Caty Cleary Mrs. Johnson 10th Grade Honors Literature 6 December 2014 Ayn Rand’s life influence on her writing Anthem From her traumatic experiences of growing up during the Russian revolution Ayn Rand saw how communism oppressed the brightest and most creative thinkers and was able to communicate the basic flaws in that system. (Publishers Weekly) Out of her life living in America Ayn Rand learned to make parallels to our American leaders and by travelling to it she identified with the differences
In an oppressive society, people possess no concept of freedom of expression. What the government says makes law because it exists only to protect them. If, in Anthem by Ayn Rand or any other dystopian novel, the characters knew of a life in which they weren’t required to follow every mandate of their leaders they surely would not blind themselves to their potential options. For example, Matched by Ally Condie contains traits of a controlling government that, much like in Anthem, falls when a curious
Anthem Essay Anthem, by Ayn Rand, depicts a futuristic society, an alleged utopia where everyone was created the same, no exceptions. Men in this novel are taught that it is a virtue to agree and be agreed with, when no one praises the creator, the egoist. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, struggled his whole life to separate and free himself from collectivism, and develop an ego, obtaining victory at last. From a young age, Equality 7-2521 has differed from his ¨brothers¨. He was more knowledgeable
Throughout history, every time a collectivist society emerges, no citizen is willing to take that leap and free themselves. Similarly, when Hitler rose to power during World War II, all of the citizens fully devoted themselves to him. He was their leader and they would sacrifice anything for him and his Third Reich. Similarly, the Council in the society of Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, has created a world where everyone is obedient without any hesitation. The Council establishes so much fear that no
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
Haley Pezzarossi 11 H English 2 July 2014 Anthem: Entry 1 “And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone” (Rand 17). The first thing I assume every reader recognizes when they start the novella is the feeling that our narrator is panicked. He seems panicked about crimes he has committed, but I also get the feeling that he is glad he committed these crimes. When I read this quote on the first page, I was immediately reminded of Hemingway’s Iceberg theory. Although