Hatred While there are many different emotions, there is one that stands above all others; Hate. In the novella Anthem, this can be seen building up in the main character, Equality. As the story progresses, you can see Equality 7-2521, harbour a growing hatred for his fellow brothers. When Equality goes to show his creation to the world council, they reject his idea and shun him, possibly generating that feeling of rage. After Equality gets his idea rejected, he seems to now show the malice that was pushed away all of his life spent in the Community. The novella Anthem shows us that even though hate is a bad emotion, keeping all of those negative feelings felt towards others locked away can expand them and make them even worse. In a world where the unfavorable emotions are non-existent, …show more content…
Equality seems to feel out of place. Having different feelings felt than others, Equality tries to conform to fit how everyone else acts. This, however, seems to push him even further from his village, leading him to create light. Excited, Equality goes to the world council seeking their approval, but instead is punished for being abnormal.On page 74-75, Equality writes down, “We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a rage, such as it is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in our throat.” After keeping his negative feelings locked away for some time, he must have felt as it is to feel hatred for the first time. Since the whole community should feel hate towards no one, they are essentially bottling up their anger without realizing it. Equality, once he had gotten angry, said that he had such a rage build up inside of him not fit for humans to know. This is, actually, just Equality experiencing fury for the first time, and since no one has ever been taught that such hostility was possible, Equality has no other way than to describe this as a feeling never been known to feel or experience. Other characters in the book had also been seen evoking ill will against Equality and his invention.
On page 72, the dialogue between several characters gets very violent with discussing what Equality’s punishment is. They say, “‘ How dared you, gutter cleaner, ‘ spoke Fraternity 9-3452, ‘to hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and not of the many?’ ‘You shall be burned at the stake,’ said Democracy 4-6998. ‘No, they shall be lashed,’ said Unanimity 7-330, ‘till there is nothing left under the lashes.’” This shows that they, indeed, do hold anger deep beneath them, however, they are not supposed to show this side of negativity to their brothers. In this community, the citizens are forced to think of each other as equals; nothing more, or nothing less. Having this rule forces them to always act happy, and with not having anything to complain or to hate, the whole world follows this rule. However, once Equality experienced neglect or harsh behaviour from his fellow brothers to whom he thought would have loved his idea, he starts feeling a new emotion; anger. Hate is within all of us, however, whether or not you choose to express this feeling is your
choice.
Andrew Sullivan suggests the origins of hate to be evolutionary in his article, “What’s So Bad about Hate?” If hate really is “hard wired,” then that would mean all of the hubbub about obliterating hate is just about as useless as trying to obliterate opposable thumbs. Sullivan’s statement carries so much meaning because it illustrates such a nasty concept with an air of tolerance that is rarely ever considered. He proposes that instead of fighting hate, we accept hate for what it is: an integral part of the human experience. Instead of fighting, we should focus our energy on tolerating hate, and through toleration we can achieve much more than we ever did by trying to combat our very nature.
Love is considered a wonderful connection between two people that brings happiness to many. Although without hate no one would realize how marvelous love truly is. Does this mean hate is more powerful than love throughout the world? Hate overpowers love because there may be so much love in this world, but with the tiniest bit of hate everything could be changed in a split second. Hate is an indestructible power that will demolish anything in its way, like it did in The Coffin Quilt, by Ann Rinaldi. Roseanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield’s love was simply not powerful enough to defeat the hate that came along with the love.
“For I know what happiness is possible to me on Earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it” (Rand 95). In this part of the novella, Equality, the narrator, is aware that he can find his own happiness and he should show it once it is found. Throughout the novella, Anthem written by Ayn Rand, Equality is trying to find himself in a society full of equals. As he discovers the tunnel, Equality creates a light bulb in which he wants to flaunt upon the people of his society. Subsequently, when it is rejected by the Council, he hides in the forest from those who see him as a betrayer. Equality tries to find himself in a collectivist society that he knows he does not belong in, in which he evolves. The author believes in objectivism,
Ayn Rand, a contentious woman, the new favorite author to multiple people’s list. People who have read her magnificent book, Anthem, understand how exquisite and meaningful her words are. Books like Anthem are worth reading because it gives the reader more knowledge about controversial topics and it takes the reader to experience new places and new adventures. Equality, the main character, is a symbol. He represents many people today, living in countries like his society. Equality has to find his true identity first before helping the others. People are not allowed to believe in individualism, they should not have a identity of their own. Each person has a monotone routine to follow every single day of their lives. Each step a person takes
“An inventor is a man who asks ‘Why’ of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind”( Ayn Rand). In the novel Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 is seen as an outcast compared to his brothers; different. Equality is the inventor, he questions the council and the world around him. When we take a closer look at the protagonist of the novel, Equality, we can see that he is intelligent, unique in his own way, adventurous, and curious. Some might say his curiosity is what drives him to to be the way he is and seek out the unknown. To most, these characteristics, proves Equality a prophet that stresses the idea of Equality for all.
It is this dysfunctional world that Equality 7-2521 is born into. The novel begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a dark tunnel transcribing his story. He begins with a declaration that “It is a sin to write this… [because] men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Rand, 17). Equality 7-2521 writes that he was born with a curse: He is different than the other men in his society. He laments that “the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head too quick” (Rand, 21). From the youngest age children were taught that ability is a vice, not a virtue. They were to be embarrassed of their superiority because “it is not good to be different from our brothers” (Rand, 21). Equality 7-2521 writes that he tried to stifle this fault but was unable to do so.
Equality 7-2521 struggles in the Home of the Students because he is too intelligent and deft at absorbing information. The ability to think quickly and easily was looked down upon by the teachers and the government. Equality notes, “It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them. The teachers told us so…” (21). The students are taught that being intelligent is evil and that they cannot be superior in knowledge than the officials in the government. Equality’s intelligence leads to his job as a Street Sweeper because the government wants to suppress radical ideas by assigning him to a socially lower job and authoritative status. As literary critic Tore Boeckmann states about Anthem, “[Equality] belong[s] at the pinnacle of any rational social hierarchy, yet [he is] thrown (at least temporarily) to the very bottom” (135). Overall, the public citizens in Anthem are extremely selfless and lack a sense of self-worth because the government wants them to put the good of the community above the
The film “Anatomy of hate” examines hate and prejudice towards different race or minorities in the modern society, through the examples of multiple groups which have specific ideologies or participate in violent conflicts. The director of the film Michael Ramsdell, spent six years working and filming such groups like: White Supremacist movement, Muslim extremists, the Westboro church Christian fundamentalists, Israeli-Palestinian movement, and US soldiers operating in Iraq.
An important element that is displayed in both love and hate is motivation. An example of this is portrayed in “A Note on My Son’s Face,” as the author states, “I wanted that face to die, to be reborn in the face of a white child” (35,36). This line displays a level of prejudice towards what is hers. Derricotte battles intense feelings of wanting a white looking child amongst a world where not being grateful for what she has is seen as hatred towards her son. She looks at the face of her black child and is filled with animosity for what he looks like and what he will become. This is where the motivational factor comes into play, and where the lines of love and hate really become blurred. Does she hate her child because of how he looks? or Does she love her child because she wants him to become better than what he is destined for? She is motivated by love to want him to become better than what she believes is possible for him, yet she displays hate in the sense that she is hurting the child for what he is, and also for what he has no control over. According to Rempel this grandmother is displaying both intense feelings of love and hate. Loving what is hers, but hating what it will become. Therefore, this poem supports the theory that love and hate are
Anthem is a book full to the brim of symbolism. Some of it is clear to see and others you have to really pay attention to capture. Anthem is not a hard book to understand, but it can still be difficult to grasp the full meaning of it. The meaning of which is elusive at points, slipping between your fingers and resting on the pages in plain view. Unity, we, I, Ego, it all plays a major part in this book along with the symbolism of things.
Ayn Rand's Anthem shows us her view of our world united under what seems to be communist rule. For example their view of right and wrong; which Anthem portrays is a system of very strict rules which mainly make sure that everyone is involved in a collective role within the society in this system no one is considered an individual or that they can even think as an individual.
The word collectivism often makes people cringe. Overall, there is a general fear of not being able to make personal decisions in America. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, collectivism can be defined as; emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity (“Collectivism”). In Anthem, Ayn Rand describes an extreme collectivist society. Although Anthem’s society seems extremely surreal, aspects of its collectivist society closely mirror today’s society.
in his world it was believed that ?What was not thought by all men cannot
A very strong feeling of dislike, intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. Is how Websters discribes the word Hate. Thurman gives proof of that definition in this chapter about hate. He uses stories and personal examples that provide us a picture in words of what hate means and how Jesus was totally against the hatred. He writes that hatred is death to the spirit and disintegration of ethical and moral values. Above and beyond all else it must be borne in mind that hatred tends to dry up the springs of creative thought in the life of the hater, so that his resourcefulness becomes completely focused on the negative aspects of his environment. The urgent needs of the personality for creative expression
This hatred where especially one of the reasons why the racist group Ku Klux Klan was started, and spread. In a world where there is lots of love, and respect, there is also an opposite side, just like ying and yang. There is good, then there is an opposite, bad.