In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, mankind is a philanthropic machine. To achieve a common goal, the brotherhood disregards their own personal ends and nobly collaborates. For every decision comes from collective thought and every advancement, from joint action. However, one man in this machine malfunctions: Equality-72521. With an inquisitive nature, an innovative mind, and latent desire, Equality possesses the traits of a visionary.
He searches for development of individual morality, but is struck dry by the restrictive society, by which he is forced to be, think, and live like everyone else, average and accepting. However, throughout, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality’s view of morality
The aforementioned quotes illustrate the extent of Winston’s desire for change and revolution, which can be inferred by the structure, language, and context present in the quotes. For example, the leading quote displays Winston’s desperation for change, as seen by the use of “hope” and the simple sentence structure of the statement. The use of “hope” shows that Winston’s desires hinge upon the proles, thereby illustrating the extent of his nonconformity; he is willing to place the burden of his own humanity upon the undereducated masses of society, because they are not restricted by the party’s orthodoxy, as opposed to viewing them as mindless cattle. Similarly, the simple sentence structure of the leading quote displays the certainty of
Within his core, the essence of a man’s being remains encapsulated, serving as “a first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, [and] a Prime Mover” (“The Soul of an Individualist”). When the substance that constructs him is subdued, however, the flow of liquid creation that gushes from the fountain of innovation that empowers mankind dries up. In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, the quintessential society of the modern day is reversed, inevitably leading to the emergence of a darkened futuristic civilization where humans are forced to become masked shadows behind the cloak of an altruistic society. From the perspective of Equality 7-2521, the grapple between surrendering to conformity or rising to freedom takes place within himself, while he navigates through the lifeless state of his world. As he ventures beyond the boundaries of the incessant precepts implemented by his society, the elements that allow Equality to triumph over its standards are the development of his individual spirit and mind, which guide him toward the ideals of truth.
While Equality and Crowley have many contrasting qualities, and few concurrent qualities, only one of each has been debated below. One of the many contrasting qualities of Equality and Crowley is how thoughtful they are of others against how thoughtful they are of themselves. Throughout Anthem, Equality wishes to spread his knowledge to others without
In their eyes it is a sin to be smarter, prettier, taller, or in any way different. It takes an unconquered odd ball to find the truth of love. When Equality, the main character in Anthem, escapes this society he finds himself living in a life full of false emotions. Equality finds the truth of family love, friendship love, and romance love.
Equality’s greatest strengths and personal qualities were intended to be restricted and abhorred. Indeed, Equality and his gifts were abhorred, but he found a way to circumvent each restriction, consciously or not. And, though he maintained use of his strengths and kept a strong spirit, Equality was never able to permanently influence the society because, as a Street Sweeper, he was no longer part of the great WE. The Council of Vocations mandated Equality to life as a Street Sweeper in order to limit his intellectual opportunities.
But Falstaff’s apathetic character shows that there may not be a good enough reason for anyone to care about anything, and this may be the lesson he wants Hal to learn before Hal loses himself in brainwashing royal duties. Falstaff is significant because he is the control in an experiment. There are characters who are in the heat of the moment, so driven by justice, fear, or honor; in reality, as Falstaff stands on the side as a mindless participator of this nonsense, he shows that none of it
“The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is to never place his prime goal within the persons of others.” - Howard Roark, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Ayn Rand’s Anthem depicts a dim collectivist society in which the people have been robbed of their individuality, independence, and even their own aspirations; occupations are assigned by the Council, and those they feel threatened by are given the job of street sweeper. The narrator, Equality 7-2521, is rich in intellect and curiosity, and he wanted desperately to join the Council of Scholars so he could continue to study the world around him.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem starts by Equality 7-2521 saying “It is a sin to write this.” Throughout the story, Equality’s views and mindset changes, he realizes that he is different from his brothers and its ok to be different. He discovers that if something is legal it is not certainly right. His eager for knowledge taught him the word “I” abandoning the word “We”.
In fact, despite living in this regimented society, he seeks individuality, suffers for his idealism, and comes of age despite disillusionment. Equality possesses an inner quality that causes him to seek individuality. To begin, seeking individuality is forbidden in his society, so he is forced
Anthem Essay Topic 1 Ayn Rand's Anthem depicts a collectivist society where each person is stripped of his/her individuality and forced to do only things that work to better society. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, has just invented some sort of lighting creation similar to the common lightbulb. Equality knows that his new invention may have a huge, and positive, impact on mankind. However, his knowledge of the prosperity that his creation could have on society is not what causes him to experience feelings of satisfaction and pride while constructing it. Equality's main source of motivation for creating the lightbox is to feel like he has something all to himself that another person is yet to have, and to experience a sense of accomplishment.
“It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick” (21). Equality 7-2521 is an exceptionally intelligent individual born into a society where intellect is considered evil. Though he originally believes that he was “born with a curse,” (18) he eventually comes to realize that his “curse” is intellect and individuality which he learns to love.
Megan Morecraft Honors English II Mrs. Drake September 28, 2016 Equality’s True Motive Similar to The Giver by Lois Lowry, the society (in The Giver) is built upon rules that restrict the motives and individualities of the people that live within the community. For example, in The Giver the Elders of the society took away the ability to see color and feel love for one another by making the people resort to sameness. The protagonist, Jonas, was special like Equality in Anthem, because both of the characters figured out the problems of their society and rebelled. In the novella, Anthem, Ayn Rand creates a character named Equality, also known as Prometheus, who conducts secret experiments that are genuinely motivated by the desire to prove self-worth
Is it possible that Equality didn’t make a wise decision during his time in Anthem? Should he have given away his light bulb so the scholars would destroy it? In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a man named Equality struggles to accept the way people live in his town. His brothers are brainwashed into believing their lives mean nothing.