equality’s collective society. In Equality’s society there are many laws restricting freedom. First of all, in this society individualism is restricted and men are subjected to constantly repeating this certain quote “We are one in all and all in one.

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Ayn Rand once said, “Collectivism holds that the individual has no rights, that his life and work belong to the group (to ‘society’, to the tribe, the state, the nation) and that the group may sacrifice him at its own whim to its interest.” In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, she depicts an anonymous, communist city in which no individual has any rights, they only exist for their “brothers”. Equality 7-2521 is a very venturesome and curious character that wants nothing more than to be an individual and live with no limits. The complication with Equality 7-2521 wanting to be his own individual is the rules and controls that comes with his collectivist society.

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Equality grows up with a superior intellect and ambition than all others around him, so the Council of Vocations assign him to street sweeper in the hope that Equality will give up his thirst of knowledge. He starts becoming self-aware and everyday for three hours he sits in a secret tunnel accumulating new knowledge. He

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977 Words | 4 Pages

In society today, the meaning of equality is much different than it is depicted in Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem. Today, the word ‘equality’ means to treat everyone the exact same way to keep the fairness between all individuals. In Anthem, equality means everyone is one, no one is placed above the other. Everyone’s needs are cared for as a group, not individually. With that vision of equality in a collectivist society, words that demonstrate ‘selfishness’ have vanished, like ‘I’.

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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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1067 Words | 5 Pages

Equality can only think of himself, at the beginning

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