Equality—the State of Being Equal
“If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please,” said Epicetus. Demonstrated in Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, extreme equality is not a wonderful thing. In the ruined world of Anthem, the world has gone through a devastating war, and the victors have established a communist government and society. A communist society focuses its efforts on making everyone equal in every way. Individuality is oppressed . One must consider property, opportunity, and freedom when comparing the equality in Anthem and the equality in the American Declaration of Independence. The equality described in Anthem is very different from the equality in the Declaration of Independence. First, the people …show more content…
First, the Declaration makes the people of the U.S. equal by giving everyone rights to own property. Most people in the U.S. have their own homes. The U.S. has a currency system. Money and property give us incentive to work harder. They can also bring us happiness when our work pays off. Second, the Declaration disregards anything beyond a person’s control. The American society under the Declaration rewards those who are better than others, but others are given an equal chance to become better. Anthem tries to make sure nobody is better than their “brothers” by bullying the more fortunate people feel bad. A rich person’s child has exactly the same rights as a poor person’s child. “All men are created equal” with no regard to race, gender, or religion. Third, people are equal under the Declaration because each and every person has the same rights to do what he or she wants. The Declaration gives us rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Each person makes his or her own decisions on what he or she wants to do with his or her life. People are equal because everyone is given equal opportunity to become great from whatever beginnings they have. In conclusion, the Declaration’s equality is much better than the equality described in Anthem because the declaration is focused more on
“If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please,” said Epicetus. Demonstrated in Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, extreme equality is not a wonderful thing. In the ruined world of Anthem, the world has gone through a devastating war, and the victors have established a communist government and society. A communist society focuses its efforts on making everyone equal in every way. Individuality is oppressed . One must consider property, opportunity, and freedom when comparing the equality in Anthem and the equality in the American Declaration of Independence. The equality described in Anthem is very different from the equality in the Declaration of Independence. First, the people …show more content…
First, the Declaration makes the people of the U.S. equal by giving everyone rights to own property. Most people in the U.S. have their own homes. The U.S. has a currency system. Money and property give us incentive to work harder. They can also bring us happiness when our work pays off. Second, the Declaration disregards anything beyond a person’s control. The American society under the Declaration rewards those who are better than others, but others are given an equal chance to become better. Anthem tries to make sure nobody is better than their “brothers” by bullying the more fortunate people feel bad. A rich person’s child has exactly the same rights as a poor person’s child. “All men are created equal” with no regard to race, gender, or religion. Third, people are equal under the Declaration because each and every person has the same rights to do what he or she wants. The Declaration gives us rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Each person makes his or her own decisions on what he or she wants to do with his or her life. People are equal because everyone is given equal opportunity to become great from whatever beginnings they have. In conclusion, the Declaration’s equality is much better than the equality described in Anthem because the declaration is focused more on