Ayn Rand wrote Anthem in the 1930s as a warning to Western civilization about the horrors of collectivism, whether of the Nazi or Communist variety.
What is the message in Anthem about the importance of the individual?
Catalyzed by his discovery, Equality 7-2521Equality 7-2521Equality 7-2521 A street sweeper, the protagonist of the novella. Equality 7-2521, who later renames himself Prometheus, believes in individualism and rejects the collectivist society around him. He is vain and self-centered, strong, beautiful, and intelligent.https://www.sparknotes.com › lit › anthem › charactersCharacter List - Anthem - SparkNotes is beginning to feel his “I” and personhood, which leads to a desire to define himself even on a visual level. Rand shows how individuality and creativity are linked, one giving birth to the other.
What curse does Equality 7-2521 bear?
Equality 7-2521 declares that he will raise his children to learn and use the word I, the very word forbidden by his cursed city of birth, a word for which he watched the Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word be burned alive.
What is Equality 7-2521's sin?
As the story opens, Equality 7-2521 states that it is a sin to do the writing he is doing. It is a sin to do things that do not involve others, and the words he thinks and writes are for no eyes or ears but his. This is not his only crime.
What were Equality 7-2521's transgressions of preference?
Throughout the beginning of the novella, Equality 7-2521 most frequently committed the Transgression of Preference, the transgression of preferring one object over the other. We often find that Equality cannot do what the society desires; he cannot love all objects and all others equally.
What is Equality 7-2521's point of view?
point of viewEquality 7-2521 speaks in the first person, writing in his journal as the events transpire. He relates some of the conversations verbatim, and other events he describes only from his own perspective. He occasionally remarks on what other characters are thinking.
What are some quotes from Anthem?
- “What even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the pyre what is the Unspeakable Word?”
- “No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars who are elected by all men for their wisdom.
- “It is a sin to write this.
- “We have lied to ourselves.
What is the unspeakable word in Anthem?
I
What happened to the man who spoke the unspeakable word?
Once, when he was ten years old, Equality 7-2521 saw the execution of somebody who had said the Unspeakable Word. His tongue was cut out and he was burned publicly.
What is the significance of the statement I am I think I will?
I think. I will.” Equality 7-2521 utters these words after he discovers the word “I” in Chapter XI. Once he is able to express himself using his new word, Equality 7-2521 is able to imagine a whole new life for himself and the Golden One, in which they live on their own land and eat food they produce.
Why is the pronoun we used in Anthem?
Individuals in Equality 7-2521's collectivist society are forbidden from thinking of themselves as individuals. The pronoun “I” is not only forbidden but unknown, and everyone must refer to him- or herself as “we” in order to ensure that all actions and self-conceptions are collective.
Why is individualism important in Anthem?
Without a doubt, individualism is the core theme of Anthem. The entire text is essentially a parable designed to illustrate the paramount importance of Ayn Rand's idea of individual will. In this chapter, Equality 7-2521 states Rand's central message: “My happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it.