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Compare And Contrast Anthem And The Handmaid's Tale

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The Power to Dissent
Abuse of power presents differently in every text, but is always struggled with or against. In each, an overarching, unseen authority dominates the dystopian works compared. Anthem, a short story by Ayn Rand, establishes the possibility of a reality in which humans are mere cogs in the wheel that is a society devoid of human progress. Likewise, the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood depicts a society stripped of individuality through role relegation and the restriction of communication. Through the presentation of characters oppressed by power, these texts contrast people, as strength as parts of society versus their value as individuals.
Anthem decreases individual value through the creation of a society which …show more content…

We take for granted the liberties we afford to each other every day. For us, it is opinion in the matter of our worth of individuals. We aren’t all too focused on contributing to society. Phrases like “self-care” would never be present in either of these texts for that very reason. We embrace abnormality and want to help each other become greater. The stagnancy of these texts is nearly unbearable to people in our society. Controlled by everything from emotion to attire, these texts use their control to further a society under the guise of improvement over a pervious way of living. The Handmaid’s Tale boasts a defiant member of society from the beginning, forever struggling against a regime intent on classicism in the highest degree. Anthem, however, furthers the idea of deviating from society better than The Handmaid’s Tale. This is due, mostly, to the fact that Equality must come full circle, from believing that The Council is omniscient, to his realization that his thoughts are the only thing which should truly matter to him. He no longer lives to serve his brothers, but rather, for his own selfish desires. Here, being selfish is his greatest achievement, as it symbolizes he is free from the power which once controlled every aspect of his

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