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RElevance of Anthem by Ayn Rand in today's society
What is the theme of anthem by ayn rand
Symbolism in anthem ayn rand
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Recommended: RElevance of Anthem by Ayn Rand in today's society
There are different forms of expressing one’s opinion and feelings; it can be expressed through literature, a novel, or through music, the lyrics of a song. For instance, the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand brings up questions regarding identity, and tries to establish the wish to distinguish oneself from society. Furthermore, the lyrics of these songs: Robot by Miley Cyrus, Let Me Be Myself by 3 Doors Down, and Clones (We're All) by Alice Cooper validate humanity desire to stand out, to be different and to be accepted as they are. With that said, this essay explains how the three songs can relate to the book through the concept of individuality; both the book and the songs conveys the craving to create their own identity. “Robot” a song by Miley Cyrus on the album Can't Be Tamed (2010), can relate to a certain quote on chapter 12. In the Anthem the quote …show more content…
It expresses his identity as an individual in language. Equality 7-2521 invention caught up with his own individual identity in an important way. “Clones (We're All)” a song by Alice Cooper on the album Flush the Fashion (1980), can relate to a quote on chapter 1. It states, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever." This is important because according to Equality 7-2521's society, whose motto is individuals have no identity of their own, they're not allowed to act as individuals, or to think of their lives as unique and self-guided. Instead, the only real identity they have is the group identity “WE”. The lines: We're all clones All are one and one are all All are one and one are all relates to the Anthem because it describes their motto of a group identity. Clones are identical, they cannot be distinguished or built their own
In conclusion, I thing the book Anthem was a book different from all of the rest. I also thing the quote that I choose truly represented Equality 7-2521’s character traits intellectual, selfless, caring, brilliant, loving, curious, hopeful, trusting, and one in a
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a politically satirical novel is set in a future society that is so highly collectivized that the word “I” has been banned. The world is governed by various councils who believe that man’s sole reason for existence is to enforce the Great Truth “that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together” (Rand, 20). Any indication of an individual’s independent spirit is swiftly and brutally put down, with the transgressors being punished with severe prison sentences or even death.
Equality 7-2521 embodies this essential idea throughout the story because of his eternal struggle with not quite being able to conform to society’s expectations. He is physically different from the others (Rand, 1946, p. 2) as well as mentally different as he disagreed with others even as a child (p. 4) and was smarter than the rest (p. 5), and this mental sharpness is carried into adulthood as he is able to discern the feelings of oppression and fear that weigh over all men in this time (Rand, 1946, p. 30). Rather than acting as a machine, he feels preferences and desires within himself. Equality 7-2521 enjoys science, dreams of being a Scholar, likes a pretty girl, and wonders about himself. Since these things are not shared by all, they are forbidden, and despite how simple they may be, they define
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.
Anthem's theme seems to be about the meaning and glory of man's ego. In this
An anthem is a sacred composition set to words from the Bible. This may have significance with the title that Ayn Rand has given the book by paralleling the story of Prometheus and Gaea to that of Adam and Eve. In the bible, Adam and Eve were given everything that they needed by God with the one exception of not to eat from a specific tree. They were told by the devil that this tree was the tree of knowledge and to eat of it would give them knowledge equal to God’s. In Anthem, Prometheus and Gaea are told that they have everything that they will ever need or desire by the council. They are forbidden to gain knowledge that is not permitted by the council but only to do as they are told. Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the pursuit of knowledge and ate of the tree in order to gain equality to God. When they did this God found out and so condemned them and punished them for all eternity. God banished them from paradise in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were no longer given anything as they were in the garden but instead were forced to suffer and survive on their own. In Anthem, Prometheus and Gaea go against the will of the council and Prometheus yearns to gain knowledge that he realizes is being hidden from him. Prometheus hides his studies at first but then wants to share them with the council for the betterment of society but is instead condemned.
As one reads Ayn Rand’s significant quotes from the story of anthem, there is always a main theme that is trying to escape, just as Prometheus escaped in her story. All three of the listed quotes work as a trio to sing that We; as society, works to defeat individuality. The quotes emphasize that we cannot survive without individualism and being alone brings out our unique personalities. It is true that all the quotes work as one, but at the same time they have their own individualism. Each quote holds a purpose of its own and the author wants to express the quote to each persons understanding.
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
As DeGraw profundly sings the words of his song “I Don’t Wanna Be”, he expresses that humans must learn to embrace who they are and present themselves to society as they choose. The words “I’m surrounded by liars everywhere I turn/ I’m surrounded by imposters everywhere I turn/ I’m surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn/ Am I the only one who’s noticed?/ I can’t be the only one who’s learned” illustrates the presence of stereotypes that often degrade and demean individuals throughout society, as they are hindered from being able to express themselves and who they are as humans. The implementation of such words throughout the song
Individuality is a characteristic that sets you apart from everyone else. The author Tim O’Brien illustrates this through Rat Kiley, Kiowa and Mary Anne in his novel, The Things They Carried. Individuality shows the personality of a character, reveals the link between personality and the physical items the soldiers carried, and how individuality is used to create teamwork.
Equality 7-2521 seemed to always be different from everyone else. He thought of himself as cursed because he went against the rules of his community. He had a preference to be assigned as a scholar but was instead assigned as street sweeper. He discovered the place left behind from the Unmentionable Times and kept it a secret despite that being illegal. He also began to develop feelings for a woman named Liberty 5-3000. Although he was always on a quest to find individuality, it was first explicitly mentioned when he provided a name for Liberty 5-3000. “We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000… The Golden One” (Rand, pg. 55). By naming her, he is assigning a name that actually distinguishes her from everyone else rather than the generic names they are given at birth. This quest was fulfilled after he ran away with Liberty 5-3000 following him. The search for the word “I” can be seen when she struggles to come up with a way to say “I love you” to Equality 7-2521. Instead she says, “We are one… alone… and only… and we love you who are one…alone… and only” (Rand, pg. 87) She is struggling to show him that she as an individual loves him as an individual. After reading the manuscripts they find in the house from the Unmentionable Times, Equality 7-2521 discovers the word “I,” and with it, the sense of individuality and ego. He renames himself Prometheus and names Liberty 5-3000
In “A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality” John Perry conveys conversations between a philosopher and her two friends a few nights before she dies. We then come to how the dying philosopher is trying to have everyone convince her that she will survive even after her body dies. In this John Perry claims that there are three ways of deliberating personal identity: bodily identity, psychological continuity and immaterial soul. The essay then describes the different types of identity and how they can use them to prove to the perishing philosopher that she can still remain alive. I will argue that the only way we can distinguish personal identity is through psychological continuity and how we can determine a person based on their memories and experiences. From this we can go into discussion about some terms that will be used throughout this paper.
Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals one of life’s most relevant purposes that stretches across cultures and relates to every aspect of enlightenment. The novel examines the life of the strong-willed Janie Crawford, as she goes down the path of self-discovery by way of her past relationships. Ideas regarding the path of liberation date all the way back to the teachings of Siddhartha. Yet, its concept is still recycled in the twenty-first century, as it inspires all humanity to look beyond the “horizon,” as Janie explains. Self-identification, or self-fulfillment, is a theme that persists throughout the book, remaining a quest for Janie Crawford to discover, from the time she begins to tell the story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Hurston makes a point at the beginning of the novel to separate the male and female identities from one another. This is important for the reader to note. The theme for identity, as it relates to Janie, carefully unfolds as the story goes on to expand the depths of the female interior.
EE Cummings once declared, “In a world that does its best to turn you into something you are not, the hardest battle to fight is to remain true to yourself – and never stop fighting.” The world is made up mostly of Somebodies, and they are always looking for others to become like them. It is a contagious disease that steals the originality of a person and replaces it with an imposter. It plays on a person’s self-esteem and destroys their true identity. It is a war that has to be fought and won each and every day, but most give up after a few insignificant battles. A poet named Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once voiced, “Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.” The Somebodies are always caught up on trying to be someone else. They stay with the trend and do whatever it tells them to. The downside is that they don’t have the time or courage to grow their individuality like they were meant to. The Somebodies are blind to this and slowly disappear into the crowd as if they never truly were a single individual.
Humanity is defined by one major factor: one’s understating of the self. By understanding one’s self, one can understand society and the world that surrounds themselves. There is one thing that can often distort one’s personality, one’s identity. By identifying as one thing a person can often change how they act or do certain things. This is often found to hide one’s true motives or intention, but it can also be used to hide hidden factors that aren’t as prevalent. One’s personality and identity are very closely linked, and tend to play off one another. This fact can be show in within multiple works. To name a few authors who demonstrate this fact: Clifford Geertz, Horace Miner, and Andrei Toom. Their works seek to dive deeper