Anthem
Ayn Rand
Part 3-4
Line Illuminator
“The secret of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them. We know, for we have found a secret unknown to all our brothers” (part 3).
This part, I think that Equality 7-2521 is criticizing the Council of the Scholars. Before this quote, he says that the Council of the Scholars know everything. If there is something they don’t know, it doesn’t exist. But then, he says that the Council of the Scholars is blind because he has found something that they don’t know. He is criticizing the Council of the Scholars by saying that the secrets of this earth are only for those who seek the. He is saying that the Council of the Scholars are blind because he knows more things than they know and that they will never know all the things he discovered because they don’t seek for them.
“No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars who are elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. We have fought against saying it, but now it is said” (part 3).
In this quote, Equality 7-2521 is again talking about the Scholars in the Council of the Scholars and how he has acquired more wisdom than any of the Scholars. I think that he wants them to regret for not put him in the Council of the Scholars. It was Equality’s dream to go to the Council of the Scholars. But, he ended going to the Home of the Street Sweepers. If he was in the Council of the Scholars, everyone would know about the discoveries. He is proving that he is smarter than all the Scholars and wants to show them that he should have gone to the Council of the Scholars. He can do more than being a Street Sweeper.
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Julia,
ReplyDeleteYour post really pushed my thinking forward. Even Though I strongly agree with your first interpretation, however, I have a completely different interpretation of the second quote. I think that if he had been chosen to be a scholar he wouldn't have discovered what he did. That would be because he wouldn’t have the opportunity to find the tunnel in the first place. Also he wouldn’t find anyone to trust his discoveries. Also someone would turn him in if they found out that he was doing such things. Even though he would be on a much higher position he would still be an outlaw. I hope I could push your thinking forward and helped you understand other points of view.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI think your comments about Equality and the Council of Scholars are on-point. Here's one thing to consider—what if the Council assigned Equality to Street Sweeping because they knew he'd be so gifted at it? Clearly, the community seen in _Anthem_ is very backward technologically, and perhaps they are trying to keep it that way.
Leo