Ayn Rand's Anthem Analysis

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Throughout Ayn Rand’s Anthem, citizens are portrayed as mindless creatures that are obedient to the way of life that has been established for many generations. From a motherless childhood, through school where students are expected to mirror their brothers, to an adulthood full of hard work and young death, the citizens are bound to one another with artificial ties that promote unity over individuality. With a heart that only knows submissive servitude, all walks of life live in fear. Fear of breaking the rules, fear of punishment, fear of every controlling aspect that this society wields like a flaming sword in order to prevent the population from breaking free. Following the Great Rebirth the population has seemingly became a shell of what…show more content…
This is partially because the population is threatened with physical assaults such as whippings or punishments as “They had torn out the tongue…” and “…a flame set to the pyre…” (64). This fear of physical pain has led to the absence of the ideas and values of strength. The greater population is willing to give up all beliefs to stay safe from pain. This is unlike the people that lead the current world into a reborn world, people such as Martin Luther King Jr., Fredrick Douglas, and Nelson Mandala who were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to change the views of many people. But in this fictional nation, almost every person has accepted that they are powerless and that they are not special in any…show more content…
Equality is in the minority of people who fight the laws that have been put in place, “We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. (18)” People in this society are terrified since birth of breaking the law; they will sacrifice self-thought and wishes in order to save their physical bodies. Equality does not do this. Instead he lets the ideas fill his head and “corrupt” his mind with the promise of tomorrow. This selfish action leads to Equality beginning to adopt stubbornness and develop the push towards greatness. An example of this push that Equality learns by himself are the people in the American democratic society that are taught work and determination can cause amazing outcomes to ensure, so the development to grow and aim for success is cultivated since birth. Yet in Equality’s society, the opposite occurs. Since birth people are told the government will determine everything from careers to mating to what a person will eat for dinner. This over controlling, “helicopter” government harms self-motivation and the drive to improve the way a person sees life. This change in
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