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Why Do We Need The Rules In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand explains that the way societies have their rules set up are only to make their society the way they want it. Anthem takes place in a society that is in the future where no one has their own rights. In this society there lives a very powerful man, Equality 7-2521 that wants to make a difference in the society. He starts out as a Street Sweeper chosen by on of the Council men but later on discovers something new. In Anthem they never speak of the unmentionable times. The unmentionable times had to deal with the Great Rebirth which was when the community made a new society with all of their new rules after what had happened. The rules in Anthem are made so that the people in Anthem can live equally and as an individual. …show more content…

In the society the people do not even get to chose their own job, they don’t get to choose where they live, or even know who their mother was. The society is set up so that no one can be outsmarted or outplayed. The Home of Students is where they start out and already learn to live as one. “‘We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen.”(21) The Council wants everyone living for themselves so that there is no feeling for others that can create people to figure out things the Council does not want the people in the community finding out. Breaking any of the rules the society has set up can lead to very harsh punishment or even death. Equality 7-2521 struggles with that fact that he is not aloud to love or find someone on his own. Equality 7-2521 knows what others don’t, that …show more content…

Equality 7-2521 is very pleased with his performance and is very confident that the Council would also be as pleased as he did. Equality 7-2521 then goes back to the society and gets caught by the Council because he has been missing. The Council then is more curious on where he’s been but he refuses to tell them because he knows what he did was against the rules. He is then beat so that he would tell the truth of where he was. Equality 7-2521 then escapes from the Palace of Corrective Detention by doing things by himself, as an individual. Equality 7-2521 then goes back to show the Council what he invented but the Council did not accept mainly because of the thought that he was thinking as “I” not “we”. “‘Our brothers!’ we said. ‘We matter not, nor our transgression. It is only out brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift such as has never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold the future of mankind in our

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