Ayn Rand
Part 5 & 6
Connection Captain
It feels like this book could potentially represent the Middle Ages. This story takes place after the Unmentionable Times and Equality 7-2521 finds a tunnel with materials from those times. The Unmentionable Times could be the Greek and Roman Eras and the story could be during the Middle Ages. What Equality 7-2521 found and what he hopes to start is the Renaissance Era. The only thing he lacks is power. In the Middle Ages, trade and commerce help people become wealthier which gave them power. In this dystopia, there's not enough freedom that there's no such thing as a currency. In return to your work to the city, you are rewarded with necessary needs to survival: food, shelter, and etc.
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| Link Power is essential in both the Middle Ages and the dystopia portrayed in the book; power is was brought the "re-birth" and it is what started the Renaissance Era, power is why the people obey the Council of Scholars. |
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| Link Discipline is the difference between the Council of Scholars and the Roman Catholic Church. It is one thing that the dystopia and the Middle Ages could be doing differently; one is stricter than the other. |
Ji Won,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! I think that you did a very good job in connecting this book with something that we are learning about in class. To begin with, I agree with what you said about the middle ages. I think that the time that this book takes place in really seems to be like the medieval times. I hadn't ever really thought about this, since I always thought that this story happened after some kind of big problem. On the other hand, I don't think that the idea of people being given jobs wouldn't be happening in the middle ages, don't you agree?
Thanks,
Lucas T.
Ji Won,
ReplyDeleteEven though your post shows great examples, I have to disagree with you. I do not think that Anthem was set in the Middle Ages, though I think it's set in the future. As shown as a dystopia, I highly think that Anthem was set in the slight future, after large chaos. By Anthem being a communist dystopia, I think that they banned electricity completely after causing general problems in the past. Ever heard of the rumour of robots ruling over us? That could have happened in the past of Anthem. There is always a chance that Anthem was set in the past, present and the future, since this dystopia could've being Ayn Rand's creation. This could actually be another galaxy, as maybe this is not even based on Earth.
Since I have the paperback cover of Anthem, you can see in the cover page that there is an abnormal creature, possibly a human in the cover. To me, it does not look like a human, although it could be one. I believe that this 'human' in this cover is Equality 7-2521, maybe an 'upgraded' type of human, born to think differently.
Overall, I think that Anthem has a setting in the future, as though it could be set in the present or in the Middle Ages.
Sophia Takahashi
Ji Won, your post was very interesting, as I also thought about the middle ages, and about the Roman Catholic Church. What I didn't do, though, was completely distinguish the characteristics between the Church and the government inside the book "Anthem." What your post sparked a thought about was how the Church still lets you be your own person. You have some limits, sure, or else you'd probably be eligible to go to hell, but apart from that there's no one there babying you the whole time. In "Anthem," though, everyone does what they're told, no questions asked, just following the aimless hand of the government. The Church also has a purpose, to spread the word of God and Jesus to unite the people and give people guidance, but I bet the council in the novel has no intents of going anywhere (at least it doesn't seem so, and is extremely unlikely because of the ridiculously strict laws.)
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