The Significance of Childhood
“No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprison population by force of arms forever.” – J. Michael Straczynski. Equality 7-2521 is imprisoned under the Council’s rule, along with the rest of his society, where being different and defying the brotherhood could lead to death. Anthem by Ayn Rand is about Equality 7-2521 discovering himself as an individual, and rebelling against the conformist strategies of the Council. Dictatorial leaders of the Council enforce the rule of children growing up away from their families to impact their lives at an impressionable age by not allowing them to make their own decisions, controlling their minds with the ‘correct’ rules and beliefs, and inducing fear of going against the rules of the Council.
Society is unable to make their own decisions, allowing the Council to easily control them. Equality 7-2521 is recalling the instructions of the Teachers when he was younger, and why his thoughts about his own preference of a job were unjust. “You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you” (Rand 22). In other words, he cannot choose his own job; it would be simply erroneous according to the Council and Teachers. Furthermore, because all of society was raised under the Council’s rule, they have never known what it is like to be entitled to their own opinion, or having the privilege of free will. The Council set it up this way in the fact, if society does not know how to think for themselves, they never will. Not being able to think for yourself means not acknowledging your opinion about something. Following Equality 7-2521’s career assignment, he is happy, filled with joy as to the fact of him working for his brothers. “…and we would work for o...
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...w up to whom they want to be.
Overall, autocratic leaders of the Council enforce children growing up away from their parents and families to eliminate their opinions and ability to make decisions, to fill their minds with the ‘right’ and ‘just’ ideas, and to cause fear of going against the Council’s laws at a persuadable age. Each of these traits are shown through the perspective of Equality 7-2521, he allows the Council to choose his job for the rest of his life despite his preference, he works for his brothers willingly - while trying to hide his difference from the others, and finally he is haunted by the memory of a Transgressor being burned at the stake for defying the rules of the Council. Furthermore, the Council’s family structure controlled society, until an idea ironically began to consume Equality 7-2521. … “The sacred word: EGO” (Rand 105).
Equality 7-2521 is rebellious. If a person is rebellious, he shows a desire to resist authority. This authority is most commonly a government that runs its territory in a way which the rebellious person does not support. Rebellious people argue for changing or replacing this authority because they often view it as corrupt or ineffective. Due to their desire for change, these people are often the most dangerous to governments that wish to retain power and control. Equality 7-2521 shows this desire to defy authority in Anthem. The society that he lives in forbids writing unless it is first approved by the Council of Vocations. However, he has done exactly
The natural desire of Equality 7-2521 is knowledge who is born with a curse of uniqueness. He abides within the walls of a collectivist society. The citizens of this society prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual. In the beginning of the novel, Equality confesses that “[He] have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Anthem 17). Equality is asking for forgiveness and proves this by quoting “[I] strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Anthem 19). Through Equality’s journey of self-discovery, he gradually starts changing his mind on how he perceives of how critical the Council truly is. He begins rebelling without a care and denounces
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost) In today's world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society. Society is civilized, and to be civilized there must be rules, regulations and policies that prevent. Individuality leads to a mess of chaos. To prevent disorder, institutions in society keep these rules strongly enforced. Man creates these institutions in order to provide convenience and stability in everyday life. Then instead of man running these institutions, the institutions begin to reverse the role of power and the institutions are running man. He is rendered helpless to what he has created. With the institution in power it has become smarter and stronger than man, working to destroy individuality with the invisible machine running smoothly. Positions of power and authority are given to some. The power changes those who it into an unfeeling, ruthless, cold machine. Also they become part of the institution, forgetting the real purpose of their jobs. Institutions force individuals to bend and mold the standard and give up freedom and individuality. Some individuals are unable to conform when their will to remain creative and self-reliant is too strong; they fight against the current that society and its institutions create. Beating the system is another thing; those who attempt to beat the system are often referred to as romantics because they do not focus on the reality of situations. The system cannot be beat. If one official of an intuition is taken down there will be a many more waiting i...
In a year that remains undefined beneath a small city lit only by candles, a young man is working. He works without the council to guide him and without his brothers beside him. He works for his own purposes, for his own desires, for the dreams that were born in his own steady heart and bright mind. In his society, this is the greatest transgression. To stand alone is to stand groping in the dark, and to act alone is to be shamed by one’s own selfishness. The elegantly simple society that Ayn Rand has created in the novel Anthem has erased all segregation and discrimination by making every man one and the same with those around him; only Equality 7-2521 defies the norm with his ruthless
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a politically satirical novel set in a future society that is so highly collectivized that the word “I” has been banned. The world is governed by various councils who believe that man’s sole reason for existence is to enforce the Great Truth “that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together” (Rand, 20). Any indication of an individual’s independent spirit is swiftly and brutally put down, with the transgressors being punished with severe prison sentences or even death. It is this dysfunctional world that Equality 7-2521 is born into. The novel begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a dark tunnel, transcribing his story.
Equality 7-2521 embodies this essential idea throughout the story because of his eternal struggle with not quite being able to conform to society’s expectations. He is physically different from the others (Rand, 1946, p. 2) as well as mentally different as he disagreed with others even as a child (p. 4) and was smarter than the rest (p. 5), and this mental sharpness is carried into adulthood as he is able to discern the feelings of oppression and fear that weigh over all men in this time (Rand, 1946, p. 30). Rather than acting as a machine, he feels preferences and desires within himself. Equality 7-2521 enjoys science, dreams of being a Scholar, likes a pretty girl, and wonders about himself. Since these things are not shared by all, they are forbidden, and despite how simple they may be, they define
Anthem is a novella written by Ayn Rand, in which Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, struggles for self-identification living in a collectivist society. Equality believes that individuality is an eminent aspect of one’s life because individuality defines and outlines who man is. He endures all the hardships in his life living with people who support collectivism, and who reject his ideas. For example, when Equality 7-2521 invents and exhibits the light bulb, the World Council rejects it and tells him that it is selfish to work on something alone instead of working with his brothers. The World Council threatens to destroy the light bulb but Equality does not let that happen and rebels, so he is forced into exile from his society.
The higher the job level, the higher the social class ranking was and the more important the people were considered. Being a scholar in the World Council of Scholars was one of the most highest ranking jobs since they were the inventors of the society and were considered very important because they were the second most powerful people in the society who made decisions after the government. Even though Equality 7-2521 was also very intelligent and fully capable of becoming one of the members of the Council, the government did not agree and gave him one of the lowest ranking jobs in the society so that his intelligence does not surpass their expectations or create an unwanted difference. “This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: "Street Sweeper." (page 26) and this is when it was decided that Equality would be punished for being different and live as a street
Anthem by Ayn Rand is considered a dystopian novel. The characters live in a society where everything is bad, and they have no control over their life or destiny. The book is about a man, Equality 7-2521, who breaks all the laws of his society and dares to be different. The book is in first person and designed to seem like a journal entry. Equality 7-2521 lives in a futuristic society where people have no knowledge of individualism, and the words ‘I’ or ‘me’ do not exist.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, many themes are discussed throughout the story. The most significant theme is how over the course of the story, Jem and Scout slowly mature after specific events, and realize the reality of good and evil. Along the way, they meet Tom Robinson, a black man who is convicted of raping a white girl, who plays a major role in the story. Mrs. Dubose, a senile grumpy woman, shows what “real courage” is. Arthur Radley, known as Boo, is a recluse who is said to have tried to kill his father. As the events unfold, Jem and Scout are hit with the reality of racism and social inequality, but most of all, how good and evil play a role in people’s minds, and hearts.
In a word where the past is the future and every individual strives to be like all their brother men, there is no room for difference. From the time he was five, Equality knew he was different from his classmates. However, he was not the only one who knew of his difference. The teachers and the leaders of the community frequently reminded him that he was not like everyone else. They “ frowned and said: ‘There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers’ ”. (Rand 18). He was taller and much smarter than everyone, and this was considered a burden. When the Council of Vocations decided to make Equality a Street Sweeper, their choice was not due to error or incompetence, but fear. They were frightened of what could happen to their society if Equality became a Scholar. There were many reasons for the choice they had made.
Generic 1-6765 and Universal 5-4321, however, disagreed with the claims that the majority were throwing around. While they slammed their aged hands against the table and wrinkled their face in anger at the thought that someone might possibly change the society they know of, the other two sat quietly and calmly. Their expressions were guarded and all words they spoke were passive and well thought out. They did not wish to infuriate their brothers and sister anymore than necessary. Their only problem was the fact they didn’t agree with forcing one of the smartest men in the class to do something as pitiful as street sweeping. They, in fact, wanted nothing more than to send Equality 7-2521 to the Council of Scholars.
While all societies acknowledge that children are different from adults, how they are different, changes, both generationally and across cultures. “The essence of childhood studies is that childhood is a social and cultural phenomenon” (James, 1998). Evident that there are in fact multiple childhoods, a unifying theme of childhood studies is that childhood is a social construction and aims to explore the major implications on future outcomes and adulthood. Recognizing childhood as a social construction guides exploration through themes to a better understanding of multiple childhoods, particularly differences influencing individual perception and experience of childhood. Childhood is socially constructed according to parenting style by parents’ ability to create a secure parent-child relationship, embrace love in attitudes towards the child through acceptance in a prepared environment, fostering healthy development which results in evidence based, major impacts on the experience of childhood as well as for the child’s resiliency and ability to overcome any adversity in the environment to reach positive future outcomes and succeed.
This paper will critically discuss the ‘disappearance of childhood’ debate which centres on electronic media and consider why such a debate has come into existence. This essay will critically discuss both sides of the debate that is the disappearance proponents and those who are more optimistic about the effects of technology on the lives of children. In response to both arguments, I will propose that there is a new concept of childhood which has evolved throughout history; this concept is one of changing childhoods for a whole variety of reasons. It is noteworthy that these arguments are developed from American and European opinions and do not necessarily reflect the experience of children internationally.
Abstract In this essay, I intend to explain how everyday lives challenge the construction of childhood as a time of innocence. In the main part of my assignment, I will explain the idea of innocence, which started with Romantic discourse of childhood and how it shaped our view of childhood. I will also look at two contradictory ideas of childhood innocence and guilt in Blake’s poems and extract from Mayhew’s book. Next, I will compare the images of innocence in TV adverts and Barnardo’s posters. After that, I will look at the representation of childhood innocence in sexuality and criminality, and the roles the age and the gender play in portraying children as innocent or guilty. I will include some cross-cultural and contemporary descriptions on the key topics. At the end of my assignment, I will summarize the main points of the arguments.