The Role Of Learning In Ayn Rand's Anthem

The author of the book Anthem, Ayn Rand, believes that one’s own individual choices and needs are more significant than everyone else’s. Her book Anthem shows this in countless ways. The main character Equality 7-2125, later known as Prometheus, learns to think individually and believes that individuality is more valuable than humanity as a whole. Since Rand wrote the main character to believe this, it makes since that she would believe this too.

In the book Anthem their society is way different from ours. They are not allowed to be individual or say the word “I”. They can’t have names, instead they are in groups and have group names. They all have a part in society like their jobs and things they do. For example the equality group belong to the street sweepers.

In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, mankind is a philanthropic machine. The brotherhood nobly works together to achieve a common goal. In doing so, each man is asked to disregard his own personal means and goals. For every decision must be a collective thought and every advancement, a joint action. However, one man in this machine malfunctions.

This 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.

Unlike 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.

Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a young boy named Equality 7-2521, age 21. Who had recreated electricity, and wanted to show the council to get himself into the home of the scholars. He terrified them all and ran off into the uncharted forest. Where he sees a house full of books. It all finally leads him to believe that you are not free, if you’re not free of your brothers.

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.

Sir Francis Bacon declared “Knowledge is power.” Technology and the scientific process allow for knowledge of self, causing an individual to gain personal power. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Equality lives in a totalitarian world that has no concept of the individual. The government does not allow for many technological advancements, taking the power of knowledge from the people. By keeping technology from the people and themselves, the government has complete control over the power.

Judging the morals in life regarding different societies expectations quickly became the focus of Equality’s thoughts, exactly as Ayn Rand had made it the importance of her own efforts. Objectivism is different from what many people live by, but it worked for Equality by the end of Anthem. It is important to realize everybody needs different things, which leads to thinking diversely. Some need self-respect to be able to give respect, and others live their life following instead of leading. It is impossible however, to say objectivism needs to vanish when it never has before, more so, the world would be unbalanced with only equal thoughts from all; there would be no innovation if all thoughts were for the same narrow concept.

However, Equality’s main motivation is personal achievement. He does this for him and him alone, although he knows his creation has the potential to be something

How could losing individuality affect a society? The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a guy named Equality 7-2521 who is trying to find himself in a society where everything is controlled and different. Later, he finds himself even though he will have to go through many obstacles to get there. The process behind losing individuality in an Anthem’s society are in forcing strict laws, brain washing of their citizens, and removing of family. The Anthem society in forcing of strict laws made it easy for everyone to lose their individuality.

Utopias are Dystopias To what lengths will people go to create the “perfect” society? In the novel Anthem Equality 7-2521 (main character) lives in a society where the government controls everything from school to technology. Speaking of technology, the latest technological achievement is the candle. While the rest of the world outside of the society is way past the candle. Another weird thing about Anthem’s society is that it is totally equal…But how?

Without his own individuality, Equality probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go into the tunnel in the first place, he wouldn’t have created his light, and the rest of the story would be irrelevant. If he hadn’t truly taken his self-pride and individuality to the next level, he would have been a lousy

When knowledge is used it will expand mans' horizon and open his eyes up to a whole new world and create a new perspective never to be dreamed of, There are so many people with great lengths of knowledge and exceptional talents who aren't allowed to share them, because someone or something is holding them back from expressing themselves. Anthem, a page turning novel, written by Ayn Rand is set in the Dark Ages of the near future where everyone is a unified society and is expected to follow a set of strict rules set by the House of Scholars. The power of knowledge is the strongest thing man can have and all Equality wanted was to learn more in a society that forbid any extension of learning. When Equality was younger he had a "curse" that triggered him to want to learn more, and because of that, teachers punished him for having a quicker mind, since he wasn't equal to the rest of his brothers.

Equality is something people want till people actually have it. Equality often limits a person’s abilities and disables to do something for themselves or inspire themselves. Equality's, the main character in the book Anthem, the primary motivation is proving that he is smart enough to become a scholar. Equality has a right to be motivated in this way since he believes that he can help the society so he is giving into the collectivism. I think that if everyone was motivated in this way, there would be a more progressive society where people sought to improve themselves and society at the same time.