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PROMETHEUS, A.K.A. “EQUALITY 7-2521” On Monday evening, Equality 7-2521 was caught being late to House of Street Sweepers after the last bell. He was taken to the House of Corrective Detention and beaten until he told Council where he had been, but never breathed a word of it. Four days later the guard was doing his nightly rounds, checking prisoners and cells, when he realized room 7 was empty. Equality 7-2521 had escaped!
This book, written by Ayn Rand is about Equality 7-2521, a young man who was quite brave. He was twenty-one years old and was six feet tall. He had broken and went against many laws. However, one law that he did not break was the law that disallowed him to refer to himself as “I” or “me”.
The council did everything to make him less of a danger to their society, such as leaving him Street Sweeper that requires no knowledge. As a Street Sweeper, Equality 7-2521 is restricted the resources needed in order to reach his goal of learning. The council also turned away Equality’s glass box because it is “dangerous” to the society. The council is Equality 7-2521’s biggest nemesis resorting in him escaping the
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 novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality is learning that men had freedom and individual names. Equality 7-2521 had his brothers and the council holding him back from his freedom and self-ego, equality 7-2521 is learning the people from the unmentionable times had names and not numbers, in the novella Anthem
Running into a problem he soon finds himself in the Uncharted Forest, unsure of what to do while alone. During his time of exploring he is found by the Golden One Equality learns to explore the greater things and be an independent person. First, Equality 7-2521 introduces himself, explaining his sins and the possible punishments he could get for it. The Teacher’s would constantly remind him of how the evil was in him, all for being taller than his brothers. When you would think badly you were forced to repeat “We are one in all and all in one.
Equality 7-2521 is very pleased with his performance and is very confident that the Council would also be as pleased as he did. Equality 7-2521 then goes back to the society and gets caught by the Council because he has been missing. The Council then is more curious on where he’s been but he refuses to tell them because he knows what he did was against the rules. He is then beat so that he would tell the truth of where he was. Equality 7-2521 then escapes from the Palace of Corrective Detention by doing things by himself, as an individual.
First, let us describe the sin he is committing. He is committing the sin of wanting more, in this case knowledge. “We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years I the Home of the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that learning was too easy.
Those who stood out, like Equality 7-2521, were frowned upon because they thought differently. Equality always addressed his different ways as a sin; “It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil,” (Rand, 1). Even though it is a sin to do those things, that is exactly what Equality did. The entire book is him writing about what is going on in life and his thoughts and feelings.
Which in turn shows even if people and Equality know this is breaking rules it shows how prejudiced society is because you can not always control how you feel about someone, something, or a topic. Since this society is so prejudiced, it leads to many issues and fingers pointed at Equality and his fellow street sweepers. With prejudice being thrown at these characters just for their looks or action, it shows similarity to racial prejudice because the characters can be bullied just for a more tan skin or a lighter skin. In the end, Equality 7-2521 is just purely prejudice given to him for how he is and what he can not
Equality does not care and eventually runs away with his lover. Before he runs, Equality is sent to the Palace of Corrective Detention, a place of punishment, which does not have guards because no one has ever tried to escape (Rand 66). Everyone has always listened to the rules and stayed where they were told to be, but in the end, Equality will escape because he does not care about the rules of his society. Equality resistes the society’s restraints causing him to slowly seek his own truth, strengthening the theme of seeking
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
In dystopian literature, society tries to force everyone to conform to its rules and norms, and only by breaking these rules does the main character obtain happiness. Equality 7–2521 in the novella Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and Guy Montag, in Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 are examples of heroes who break the chains that society has put them in. The protagonists in Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 defy societal norms by seeking knowledge, which then leads to them changing the lives of others, and reaching personal freedom. Knowledge is forbidden in these dystopian societies, and by obtaining it, the main character gains confidence and power. For example, Equality says "We wished to know.
Just a Street Sweeper Imagine waking up every morning just to go sweep the same old boring street over and over again. It would feel depressing or distressing. These emotions describe the exact feelings Equality 7-2521 felt everyday. He was just a street sweeper who was not allowed to unleash his curiosity because of his dull and lifeless vocation. Equality was looked down upon all because of his simple little job.
Tomorrow…”(67) Equality still believed his “blessing” could change society, could improve the lives of his brothers. Furthermore, he still held on to hope that he could rationalize his differences, and prove to his society that he was not a curse, but a blessing. Equality is still striving to be likewise his brothers, this “box” is ultimately his purpose for living, as it is going to make him accepted, the goal in his society. This purpose transforms, though, as Equality discovers his true purpose of living, himself. “I wished to know the meaning of things.
We cannot alter the Plans again so soon… It must be destroyed.” (Scholars, 49) This caused the members of Equality-7-2521 to flee into the forest; where they are shortly joined by the Golden One, and stumble upon a cabin. The Golden One and Equality-7-2521 create a new society, a new nation where the government isn’t oppressive, and a more individualistic society.
