Light As A Symbol Of Truth In Ayn Rand's Anthem
Throughout history humans have looked upon light as a symbol of truth and their source of hope and strength. Ayn Rand uses the light as a symbol of truth in her book Anthem. The main character, Equality lives in a dark society where he symbolizes the light. His rebellious nature and discovery of the electric lightbulb makes him an outcast which leads to his discovery of egoism, an idea that had become extinct and outlawed. Ayn Rand uses Equality’s discovery of light and his relationship with the rest of society to help readers infer the light’s symbolic meaning as the truth of egoism, a truth that cannot be destroyed. In Anthem society has sunk into a dark age. The people are all living dark stale lives were any creative or individual thought is outlawed. As a result all the citizens are sickly creatures living in constant fear. “we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that word is fear.” Equality is one of the few exceptions. Unlike his “brothers” he is proud, curious, …show more content…
In Equality’s time the light bulb had died out with the things of the unmentionable times but Equality was able to find parts that had survived and rebuild. It hadn’t been destroyed, only hidden for a time. “We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages.” Equality later discovers the word “I” and realizes that it is like his light a truth that cannot be destroyed. “The word which will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the
Equality Revealed In Ayn Rand's Anthem
1457 Words | 6 PagesIn time Equality has become more intelligent while being down there. He has performed experiments and he made a great discovery, light. Equality wanted to do something with the light he made. In addition, he also found a girl, Liberty 5-3000, she is from the Home of Peasants. The girl and he have fallen in love with each other.
Equality And Ambition In Ayn Rand's Anthem
1196 Words | 5 PagesUnlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an affliction to be born with powerful intellectual capacity and ambition in Ayn Rand’s apocalyptic, nameless society in Anthem. Collectivism is ostensibly the moral guidepost for humanity, and any perceived threat to the inflexible, authoritarian regime is met with severe punishment. The attack on mankind’s free will and reason is most evident in the cold marble engraving in the Palace of the World Council: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (6). Societal norms force homogeneity and sacrifice among all people.
The Symbolism Of Light In Ayn Rand's Anthem
351 Words | 2 PagesThroughout Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem, numerous objects and occurrences symbolize much more than what they are presented as. Of the more obvious symbols, light has the largest impact on the course of the story. The most important instance of light centers around Equality 7-2521’s re-invention of the light bulb. Rand uses light to provide a religious, mythic feeling to the acts of Equality 7-2521 and how he symbolizes light himself. In a society where all men and women are one equal and single minded being; Equality 7-2521 becomes the lone source of individuality and a beacon of light to the people of this oppressed civilization.
The Theme Of Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem
858 Words | 4 Pages”’(34) This quote from International 4-8818 to Equality 7-2521 is evidence of the connection the two have made against the rules of the society. It is where the plot of Anthem begins to reflect Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Liberty 5-3000, while not aware of everything Equality 7-2521 was doing they would've been more supportive because they also see the fault of the society. While I understand the reasoning behind Liberty 5-3000 running away with Equality 7-2521 I don’t think that if I were in their place that I would accept the same actions.
Summary Of Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem
1128 Words | 5 PagesSomeone needs to arouse Equality’s primal instinct that has been buried by his camaraderie, and her name is Liberty. “Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt. […] They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was as a beggar under their feet” (49). For the first time Equality feels desire and knows pain.
Symbols In Ayn Rand's Anthem
669 Words | 3 Pages“It is a sin to write this,” begins Anthem, and the digression of the society around him slowly falls. The argument asks if I reason about the Equality’s sins being evil or marvelous. The outtake of his decision decides his fate on the community around him, lifeless slaves being controlled by the government. So, I believe his sins are for the greater good. It shows that he is not a enslaved monkey in a science lab, but the arrogant monkey who refuses to do the tests.
The Road To Individualism In Anthem, By Ayn Rand
452 Words | 2 PagesEquality lives in a collectivist society, which is a society that believes, “that man must be chained to collective action and collective thought for the sake of what is called “the common good.” Therefore, Equality being the person he is, struggles with being an individual. He knows it is against the law but he enjoys knowledge so much, it confuses him. He states, “And in our heart-strange are the ways of evil! - and in our heart there is the first peace we have known in 20 years.”
What Is The Motivation For The Book Anthem
959 Words | 4 PagesThis means it is possible for Equality to teach other people about being an individual and to slowly alleviate his collectivist
Summary Of Ayn Rand's Anthem
1203 Words | 5 PagesHowever, upon his encounter with the metro, he now has sanctuary to do so. The concept of heightened comprehension prompts Equality to return his sanctum. Here, he sinfully feeds himself fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge while craving the answer to the great mysteries of mankind. Equality guiltily yet unregretfully begins to experiment with stolen “vials and powders and acids […] from the home of scholars” (44) along with “precious” manuscripts. And, although his purloin is a serious transgression, as it gridlocks the counterfeited progress of collectivism, Equality is apathetic.
Freedom, Identity And Happiness In Ayn Rand's Anthem
280 Words | 2 PagesAnthem was written in 1937 by Ayn Rand. The story is about a young man, Equality 7-2521 who is appointed to sweep the streets and he finds a tunnel that sets off his curiosity about the unmentionable times where he invents a light bulb. Ayn Rand expresses many themes in this novella such as: freedom, identity and happiness. The government controlled the population by brain washing the people and enslaving their mind and making them think rebellion is wrong.
Ayn Rand's Anthem
891 Words | 4 PagesThe next morning Equality wakes up not knowing what to do, because back at home there is a bell every morning to wake all of him and his brothers up. Enjoying the feeling of freedom, he makes his way to a stream, and there it was, his reflection. Equality had never seen himself before. Neither had anyone else from his
Summary Of Ayn Rand's Anthem
799 Words | 4 PagesThis made Equality find out who he is and gave him the chance to be an individual. Equality’s views and mindset changes through out the book. He was born in a society where people are named by numbers. A world where people are used as machines. In this world the word “I” is out of existence.
Individual Rights And Freedom In Ayn Rand's Anthem
749 Words | 3 PagesSo long a road lies before us, and what care if we must travel it alone!” (54) In this statement all Equality cares about is his invention and he is still trying to expand his
Examples Of Collectivism In Anthem
1219 Words | 5 PagesVictory Over Collectivism “I”, one of the only one-letter words in the English language. Yet its power and meaning do not match its quantitative value. In the collectivist dictatorship found the in the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, this word has disappeared and consequently, society has fallen into a dark age, all because of the loss of a single-lettered word. However, the hero of this time, Equality 7-2521, breaks down the barrier of the collectivist society and allows him to make advances that show him the power of the word “I” and the idea of individualism in government and in society. Although the word “I” has vanished from society, Equality is able to free himself from the collectivist government through the use of science and free thought,
Collectivism And Individualism In Ayn Rand's Anthem
725 Words | 3 PagesEquality discovers what individualism is and what it means, but when Equality finds out what it means it changes his view throughout the
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