Anthem essay: Breaking Free From Entanglements

A detailed Summary of Anthem essay: Breaking Free From Entanglements

Imagine a world where the individual has been bottled up to the point that the word °I± no longer exists. Think about being born in a life of slavery, having no freedom, no names, and no independence. There are no individuals; there is only the collective. This is the world of Anthem. Ayn Rand tells the story of Equality 7-2521, an individual living in a collective society where all creativity is suppressed and the concept of individuality is gone. In spite of all of this, Equality has always been different. Equality realizes the concept of °I±, and °Ego±, and finds them holy although he is told that it is wrong to be concerned with oneself. He also realizes that his life is dedicated to his ego even before he discovered the word for it, and his society has been destroying it. In of all, Equality 7-2521 finds the ego holy as he realizes that the word itself represents the unconquerable human spirit and the affirmation of life.

In Anthem, it follows that the meaning of egoism means cconcern with one¯s own interests.¯ It means that oneself, rather than others, is the proper beneficiary of one¯s action. The main reason why Prometheus finds the ego holy is because that he thinks it is a cgod¯ in which it is one¯s highest value, the

Another example that shows the dedication of Equality¯s life towards his ego was when he became upset at the Council of Vocations whom assigned him to the House of Street Sweepers. In his journal, he writes °We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy± (20). As he writes this, he emphasizes the fact he was not happy about his job but he still had to obliterate his individual thoughts and accept his job no matter how much he disliked it. In fact, by expressing his unpleasant feelings towards the Council of Vocations, it foreshadows that he just started to build up the concept of individualism in his mind, which shows that his life was already dedicated to his ego.

source of what is good in life on earth. In his journal, he expresses his thoughts by writing ° I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars±(108). The word caltar¯ expresses Rand¯s desire to make the ego holy as Prometheus lives for his own happiness; he doesn¯t sacrifice himself to others, nor does he sacrifice others to himself. The egoism he manifests is exactly what the leaders in Anthem try to eradicate, such as ambition, wanting to learn, wanting a career that makes him happy, loving someone, and thinking for himself. Rand emphasizes that the moral purpose of one¯s life is the pursuits of his self-interest and of one¯s own happiness. By saying cI am not a servant of their needs¯, Rand places emphasis on Prometheus¯ understanding of the value of individuality, in which it makes him think that every individual must pursue free will and direct their own lives. In addition, Rand reflects on

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Approximate Word count = 1150
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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