Anthem by Ayn Rand
Chapters 1 & 2
Risk Taking Researcher
Since this is the first week of reading this amazingly diverse book, I decided to ask myself some question that at this point seem very open-ended and try to reflect on them.
Why does the main character refer to himself as "we"?
As I did some further research, I found out that this book is supposed to be a about a dystopian world because something unknown occurred to the world as we know it today that caused individuality to be removed and prohibited from Earth. Therefore, our main character is not permitted to think in singular, only plural because in a way that makes him part of the group. Also, they must all consider themselves brothers and sisters and they must not think more of one, they must love everyone equally. "This is an evil thing to say, for it is a transgression, the great Transgression of Preference, to love any among men better than the others, since we must love all men and all men are our friends" (Part One). What this proves, is that in this dystopian world one doesn't have the freedom of decision and this limits them to grow in a sentimental and skillful way because they must all be the same.
How does this way of living bring them back?
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Source
This image represents how far they are from developing,
because they don't allow their individuals to be themselves
and do what they're good at. |
What this question means, is that how does this system of equality prevent the individuals, because after all we are all our own person, from expanding in their areas of mastery. Toward the beginning of the book, Equality 7-2521 talks about how he is intellectually superior than his brothers. This, was a great sin because they must all be the same. "We tried to forget our lessons, but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the Teachers taught, but we always understood it before the Teachers had spoken" (Part One). In the world that we live in today, someone who is smarter is considered superior and that is a great honor, but in the world Equality 7-2521 lives in, it's a sin. He talks about how the teachers frowned at the sight of him, in our world, teachers would be amazed by all this excess of knowledge and it would kindly be welcomed into the classroom. This sets their society back, because someone who needs extra help doesn't get it, and whoever wishes for more challenging lessons doesn't get them granted. And in the end of their academic road, a very bright man like Equality 7-2521, ended up being a Street Sweeper, all that knowledge is now intact and unused, because maybe if he was allowed to decided what he wanted to do, he could help his society develop in a way they don't dare think of.
Does everyone agree with the extremely strong and strict rules?
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Source
This image shows how individuals think differently
yet in this society, they are not allowed to say so. So both opinions
are silenced. |
Overall, nobody has shown any sign of disagreement, although the main character broke a few rules, and he knows it, he never says he doesn't concur with them. Even though, he regrets breaking them and keeps thinking about all the sins he has done, he keeps living his own way. What this causes, is fear. Everyone in this unperfected world ends up being afraid of the consequences and therefore, doesn't express their feelings. Maybe it's because they think that if they don't show approval for the rules, they will be considered Evil Ones and sentenced to death. The main character explains how the Evil Ones were all were burnt, as well as everything they had written. This might indicate that they had a different opinion about the society they lived in. Maybe, that's happens to the ones who disagree and rebel again the rules and that's why nobody dares speak their mind. Everyone's thoughts stay inside their minds, they go no further.
Martina,
ReplyDeleteThanks to your amazing post now I understand why Equality 7-2521 referred to himself as “we“ instead of “I“. Is weird for us to see a world without individuality, because we have learn throughout our lives that you should live for yourself and become an original being, and in this uncommon society (as you said, it is set in a future world someday) people live as a group, think as a group and feel as a group.
I was thinking about your last question and I wanted to point something out. No one disagreed about the rules because 1. they weren´t aloud to learn about another kind of life, other rights or even freedom so 2. they didn´t know other communities or had read any books about something to fight for besides their own little bubble.So no one was certainly in discord with anything. They believed what they heard.
Good Job,
Ha
Q1 I agree with you. I also think that the distopia had to let it's individuality burn with their past, and that this is why they can only say we instead of I. I think this occurred because maybe there was a war were every man women and children were for themselves.
ReplyDeleteQ2 I also agree with this. In their society anyone who is seemingly superior in any subject or idea is considered to be doing a great sin. I also think this holds back production because if you put people that don't understand and did not learn in school in the house of the scholars then no technical advancement would occur. If they had put like Equality and International they would have already invented many things as they did in the tunnel
Q3 People in this society I feel show understanding of the rules most all the time because they all grew up in that environment. Seeing as in the book both Equality and International doubt the rules and this could be with everyone for all we know. Since people are punished for thinking individually people live in fear of doubting their laws.