Ayn Rand's Anthem: Is Equality Equal?

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Imagine getting a job that downgrades your sense of knowledge and understanding of everything to make you feel as equal to everyone else. Equality’s life was set to him not being able to express his knowledge or expand onto knowing greater things about his society because he was “different” from everyone else. The council fears what Equality would be capable of doing if he made it into the House of Scholars. So, as a sense of motivation at making him equal, he is given a job of no special talents.

Has anyone ever given you a task to stop you from expressing your amazing talents or gifts? In the society of the book Anthem, you were given jobs such as a Street Sweeper or Peasant if you had much knowledge and considered a genius. Choices like

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Dystopian Societies Harrison Bergeron And Ayn Rand's Anthem

future where the government makes everyone “equal” by using handicaps for their individual strength and intelligence. In “Harrison Bergeron” but Vonnegut and Ayn Rand’s Anthem both are different in their relationships. In “Harrison Bergeron” there are families and relationships in society. “And it was in that clammy month that the H-G men took George and hazel Bergeron’s fourteen-year-old son, Harrison away” (Harrison Bergeon pg.1 para.1). In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the society the citizens are living in…

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Ayn Rand's Anthem Essay

question, shying away from giving an actual answer in order not to give their opinion. Many people, however, would gladly answer the question, having a strong belief in whether or not their government’s actions were for the benefit of the people. In Ayn Rand’s essay, How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?, she suggests that when these leaders are voted for by the people or even chosen by the existing government, most of their morals and ideas that won them the election are tossed…

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Collectivism And Communism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

When one reads even the first paragraph of Ayn Rand’s “Anthem”, it is difficult to not immediately draw a connection to the multiple communist regimes throughout history. Multiple connections can be drawn, and external evidence can be used as well. Ayn Rand was very opposed to collectivism, and in turn, communism. She even designed a philosophy that directly opposes it. The idea that shall be expanded on in this essay is simple. The world of “Anthem” is essentially an elegant critique of collectivism…

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Individuality In Anthem, By Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was born and raised in Russia at the beginning of the Holocaust. She had no choice but to witness the horror of genocide unfold as she tried to live her life. Therefore, her unique philosophy was created from experience rather than preference. There is no doubt Anthem is intended to portray the future of the world, but whether Anthem will become reality will ultimately be decided by the actions of civilians. In Anthem, Ayn Rand often emphasizes the point that no man in society can refer…

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Harrison Bergeron Vs. Rand's Anthem

Even though Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and Rand’s Anthem look and sound completely different, they share some key ideas in them. “Harrison Bergeron” was published in 1961 while Anthem was published in 1938. “Harrison Bergeron” tells the story of a future society in which everyone is handicapped to keep them equal. Anthem tells the story of a civilization that regressed in technology and individualism does not exist. In both Ayn Rand’s Anthem and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, even though…

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Anthem Rhetorical Analysis

Anthem - Prompt Three In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, she presents Equality 7-2521 member of a primitive future’s collectivist society. Throughout the novelette Equality questions everything their government tells them is good and true. Is it really an evil to be alone? Or to be smarter than someone else? Is it so wrong to want to do something more than sweep streets for the next twenty years? Equality comes to believe that “self” is the most important thing; you should only do what will help you as san…

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Equality In Ayn Rand's Anthem And Harrison Bergeron

Throughout history, we have fought for equality. Equality is so important to us as humans, because it helps us grow as people, it reduces unfairness, and addresses the state in which people are treated. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem and the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, everybody is kept equal to one another. Although keeping everybody equal to each other seems good in theory, these texts show that keeping everybody equal to each other can have detrimental effects on people’s intellect and…

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Anthem Essay

Anthem Essay In the book Anthem, Ayn Rand promotes her ideals of human nature by creating a society in which individualism and wisdom are sins. All men are similar to their fellow brethren and no one is better than the other in any way. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521 struggles in this world as he questions the belief of collectivism that his government enforces on their people. In the Bible, there is also the man named Adam who went against the rules of God and gained wisdom. Equality was born…

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Anthem By Ayn Rand: An Analysis

“A man who struggles to acknowledge that evil is evil finds it interestingly dangerous to acknowledge that good is good” (Rand). In the dystopian world of Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 has lived his whole life with no sense of self. In this society, individuality is strictly forbidden and no man is stronger or weaker than the next. Equality 7-2521 is different than all of his brothers. In today’s society, his uniqueness would be considered gifts but being taller and more curious than everyone…

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Power And Order In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, the City had numerous rules and controls that exist for one purpose. This purpose is power and order. Equality’s new society will be structured to have many differences to the rules and controls to that of the city. Equality will base his community off of his very foundation of belief, which is hate for his previous life; Equality 7-2521 will be fair, not equal. The City in Anthem creates these rules to have power and order. Without these rules, the community believes…

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