FREE ESSAY ON RAND'S ANTHEM

RAND'S ANTHEM

Rand's Anthem
Anthem, a science fiction novel, deals with a future primitive society
in which the forbidden word I, which is punishable, has been replaced by
We. Anthem's theme seems to be about the meaning and glory of man's ego.
In this novel, Rand shows that the individualism needed for building a
complex technological civilization has been suppressed by collectivism.
Rand glorifies man's individual ability to think, and appeals to emotion.
The emotion is displayed at various time throughout the story; the
encounters of Equality and Liberty, on the occasion regarding the discovery
of the light bulb, and during the time the two find the house in which they
will live in for the remainder of their lives.
One day while Equality was tending to his job as street sweeper, he
came across a beautiful young woman taking care of the fields. Even
though it is forbidden, he decides to go over and talk to her. While they
were talking, we see the first sign of emotions when Their face did not
move and they did not avert their eyes. Only their eyes grew wider, and
there was triumph in their eyes, and it was not triumph over us, but over
things we could not guess. Later, Liberty follows Equality into the
forest, and the first sign of forbidden love is shown when we bent to
raise the Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if
madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our lips to
theirs.
Equality is excited with the joy of learning when he finishes his work
of building a light bulb. WE MADE IT. WE CREATED IT. We brought it forth
from the night of the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone
and only. We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. The
emotion shown by Equality after having just built the light bulb is pride
and happiness because he has just created some power unknown but to the
people of the Unmentionable times. After he fully realizes what he has
done, he has defensive emotions and has to guard our tunnel as we had
never guarded it before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of
our secret, they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They
would see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they would destroy
us and our light.
The climax of the story shows the greatest emotion of all, the feeling
of euphoria. They have a feeling of well-being that overcomes them. I
shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the earth by
the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets from my books.
Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and
open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me,
but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the
weakest and dullest ones among them. Once free from their restrictive
society, they rediscover the knowledge of the Unmentionable times, they
discover the self and free will.
Ayn Rand's science fiction novella Anthem shows intense emotion. The
story takes place in a futuristic world of collectivism where the word I
has been forgotten. The achievements of the past have been lost until one
man feels his emotions and acts upon them. Emotions are the key to the
story. 
Bibliography
Rand's Anthem
Anthem, a science fiction novel, deals with a future primitive society
in which the forbidden word I, which is punishable, has been replaced by
We. Anthem's theme seems to be about the meaning and glory of man's ego.
In this novel, Rand shows that the individualism needed for building a
complex technological civilization has been suppressed by collectivism.
Rand glorifies man's individual ability to think, and appeals to emotion.
The emotion is displayed at various time throughout the story; the
encounters of Equality and Liberty, on the occasion regarding the discovery
of the light bulb, and during the time the two find the house in which they
will live in for the remainder of their lives.
One day while Equality was tending to his job as street sweeper, he
came across a beautiful young woman taking care of the fields. Even
though it is forbidden, he decides to go over and talk to her. While they
were talking, we see the first sign of emotions when Their face did not
move and they did not avert their eyes. Only their eyes grew wider, and
there was triumph in their eyes, and it was not triumph over us, but over
things we could not guess. Later, Liberty follows Equality into the
forest, and the first sign of forbidden love is shown when we bent to
raise the Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if
madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our lips to
theirs.
Equality is excited with the joy of learning when he finishes his work
of building a light bulb. WE MADE IT. WE CREATED IT. We brought it forth
from the night of the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone
and only. We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. The
emotion shown by Equality after having just built the light bulb is pride
and happiness because he has just created some power unknown but to the
people of the Unmentionable times. After he fully realizes what he has
done, he has defensive emotions and has to guard our tunnel as we had
never guarded it before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of
our secret, they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They
would see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they would destroy
us and our light.
The climax of the story shows the greatest emotion of all, the feeling
of euphoria. They have a feeling of well-being that overcomes them. I
shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the earth by
the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets from my books.
Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and
open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me,
but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the
weakest and dullest ones among them. Once free from their restrictive
society, they rediscover the knowledge of the Unmentionable times, they
discover the self and free will.
Ayn Rand's science fiction novella Anthem shows intense emotion. The
story takes place in a futuristic world of collectivism where the word I
has been forgotten. The achievements of the past have been lost until one
man feels his emotions and acts upon them. Emotions are the key to the
story.