In Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem the main character, Equality,
refers to himself as “we” in the beginning and throughout most of the book. The society where he lives is much oppressed and
everyone is exactly alike, it’s a curse to be different. To show that they are
meant to be a single group they refer to themselves as we because they don’t understand
individuality. It also shows how Equality is loyal to the Council at first.
As the story progresses Equality
starts to lose loyalty to the Council and starts realizing how horribly
everyone is being treated. He starts to figure out self worth and having an
identity. He becomes more rebellious, though he still refers to himself as we.
Finally after he has found the home
in the woods with the Golden One he starts calling himself I. He says “I am. I think.
I will. My hands… my spirit… my sky… my forest… this earth of mine. What must I
say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. I stand here on the
summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my arms. This, my body and
spirit, this is the end of the quest. I am wished to know the meaning of
things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no
warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and
the sanction.” (pg.94) He is now singing an anthem to himself. He worships
himself. He has broken free from society. Just this simple change from “we” to “I”
shows how he has grown and realized his true identity.
Creative Writing Assignment.
Creative Writing Assignment.
6.
Rewrite the meeting between Equality and Liberty from her perspective.
The sun beat down on us and our
sisters as we spread the seeds over and over. Always the same, never missing a
beat. We felt a strange sensation, as though someone were watching us. Without
stopping we turned to see a street sweeper standing on the other side of the
hedge watching us. We were startled because this is forbidden. There was
something different about them though. They were more beautiful than our
brothers. They had life in their eyes and a boldness about them. For reasons we
don’t understand, we were drawn to them. We communicated through our eyes. We knew it was forbidden to communicate with a
brother, but we couldn’t help ourselves. We stared blankly at them, worried
that we would get caught. We heard a sister call our name, “Liberty 5-3000.”
The endless lock of our eyes was broken. We turned and walked swiftly away to
our beckoning sisters, and wondered if we would ever see that strange brother
again.
Advanced Research Topic
2. In Anthem Prometheus discovers
the meaning of the word freedom. He states that “To be free, a man must be free
of his brothers. That is freedom. This and nothing else” (p. 101). In fact, Ayn
Rand defined freedom, in a political context, as “the absence of physical
coercion” (Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal). This definition of freedom, however,
stands in direct contrast to the one held by many modern thinkers, writers and
politicians. Today, modern liberals often assert “Freedom must [entail] . . .
an increased power on the part of the individual to share in the goods which
society has produced and an enlarged ability to contribute to the common good”
(George Sabine, A History of Political Theory).
Advanced Research Topic
Write an essay contrasting Ayn
Rand’s definition of freedom with that of modern liberals, and consider the
form of government each would necessitate.
Ayn Rand views freedom as being
singular, solitary, and working only for your own self. She doesn’t believe in helping others and
views it as a drawback. Modern liberals, on the other hand, view it as a way of
life. They believe that freedom is “justice, security, and/or equality”
(Weaver).
In Ayn Rand’s ‘perfect’ world the government
would “only protect the individual’s right to life, liberty, property, and
pursuit of happiness” (Ayn Rand Novels). She cares about herself and only
herself. It doesn’t matter to her that some people struggle to put food on the
table while others basically bathe in money. If she is successful and happy
then life for her is good.
Modern liberals are the complete
opposite of Ayn Rand. They believe that everyone should be equal. Modern
Liberals are all about putting everyone else before themselves. They prefer a
totalitarian type of government, in which the government is responsible for how
happy and successful each citizen is (Weaver). They have the same view point as
the Council in Rand’s novel Anthem. They want to make sure that everyone is equal;
no one has a single advantage over anyone. No one can feel jealousy or sadness.
The only emotion is happiness. It is basically their idea of creating world
peace.
For me I don’t really lean towards a
certain viewpoint. I agree with Ayn Rand that being your own individual is
extremely important, but I don’t agree with worshipping yourself and never
wanting to help others unless you get something out of it. For the liberals I agree
that people should be equal to an extent, like gays having the same rights as
straight people, but to an extreme, like everyone having the same salary and
being exactly alike. I also agree with the fact that they want to help
everyone. It’s important to help people in times of trouble even if you don’t benefit.
Ayn Rand and the Modern Liberal’s
ideas of freedom are completely different. Yet at the same time they are very
similar. They are both designed to benefit whomever they worship, if it’s their
own self or their whole community. They are making sure that the ones they love
the most are given what they want. There isn’t one idea though that’s better
than the other. Ayn Rand would never be able to survive with a government run
by Modern Liberals, and the same goes for Modern Liberals in a government run
by Ayn Rand. Each has their own opinion with its own pros. It’s just a matter
of worshipping others, or being an egoist.
Works Cited
Weaver,
Sam. "The Modern Liberal Worldview." RenewAmerica. N.p., 4
Mar. 2003. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/weaver/030304>.
"What Makes Ayn Rand's
Philosophy Unique." Ayn Rand Novels. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.
<http://aynrandnovels.org/ayn-rand-ideas/what-makes-ayn-rands-philosophy-unique.html>.
