Losing Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Unlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an

Collectivism and Selfishness in Anthem Imagine living in a world where everybody's lives are completely mapped out by the government. Where every decision is made without the input of the citizens it affects. In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts a completely collectivist society, where every idea, action, and invention is purely for the benefit of society as a whole. Everything is done with the entire population in mind, and individuality is extremely frowned upon.

Ayn Rand in her novel Anthem exhibits a society where people only purpose is to serve and better the community. Rand was writing Anthem, while World War 2 was emerging and she was watching countries change their views on society and the citizens in it. Some of these countries started to force their citizens into a mold. Thinking that society would be benefit if everyone was like-minded. Rand wanted to show these views in an extreme situation to demonstrate what could happen in the future if countries continued to do this. In her book Rand created Equality 7-2521 which is a 22-year-old male who dares to break away from the mold his society has created and be himself. He has the potential for so much and yet his society keeps him from it. Rand uses Equality 7-2521 and his society to illustrate that if society tries to push

In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand takes place in the future at an unspecified date and place. The humans in Anthem live in a dystopian society where the word I is erased entirely. The current government they live under has a number of rules and regulations that if broken can get you killed in many ways. However why do these rules exist, What is their purpose and does the society that Equality envisions created at the end of the story would include any of these rules and controls?

Equality 7-2521: The Individual “No one should part with their individuality and become that of another” (BrainyQuote 5). William Ellery Channing, a poet and preacher, stresses the significance of staying true to oneself and not being succumbed to be another being. Similar to Channing’s statement, Equality 7-2521 found the importance of embracing the freedom to think, isolation, and individualism in the midst of being in a collective society. In the end of Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Equality 7-2521’s assessment of solitarily expressing his thoughts is that it is not a sin anymore; he is correct because he is free to believe whatever he wants to, learns that he is an individual with purpose, and realizes that no one can control him.

Individuals form the cornerstone of American identity by investing themselves to improve their country. Individuals act as the red blood cells to American, providing life-giving oxygen to the body. Like blood, the prosperity of the United States rests in the hands of the people. Henry David Thoreau discusses the importance of the individual in his essay “Civil Disobedience.”

Anthem Ayn Rand’s strong opinion of individualism is exaggerated in a most extreme way in her world famous novel Anthem. Her book focuses on “we” rather than “I,” and about the community rather than the individuals. She magnifies communism to every possible extremity.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a collectivist society.

Tohniiya Yazzie per 1 Be unique in your own way, do not let other people tell you what to do. Anthem is a dystopian society. No one thinks for themselves, and there is no individuality, everyone has to think like a group. The leaders are called Council of Scholars and they tell everyone in the society what to think and do. No one is allowed to be different, and everyone is supposed to be the same, which is expected to make the society equal. Despite government regulations, Equality’s individuality and intelligent characteristics combined lead him to rediscover the lightbulb.

Rules and Subjectivity Society is fundamentally built upon rigid structure and control using rules to attempt to maintain order amongst a society comprised of many individuals. Inherently rules put at expense the freedom of individuals to achieve personal happiness in order to build a society comprised of more equally achieving individuals. Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem builds a society in which rules restrict all individual freedoms and force a more collective ideal. The rules put in place by the society are meant to make everybody collectively more happy and prevent inherent human subjectivity; however, inherent to human nature, rules can be subjectively interpreted. In contrast to the pre-existing society presented by Rand, Equality 7-2521 seeks

Obstacles of Advancement In Ayn Rand's Anthem, we encounter a very unstable future society. Totalitarianism has overtaken this culture. This means that one group of people rules over society and tolerates no variation of opinion. We find the people in Anthem's society to be slaves to the god "We" and individuality eliminated as much as possible.

The novella Anthem has people being scared to fall out of line with society, therefore Equality is required to live in groups with his brothers and is not allowed to have he option to marry or to love someone. Following yourself is important in today’s envronment because you are taught to be yourself and not someone who you’re

Conformity is something that humans have been doing for a long time. Such conformity has lead to negative outcomes. This idea is explored through “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden. In these two texts conformity eliminates individuality and causes the society to be weakened.

When one is confined to society and held captive against their ego, it is imperative that they learn to eulogize their own individuality, and learn to improve themselves. In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to communicate the importance of the individual. Equality has always had his own sense of individuality that causes him to stand out and defy the social norms. His individuality allows him to persevere and diverge from collectivist society.

The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is set in a dystopian society where the idea of collectivism is prevalent. Collectivism is the idea of a group having more priority than any of the individuals in it. Throughout the novel, the characters refer to themselves as “we” instead of “I” and refer to each other as their brother men. Equality 7-2521 tells the reader that whenever they feel tempted, they are to repeat the phrase “We are one in all and all in one.There are no men but only the great, WE, One, indivisible and forever.” (Rand, p.19)