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The Representation Of Individuality In Anthem, By Ayn Rand

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The word “I” has a significant impact on our society. Its absence gradually lowers our society to have unjust expectations of people, and allow those expectations to influence our government. The book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is an example of this occurrence. There is no use of the word “I”, “my”, or any word that implies individuality, as it has been prohibited by the government. The citizens in Anthem belittle and threaten the main character, Equality, because he “[held him]self as one alone and with the thoughts of one and not of many,” and say he should “be burned at the stake" for it. The word “I” is a representation of Individuality. It allows people to communicate their individual thoughts and feelings. In Anthem, since they are not allowed …show more content…

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. Essentially, he has been given the opportunity to fully experience being a person. At the end of the book, Equality says he has “eyes which see, and the sight of [his] eyes grants beauty to the earth. “ When Equality says he has “eyes which see”, he means that, as a result of his newfound independence, he can now see as an individual. He calls that individuality beautiful, and a gift to the Earth, which we know is a representation of the Council/Cities. Furthermore, when Equality calls the “sight of his eyes” beautiful, he means that he thinks his literal eyes are beautiful. He only notices how

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