Ayn Rand’s Anthem: Philosophically Essay
There are numerous rules in Equality’s city that won’t let people think for themselves, and as well make people believe that there is no one who is superior or lower than one another. This story, Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, also shows how a government or a group of people can take away individualism among the common people. I believe these rules exist for many reasons such as for no one to mention the unmentionable times. I also believe that the society that Equality is creating at the end of the story will not have any of the rules that his city has at the current time.I believe that the rules in Equality’s city exist so that everyone can be equal, and so that no one can be an individual.
I believe this because while reading the book, you can noticed that the councils don’t want anybody to think individually. An example of this, is when Equality shows the councils the bulb and they all disliked it since they thought that all men must abandon their ideas, so when Equality showed them the bulb, they just said that it would ruin the candle department so that he could abandon the idea and just go back to not thinking of anything anyone hasn’t. As quoted in from the book “Then it will just bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a great boon to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it cannot be destroyed by the whim of one.
“In the end of the story it is said that Equality is creating a new society after escaping into the Uncharted forest. I believe that none of the rules that are in his society now are going to be in the new society he is creating. I believe this because the new society he is creating can use “I” meaning individual, unlike the society at the time that says “we”,this is shown when Liberty said to Equality “I love you” it is aswell is shown when Equality started to use “I”,it was at thatmoment that Equality realize what individualism truly means “It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house I saw the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who never known tears. I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind.
” Another reason I believe this, is because unlike the current society he is in, he can have his own thoughts since there is no more unity which is clearly stated by Equality “And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake”. The last reason is because in Equality’s society you can mention the unmentionable times because Equality is learning from the book that was left in the abandoned house he and Liberty moved into.Therefore I believe that Equality’s society won’t be the same and won’t have the same rules as the current society in the book. In Anthem the society being described, takes away the selfness in people, doesn’t let the individual reach their maximum potential, and makes everyone equal even though differentiation existed. Equality’s society will mirror our society where our individualism and our freedom to speak our minds is seen throughout the people, who each one can show their true self and strive to be the most successful without any chains to hold them or suppress them from that goal.
