Altruism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Altruism is the rationalization for the mass slauArthur Zhao

Fiction

Anthem

Why do you think the author chose the title he/she did? Analyze its deeper meaning. If it is an obvious title, rename it something more symbolic and explain your rationale.

Ayn Rand made it very difficult for the reader to understand the purpose of the title. In fact there are many different reasons she could have possibly chosen this title. Some say she chose it instead of her other title Ego for publication reasons basically believing the title Anthem was more intriguing. Others believe there is a deeper meaning to it than that. The dictionary definition of anthem is a song or poem of celebration usually in relationship with religion. Interestingly enough the entire

poem is written in a poetic style. But what is this poem about. In chapter 11 the main character, Equality 7-2521 who changed his name to Prometheus, discovers the word I. Ayn Rand writes this book about the ego of humanity which is the individuality of one another. This ego is so important that it is referred to as a god in her book. Prometheus treating the individualism as a god then writes a literal Anthem in chapter 12. “For the coming of that day I shall fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor.” (Rand 40) Ayn Rand chose the title to show the importance of ego. She explains that being equal and the same would make us lose what makes us special. That our individual self is extremely important. She uses the book as an anthem to explain this and gives a literal anthem in the book to show us.

What is the main problem/obstacle/mystery that the characters/people must overcome/solve? How was this problem resolved? Was this a satisfactory conclusion?
I think the main problem is an inner conflict within Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 or later named Prometheus realizes his differences from the others. His society always taught him to do things different from his innate nature. He filled with curious and intelligent mind made him different from the other kids. He does things different from others due to his intelligence and curiosity, however his society has identified his actions of being different is wrong. Even on the first page he is conflicted on writing about writing this book. As it says in the first few lines of the book, “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws.” Although his society tells him his actions are wrong he is conflicted on whether or not to do them. In the end he decides to do it. Even throughout the entire book he is unsure of what is right and wrong. However in the end he is able to discover the ego. This ego is so incredible and amazing to him that he ignores what society has taught him and treats the ego as god. Finally breaking away from his inner confliction.
How is your book structured/organized? How does the way the author structures his/her book affect the story and your appreciation of the book?
One thing that I did not enjoy but was necessary in order to drive the main point was the use of “we”. In this world people are considered to be equal and the word “I” no longer exists. Everyone is called we or us even the individuals. When first reading this, the wording bothered me. I could not get used to the way Ayn Rand replaced I with we. Because of this I had trouble enjoying the book. However had she not done this the story would lose the point she is trying to show. The significance of ego would have greatly diminished and the purpose of the entire book would have disappeared. Although it made the reading less enjoyable but the overall message or point makes it worthwhile.

NonFiction
What is one thing that is unique about this nonfiction book? Explain this uniqueness.
There seems to be 2 unique qualities about this book that makes it different from the average Nonfiction book.

One being the fact that this book is a collection of her essay and speeches. But the main one is how this book discusses her own Philosophy. She first explains the importance of philosophy and how it used in the real world unknowingly today, but she then says the philosophy most people follow today, Altruism, as irrational. “Altruism is the rationalization for the mass slaughter in Soviet Russia – for the legalized looting in the welfare state – for the power-lust of politicians seeking to serve the common good” (Rand 27) Altruism is basically the thought of having selfless actions and to serve others. This completely contradicts Ayn Rand’s philosophy of living, Objectivism. This is where the book becomes different form other books and even the entire world. Many people and religions are taught to help others. This follows Altruism in the fact that we are serving others and being selfless. Objectivism has many different layers to it but one of the most important parts to it is the concept that man should be self-serving. That we should be selfish and live for ourselves only under the condition that it doesn’t harm others. This is extremely different from everything we are taught since we were

children.
What ideas might you have for turning this work of nonfiction into a work of fiction?

Give a brief summary of what your story might be like. These should be meaningful and relevant to the author’s purpose.

A possible nonfiction plot based on this idea of the necessity of philosophy would to create a fictional situation where the world doesn’t have philosophy. The story would show the effects a world without philosophy would have on in it. It would cause many people to lose hope and meaning to their lives. In society like today, survival is not as difficult in the past where there is a need to fight against the weather, animals and limited resources. Humans wouldn’t live to survive and the lack of philosophy would take away some peoples purpose of

life.

What questions did you ask yourself about the text as you were reading? How did these questions help you understand the book?
Ayn Rand’s Philosophy: Who Needs It is an extremely confusing and complicated book. It deals with her own philosophy, objectivism, and at the same time explains the need for philosophy in the world. This book is also a collection of many essays and speeches she has written and given. This book also references many other philosophers and one in particular Immanuel Kant. She writes in her book “For some two hundred years, under the influence of Immanuel Kant.”(Rand 9) And later goes on to say how his philosophy cause man to abandon reason in the current society. I have never heard of Kant and knew even less about his philosophy. Upon reading this the first question that came to mind was, who is Kant? What is his Philosophy? Why does Ayn Rand disagree? And what is Ayn Rand Philosophy. As the book became more and more complicated, knowing the answers to these questions allowed me to understand the book. After hours of finding the answer to these questions on the internet the book became slightly less confusing. Without it, it may have been impossible for me to get through the first 30 pages.

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