Intelligence Over Power In Ayn Rand's Anthem

I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.”(96) Living for oneself was a snuffed out idea in this society. “Make them feel that the mere fact of personal desire is evil.”(The Soul of a Collectivist) The rulers enforced the most extreme idea of equality and selflessness in order to make each man as though they are posession of one and other, not an individual. Rulers have created a collectivist

They were not loyal to a party or a country or an idea, they were loyal to one another.” My textual evidence to support my claim is this; “The workers are human beings,” he said aloud. “We are not human” (Smith 165). It seems that Winston knows that his world is dystopian, but he accepts it how it is, because he realizes that he can’t do anything about it. This compares to modern American society very well because the individuals in this world know that something is wrong with it, but it involves a higher power than them, so they can’t change it. They know that what 2081’s government is doing is wrong, but they can’t really do anything about it because these individuals are just normal citizens and the government doesn’t care what citizens of society want anyway, so what’s the

Why is it so hard for people to give up a story? Why is it that even the worst off in our society would just assume continuing to enact a story in which they are miserable? It’s hard for people to give up a story because they don’t even realize there is one. Like the narrator in the beginning was oblivious to even a creation myth, but was acting out the principles it taught without even realizing where he got these principles. Even the worst off in our society would continue enacting this story because they have been conditioned to believe that any other life out there is worst.

“An irrational society is a society of moral cowards—of men paralyzed by the loss of moral standards, principles, and goals. But since men have to act, so long as they live, such as a society is read to be taken over by anyone willing to set its direction. The initiative can come from only two types of men: either from the man who is willing to assume the responsibility of asserting rational values--- or from the thug who is not troubled by questions of responsibility.” Ayn Rand explains that in order to survive in an irrational society, you have to overcome the fear of moral judgement, and let that be your responsibility. In “Anthem”, Equality 7-2521 understand the evils of an irrational society—which is fear of moral judgement. He realizes his brothers and leaders are spread by evil because of their fear of moral judgement, which is why I believe Equality 7-2521 would agree with her.

Quote 1: Quote: According to Zinn, “I made clear my abhorrence of any kind of bullying, whether by powerful nations over weaker ones, governments over their citizens, employers over employees, or by anyone on the Right or Left, who thinks they have a monopoly on the truth" (7). Paraphrase: Zinn emphasizes that he doesn’t support the acts of the majority believing they have more power over the minority, politically. Partial Paraphrase: Zinn openly shares his contentious political views by declaring his “anger at racial inequality, my belief in a democratic socialism, in a rational and just distribution of the world 's wealth” (7). Quote 2: Quote: King points out that, “"The eye-for-an-eye philosophy, the impulse to defend oneself when attacked, has always been held as the highest measure of American manhood. We are a nation that worships the frontier tradition, and our heroes are those who

“There is evil in your bones” (18). For his entire life, Equality has been frowned upon his physical and intellectual differences. All Equality has known from himself is that he was an outcast to the society. As many people feared Equality’s differences, they told him lies. Equality’s assessment of his sin is correct because at the end of Anthem, Equality now sees his so called curse as a gift and plans to show the society how it is a great thing to be different.

He began to fall in love with The Golden One, even though it was forbidden. He refused to give up the light that he discovered, because he knew the leaders of the society would destroy it, and his view of the leaders in the society changed as he began learning about the outside world. The more he learned about that world, the more he realized how limited and unfair the society he lived in truly was. Towards the beginning of the book, Equality 7-2521 followed the rules of the society and did not question his leaders. However, towards the end of the book he started denouncing them, and began to rebel.

I understood why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. I understand that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man not the sense of truth within him.” Equality realizes what the importance of his “curse” was that the thing he called a curse was a desire to learn and achieve knowledge. The great “We” was a monster that did not let him move forward but now he was finally free. Most importantly we see that Equality realizes that even if they had lashed him nothing could kill his spirit he was independent he was different. Equality realized that he had never felt guilt because his sins were never sins he wanted to know the truth but the monster of “We” had always wanted Equality to know the

His body is a reddish hue and shriveled like an old man. He cannot do many things but he loves his brother with all his heart. However, the narrator hated his own brother and plotted to kill him several times. Just because someone is not physically able to do something does not give them a good reason to kill them. The story teaches the reader to love people for who they are, not what they look like.

My name 's 'Blurryface ' and I care what you think.” This social pressure that he feels results in him naming himself ‘Blurryface’ because he 's just another nobody until he becomes societies somebody. In addition, the judgement he receives being a nobody makes him genuinely care about what the majority thinks. This is similar to the experience that The Joads have because they are trying to make ends meet in a new place, and be more than the labels given to them by society. Lastly, hopelessness has always been prevalent in our world. The first example of such influence is in the song “House of Gold”, “We 'll make pretend that you and me, Lived ever after happily”.