Morality
Arthur Paliden once said, “Morality is doing what is right without the threat of divine retribution nor the possibility of divine reward.” These wise words were proven to be true in the novel Anthem. At the beginning, Equality 7-2521 often struggled with the strict rules of what was deemed evil or good; It was a constant torture for him. Once he has escaped, he begins to ponder about his place in the world. For once in his life he desired to know if society was right, if their morals was the only ones that existed. The joy he felt by being with The Golden One would “bear no relation to our brothers,” and he wondered if there was some error in either the way he thought or the way the city thought. Society’s definition of morally …show more content…
They also repressed any thought that didn’t fit in with the norm, according to Equality 7-2521, “it was a sin to be born with a head which is too quick.” It was inconceivable for an individual to dream bigger than his brothers or sisters. Every thought, every action, every feeling was supposed to be exactly the same as the other. It became so evident that his thought process was distinct from everyone that it gave him great pain, at night he’d, “tremble under the blankets,” and bite himself. We could see the effect of Society since the officials were, by consequence, cold and unfeeling towards those around them. The morality they lived didn’t fit with the morality Equality 7-2521 had grown to love. He hungered for knowledge and innovation, the City strived for order and ranking. Someone like him, a Street Sweeper, could never dream of joining the Scholars in their wisdom. Although he knew the rules and regulations of the city and the thought of being caught frightened him: the notion of becoming knowledgeable was enough to fuel his determination to keep learning and discovering new technology. He was the living embodiment of Arthur Paliden’s words, “doing what is right without the threat of divine retribution nor the possibility of divine …show more content…
It makes us question the true meaning of the word morality. It has never been, nor should it be, equal amongst us. Now a days, everyone strives to be ‘equal’, they want everyone to be the same, yet Anthem dictates the beauty of being different. Equality 7-2521, whom is now named Prometheus after the god who brought light to men, eloquently explains what people have lost by giving up the word ‘I’. It makes me wonder why everyone is so keen on pursing the notion of equality. Essentially by being equal, they submit to a morality the society feels fit, it takes away our sense of purpose and identity. They lose rights to their bodies and minds. To their ideas and feelings. To their sense of what is good and bad. Ayn Rand makes me realize we are chasing the wrong ideal, we are pursuing an ideal that will one day take away our choice of morality, and freedom. What we really should be focusing on is respect. Respecting one another will give the person their valued worth. It allows them to receive what they need and what they deserve. In words of Prometheus, we should never let anyone take away what defines who we are as a person, we should “fight for freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor.” All of this is what entails the word morality, it makes us who we are, and just like Ayn has portrayed in his book, it is not a sin to think different, to strive for more and to want more of our life. What is
Arthur Paliden once said, “Morality is doing what is right without the threat of divine retribution nor the possibility of divine reward.” These wise words were proven to be true in the novel Anthem. At the beginning, Equality 7-2521 often struggled with the strict rules of what was deemed evil or good; It was a constant torture for him. Once he has escaped, he begins to ponder about his place in the world. For once in his life he desired to know if society was right, if their morals was the only ones that existed. The joy he felt by being with The Golden One would “bear no relation to our brothers,” and he wondered if there was some error in either the way he thought or the way the city thought. Society’s definition of morally …show more content…
They also repressed any thought that didn’t fit in with the norm, according to Equality 7-2521, “it was a sin to be born with a head which is too quick.” It was inconceivable for an individual to dream bigger than his brothers or sisters. Every thought, every action, every feeling was supposed to be exactly the same as the other. It became so evident that his thought process was distinct from everyone that it gave him great pain, at night he’d, “tremble under the blankets,” and bite himself. We could see the effect of Society since the officials were, by consequence, cold and unfeeling towards those around them. The morality they lived didn’t fit with the morality Equality 7-2521 had grown to love. He hungered for knowledge and innovation, the City strived for order and ranking. Someone like him, a Street Sweeper, could never dream of joining the Scholars in their wisdom. Although he knew the rules and regulations of the city and the thought of being caught frightened him: the notion of becoming knowledgeable was enough to fuel his determination to keep learning and discovering new technology. He was the living embodiment of Arthur Paliden’s words, “doing what is right without the threat of divine retribution nor the possibility of divine …show more content…
It makes us question the true meaning of the word morality. It has never been, nor should it be, equal amongst us. Now a days, everyone strives to be ‘equal’, they want everyone to be the same, yet Anthem dictates the beauty of being different. Equality 7-2521, whom is now named Prometheus after the god who brought light to men, eloquently explains what people have lost by giving up the word ‘I’. It makes me wonder why everyone is so keen on pursing the notion of equality. Essentially by being equal, they submit to a morality the society feels fit, it takes away our sense of purpose and identity. They lose rights to their bodies and minds. To their ideas and feelings. To their sense of what is good and bad. Ayn Rand makes me realize we are chasing the wrong ideal, we are pursuing an ideal that will one day take away our choice of morality, and freedom. What we really should be focusing on is respect. Respecting one another will give the person their valued worth. It allows them to receive what they need and what they deserve. In words of Prometheus, we should never let anyone take away what defines who we are as a person, we should “fight for freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his honor.” All of this is what entails the word morality, it makes us who we are, and just like Ayn has portrayed in his book, it is not a sin to think different, to strive for more and to want more of our life. What is