Anthem by Ayn Rand1
The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand tells the story of Equality 7-2521, an individual living in a communal society devoid of human individuality. In a future where there is no love, no science, and everyone is equal and of one entity, one man defies the group to be his own person. "I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I cover no man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to cover." (Rand 96)[Antimetabole]Equality 7-2521 began his life in the Home of Infants and was educated in the Home of Students. He had a keen mind and excelled at his schoolwork; however, he was punished for his achievements because to be in any way superior to others was considered evil. Equality's hope was to be made a Scholar by the Council of Vocations, but when he reached the age of fifteen, the council assigned him to the profession of Street Sweeper. Equality accepted this as his punishment for desiring one profession over another. Equality worked with the street sweepers until, while working one day, he found an underground tunnel. He spend large amounts of time in his tunnel studying stolen manuscripts and learning about an individualistic society that ha
In Equality's world, the individual had been destroyed, leaving only the lumbering "group." Throughout the book, the reader becomes aware of the striking absence of 1st-person pronouns-everything is "we" and "our" instead of "I" and "my." Individuals are even stripped of personal names and left with the gift of common names followed by numbers (Equality 7-2521, International 4-8818, Union 5-3992, Solidarity 9-6347, Liberty 5-3000). Once Equality sheds this "nameber" and chooses his own name, Prometheus, he has become an individual, thus breaking away from the oppressive group. This is proven when Equality declares "Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servent of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!" (95) [Anaphora] A man needs his brothers to free him from his fears. A brother needs a man to free him from his guilt. [Antimetabole] The common names, incidentally, are another jab at communal societies. "Equality" implies that all men in the group-centered society are equal. "International" implies the cooperation of many different groups of people, when, in the reality Rand presents, all people (regardless of ability) are lumped together and are drawn upon at random. In addition to non-personal nomenclature, repercussions of communal living are also seen in other areas of s
Some common words found in the essay are:
Prometheus Gaea, Home Students, Ayn Rand, Uncharted Forest, Sweeper Equality, Twentieth Century, Anthem Rand, Council Vocations, Scholars Scholars, Students Equality's, home students, liberty 5-3000, anthem ayn rand, common names, educational system, equality 7-2521, equality's world, found house, ayn rand, anthem ayn,
Approximate Word count = 1024
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
