Cato Institute

“To be free a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. This and nothing else” (101). These words proclaimed by the main character Equality 7-2521 in the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand show the dynamic realization made in conclusion to the character’s struggle. Throughout Equality’s mental journey in the story, he develops many thoughts such as these. Thoughts questioning his society and its morals. Thoughts questioning the very foundation of the world he lives in. “We are one in all and…

Creating Free Will and Individuality in an Oppressive Society In the excerpt titled “The Soul of an Individualist” from Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead she writes, “Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. The great creators — the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors — stood alone against the men of their time.” She also mentions these individual creators got nothing but hate in response for their…

You think, therefore, you are a criminal Equality smashed a window with one bare hand, grabbed his invention with the other, and leapt out of the broken window to save himself and his invention from the angry mob of so-called intellectuals who could not understand him or his genius gadget. From there he runs straight into the uncharted forest. The protagonist is trying to escape from the dystopian society imagined by Ayn Rand, in her novella Anthem. Equality, the central character of the story,…

Leaders of a society in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, are unfairly rude, giving Equality a change of mind to think for himself. Leaders are also defined as a council whom are very strict on rules and laws. Consequences end to lashings to the back, to the end of the book Equality is lashed for not telling the council of his where abouts. Anthem is based on the future events which got that society where they are at now. Children grow up without a parent figure, never having a bond with a adult…

The difference between Roark’s path to success and Keating’s path to failure is their independence. Well, In Keating’s case his dependence. In Rand’s eyes, Keating is a completely dependent person. Keating lives not for himself, but for other people in his life. The most notable of which being his mother. Roark, however, is completely independent from others. Roark lives for himself and only himself. He does not let anyone get in the way of what he wants and never settles for less. This is why…

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper is a very famous artwork that was made in 1942. The artwork features a bar on a street corner and appears to be the only store open at the time on the street. The bar is not busy at all, there are only 4 people featured in the artwork including the bartender. A man and a redheaded woman sit together on one side of the bar, while a man who is alone sits on the other side of the bar. The bartender is dressed in all white and is reaching for something behind the bar. The…

In the story “Anthem”, by Ayn Rand, collectivism plays a big role. The people are restricted by the collectivist government, the leaders banning freedom of speech and freedom of thought. The people are punished if they are to think for themselves, or go against the regime. Collectivism is the belief that the group should take priority over individuals in it, which is the main belief in the society that Equality 7-2521 lives in. It is the inverse of Individualism. The people in the society all…

Anthem is a complex take on societal views. The novel follows the main character, Equality 7-2521, as he breaks the chains of his dystopian society. Slowly learning the ways of the “unmentionable times” to unlock his individuality. Anthem is a book made to show in which ways current society is flawed. Equality is exactly like his brothers. He learns new feelings throughout the book and he becomes a new person. The house was made to model Equality’s change over society. This house represents…

A system of monstrous tyranny holds individuality captive making true happiness rare. When one is muted by society’s harsh regulations, they suffer internally and conceal a range of emotions. In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand creates a character named Equality who feels tremendous sorrow for the way his life is, but will eventually locate the power behind his own voice. He will use his experiences to guide his acts of defiance and overcome opposing obstacles. Despair and the negative attitude of…

I feel that taking up INFO 200 was one of the best decisions I have ever taken at the University Of Washington. It has opened a whole new perspective of looking at things for me. Previously any new technological discoveries or advances used to make me compute in my mind about the things used to create it, the data structures and the language that goes into making it, etc. However, after taking up this class my perspective has shifted to things like the design issues, the flaws with the user…