Essay/Term paper: Anthem

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Cliff Notes

In the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand writes about the

future dark ages. Anthem takes place in city of a

technologically backwards totalitarian society, where

mankind is born in the home of the infants and dies in the

home of the useless. Just imagine, being born in to a life of

slavery having no freedom, no way self expression, no ego.

The city represented slavery. When in the city, Equality had

been guilty of many transgressions. He was not like his

brothers, he was different he was smarter, healthier, and

stronger. At the age of five he advanced to home of the

student, where he got scolded for learning faster then his

brothers. Equality teachers told him that he had evil in his

bones because he was taller then his brothers. Then at the

age of fifteen when the house of vocations came Equality

was guilty of the great transgression of preference because

he wanted to be a scholar, but his selected vocation was to

be a street sweeper. Every day while he swept by the fields

he would watch and smile at Liberty and she would smile

back. Liberty was a woman that worked in the home of the

peasants. Making contact with a woman was prohibited but

for when in the palace of the mating. The palace of the

mating was where people were forced to breed. Equality

thought touching a woman was shameful and ugly. Th! en

one day while he swept the streets he found a grate that led

to underground tunnel full of things from the unmentionable

times. For two years he went to the tunnel and discovered a

new glowing light. Then one day while in the tunnel decided

that he must share his secret with his brothers. He decided

that he would bring his secret in front of the world council

meeting. When Equality entered the world council meeting

the scholars got frightened and angry. They demanded that

he tell them why he was there. He connected the wires and

they glowed, the scholars backed up against the wall as they

stared in horror. They told him that he they were going to

punish for breaking so many laws. Equality trembled in fright

he quickly grabbed the light and ran to the uncharted forest.

No man followed because they feared the unknown. Those

are all the ways in which Equality rejected the view of

society. The uncharted forest represented freedom. When

Equality spent his first night in the forest when he woke up

he laughed and rolled through the leaves and the moss

because he realized he was free which meant no more

waking up to a bell, no more meals prepared for him, and no

more sweeping streets. Then as he walked through the forest

he came to a river he stopped and looked in the water for

the first time in his whole life he saw what he looked like.

When he saw his reflection it surprised him he did not look

like his brothers he looked stronger then his brothers who

looked short and fragile. The next day in the forest he had

heard foot steps behind him he turned around and it was

Liberty. She had heard of what he did and followed his path

into the forest. While in the forest Equality hugged Liberty

and realized that holding the body of a woman was not

shameful. They walked for many days the farther they went

from the city the safer they felt. "Everything which comes

fro! m the many is good. Everything that come from one is

evil." Ayn Rand wrote this in the end of the ninth chapter

when Equality begins to doubt everything he has learned in

the city. The mountains represented a new beginning. In the

mountains Equality and Liberty found a house left from the

unmentionable times. In the house there are many things they

have never seen before like mirrors, light bulbs, a library full

of books, and nice clothes. They promise to never leave the

house and they claim it as theirs. They learn the word I while

reading books from the huge library. Equality also names

Liberty and himself, while reading through a book he learns

of Prometheus who was a man who stole fire from the gods

and taught men use the power of gods. Prometheus was

punished as are all who bring light to men. He also reads of

Gaea who mother of the gods and of earth. In the future

Equality plans on going to the city one last time to bring his

friends back to his new sanctuary to start a new beginning.

He also plans on chiseling the word ego on his house so

nobody ever forget the word. Equality and Liberty promise

that they will never surrender the sacred! word I. In today's

society more people need to ask themselves to imagine,

being born in to a life of slavery having no freedom, no way

self expression, no ego. Without these freedoms this country

would not be what it is today. The importance of freedom is

right to follow your dream. Because in America you can be

any one you want to be.