The book Anthem by Ayn Rand (1938) is a novel which exemplifies the effects of collective thinking in society; although the book was written almost 90 years ago the ideas about government remain relevant in today's society. Across the globe governments continue to struggle with balancing the power of the individual as well as the collective. Anthem shows the extreme conditions present in society when the government is ruled entirely for and by the collective good. In the society described in Anthem the right to think individually, innovate, show favoritism, or even write is prohibited. Collectivism is a way of thinking that benefits the lower class of society, raising their status to equal with the rest of society. In Anthem the horrible effects
Many people have trouble being apart of a society. These troubles come from trying to fit in, which is also known as conforming. Another trouble is trying to express one’s own style with one’s own opinion. This is a trouble due to the fact that many people have the fear of being frowned upon when being the black sheep of the group if one’s opinion does not correspond with other opinions. This is where one’s own sense of who they are, individuality, and trying to fit in, conformity, can get confused. A nickname for conformity is “herd behavior” which is the name of an article where the author relates animals that herd with people that conform. Many people have a different philosophy of this topic which will be expressed in this essay. An important
Imagine a world where people are only expected to live up to 45 years old. In today's society, there are countries that experience this. In the novel Anthem, by Ayn Rand; there are many factors like lifestyle, government, medicine, and education that lead to this. There are a couple of ways where the world in the novel is similar and different to today's society.
Ayn Rand, in Anthem, illustrates a futuristic, socialist society. In the novel, Rand destroys any sense of individuality and describes the social setbacks endured after living ‘only for the brotherhood’. The individual person fails to exist and is but a ‘we’ and recognized by a word and a series of numbers rather than a name. Additionally, she describes the horrors encountered within this different system of life: from reproduction methods to punishments. Through the life of Equality 7-2521, Rand demonstrates a person’s journey from obedience to exile in this socialist society. Throughout the entire novel, Rand criticizes Marxist theory as she demonstrates socialism’s failure to suppress revolution, thwart material dialectic, and its detriment to humanity.
In Ayn Rand’s famous, or in some circles, infamous, story Anthem, the differing ideologies of objectivism and collectivism are pit against each other. With objectivism being so tight knit and different from the society in the book, it seems that it would be almost impossible to truly follow in its entirety. However, Anthem, as a whole, doesn’t violate the ideals of Rand’s philosophy of objectivism.
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 is 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.
Ayn Rand's Anthem shows us her view of our world united under what seems to be communist rule. For example their view of right and wrong; which Anthem portrays is a system of very strict rules which mainly make sure that everyone is involved in a collective role within the society in this system no one is considered an individual or that they can even think as an individual.
In the book Anthem, the Council of Vocations assigns Equality the job of street-sweeper as a precaution. They fear an uprising that would cause anarchy because of the breakdown of the current collectivist government. They fear rebellion and the loss of their power. They fear his influence and his curiosity about the past. By making him a street-sweeper, they hoped to break his spirit and reform it for the collectivist world that they live in.
The quote stated in Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, “The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them.’’(Rand, 17) indicates that you cannot oversee what you are not searching for that in order to be found you must have a certain will. In other words, knowledge does not come through one’s mind naturally, but instead one must seek it and have a desire to attain it. Throughout the novel Ayn Rand uses many literary devices to portray the overall moral of the story in the eyes of the protagonist Equality 7-2521. At the beginning of the first few chapters Equality 7-2521 explains how the society he lives in does not allow the idea of self identification to be a term used to identify oneself but the fact that
A collectivist society is a society in which a group of people are prioritized over individuals. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, this collectivist society has no opposition nor rebellion yet not many seem to enjoy their life in society.
"Anthem" by Ayn Rand portrays these sentiments. Within the book people are purposefully maintianed ignorant. Limiting knowledge would not create this society. It would only prevent the destruction of humanity.The limitation of knowledge would only be applied to extreme cases. Sciences relating life should remain elisive and vague. Such as the search for the Elixir of life. If only extreme searches for knowlegde are limited then society will continue progressing. It will not regress as drastically as
“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no other think and to put them on paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The laws says that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven!”(17). In Anthem, Equality 7-2521 is motivated by his search for individuality, his love of his work and to fulfill his curiosity.
In the novel, Anthem, written by Ayn Rand takes place when mankind has entered another dark age. A man named Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where he struggles to live equal within the brotherhood. In the world he lives in people are told they exist only for the sake of serving society, and have no other purpose. Therefore, each individual is assigned a vocation as a permanent life career which determines who they socialize and live with. However, Equality being very different from his brothers, believes in individualism and rejects the collectivism society around him. The concept of individualism vs collectivism is portrayed in the story because individuality is unknown to the people where no one is unique or excellent in any way. The people
The author of this text is (Ayn Rand) and she has written the book called: “Anthem,” it describes what it is like in a society when all People are not “free” to control themselves. No love or friendship is ever shared between any of the groups of people- no feelings whatsoever. Doing what ever you like as long as it is legal and no one gets hurt makes freedom from living in a free society.
Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is a very unique novel. It encircles individualism and makes the reader think of how people can conform to society and do as they are told without knowing the consequences and results of their decisions. Also, it teaches the importance of self expression and the freedom that comes along with being your own person and having the power to choose what path to take in life. Figurative language is used often in this book and in a variety of quotes that have great importance to the theme, plot, and conflict of the novel.