In the novella Anthem, individual rights and freedom do not exist. The word “I” is prohibited to be spoken by men. Equality 7-2521 is a street sweeper of the city and he is different from the others in the society. Equality is more intelligent, taller, learns quicker, and he enjoys learning about science; especially how things move and work. Since the word “I” is the unspeakable word, Equality uses the word “We” to resemble that he is doing these actions . While sweeping the streets, Equality discovers a dark tunnel that was made during the Unmentionable Times. He sneaks into the tunnel every night to perform scientific experiments. In his experiment of dissecting a frog, Equality discovers that metal draws the power of the skies and that …show more content…
No one has gone against the city’s laws of doing things alone and Equality 7-2521 is the first to do so. Even though doing things alone and conducting experiments not as a scholar are against the law, Equality still takes pride in his invention and continues to discover new phenomenons of nature. “We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only ours” (59) In this statement Equality takes all the credit for his new invention and says that the invention was made alone. Equality is right to be motivated this way because for once someone who is not a scholar has invented something that the scholars have never thought of. The scholars even rejected his invention because they said it would decrease the production of candles, but truthfully they rejected his invention because they were in fear of his knowledge and intelligence. The idea of Equality’s invention came from the experiments he conducted and the days of work he tried to discover this so called “electricity”. “We forgot all men, all laws and all things save our metals and our wires. So much is still to be learned! So long a road lies before us, and what care if we must travel it alone!” (54) In this statement all Equality cares about is his invention and he is still trying to expand his …show more content…
His primary motivation was making his invention alone even though it was against the law. Equality is right to feel motivated this way because he has put the time and effort into his light bulb and he has invented something that the House of Scholars fear. He takes pride and joy for the work he has done. The world would not be the same if everyone had the same motivation! There will be no competition, you will not be able to motivate yourself to achieve your goals, the world would turn into a dictatorship, and people will not be unique and different from their
Prompt: Explain the following quote: “To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.” How does this quote exemplify a theme of Anthem? In the novel “Anthem” by Ayn Rand, the main character Equality 7-2521 expresses his own individuality. Through the challenges that he was faced with, he learned many way to express himself differently.
Laws and rules are crafted to prevent advancement and preserve elentless uniformity under the guise of moral righteousness. Here we find Equality 7-2521 on the path to self-discovery, struggling to understand the internal conflict he faces—his desire to learn and create against government indoctrination to force stagnation and conformity. Equality possesses gifts despised by the government: intellectual and psychological strength. He aspires to work at the Home of Scholars, where there is some perceived semblance of education and discovery (9).
When the time does arise when Equality 7-2521 must display their discovery to the World Council of Scholars instead of being rewarded for their creation, the Council of Scholars see what Equality 7-2521 made to be a device of the
This and nothing else” (Rand 101). Equality now knows what his freedom is. He understands how he can continue his new life in better ways, without the difficulty of his brothers, and with the history of men and his future
Due to Equality’s characteristics, he rediscovered the
Equality’s greatest strengths and personal qualities were intended to be restricted and abhorred. Indeed, Equality and his gifts were abhorred, but he found a way to circumvent each restriction, consciously or not. And, though he maintained use of his strengths and kept a strong spirit, Equality was never able to permanently influence the society because, as a Street Sweeper, he was no longer part of the great WE. The Council of Vocations mandated Equality to life as a Street Sweeper in order to limit his intellectual opportunities.
In 1937, The Author Ayn Rand wrote the novel Anthem to illustrate how different the world would be without individualism. In Anthem, there is no such thing as I but only we, except when Equality 7-2521 rediscovers the forbidden that is when everything is jeopardized. In Anthem the city has numerous rules and controls to keep its citizens in order or in line. Ayn Rand’s Anthem is the story of a man’s personal growth and quest for freedom from the rules and regulations in the society, which he lived. As the novel’s main character, Equality struggles to find meaning in his life and to understand his own unique nature.
In conclusion, Equality’s main motivation is to discover new things and new ideas in the world around him, as well as to try to figure out who he is as an individual. His motivation is correct because he enables the thought of free will, and the world could become a better place if everyone was motivated like Equality. Equality wanted to change the world and make it a better place by teaching others about Egoism. He
In response to the choice of Street Sweeper, Equality thinks, “We knew we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it” (26). With his intelligence and curiosity, Equality would do much better as a Scholar. The government punishes him for being different, and as a result, they can’t see him become advantageous. They are blinded by their beliefs on
With all of his experience that nobody has known in at least a century he is extremely capable of deciding whether of his choices are right. His personality keeps him from giving up hope and giving up on his society and his companion but keeps him curious enough to keep searching for something better in life. Equality has aged to the point where he thinks he needs to change the world and will try to do so. Most would believe that Equality’s actions were righteous and could not contemplate that his actions were
(Chapter 5) Equality has the right to be motivated in this way
It’s hard for anyone to receive help when needed. It’ll be a crime for those who question their work. Equality is one of those people who question work and how to be free. All of his life he has been alone: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great we, one, indivisible and forever!”
There's so much emphasis on putting others before oneself that people often forget to look out for their own needs, as shown in this book. Ayn Rand successfully captures the negatives of an overrated ideology and presents an unorthodox perspective on the matter. In conclusion, Equality's true motives behind his work are much more selfish than they first appear to be. Equality strives to fulfil his own personal desire rather than contribute everything to society, and this isn't necessarily a negative thing.
In Equality’s time the light bulb had died out with the things of the unmentionable times but Equality was able to find parts that had survived and rebuild. It hadn’t been destroyed, only hidden for a time. “We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages.”
Equality discovers what individualism is and what it means, but when Equality finds out what it means it changes his view throughout the