One of the topics throughout Anthem is the importance of knowledge. This is mentioned throughout the whole book, subtly and boldly said. The government leaves out important education and technology from before the “Great Rebirth”. (Rand, p. 19) This creates a lack of knowledge. Equality 7-2521 fills this void of knowledge through his own experiments in the tunnel. In the end knowledge fuels the climax. The importance of knowledge is important to the book.
The government withholds important knowledge to keep power. They do this through the Home of Scholars. The Home of Scholars supposedly is supplying the people with innovative technology. But, they are in fact rediscovering the same things learned many years earlier. Also, they reject any questioning …show more content…
He knows that it is wrong, but he wants to learn and understand why things happen. Shmoop.com says: ¨At his core, it seems like Equality 7-2521 has always been a scientist. Since he was a kid, he's wanted to know about the world and its mysteries, and about life and its meaning. Not even the strongest discouragements of his society can quiet that desire, which he calls his "curse".¨ He also understands the gravity of discovering electric light and the importance it could potentially play in society. He takes his experiment to the World Council of Scholars but they reject it since he isn't a Scholar. Also they don't understand the science and the word might get out a Street Sweeper bypassed the Scholars in knowledge. The fact that the Scholars aren't as smart as people think and that you can do something outside your job or you can experiment with other things would upset the balance of power through knowledge since there would no longer be a controlling lack of knowledge. Therefore there might be an uprising by the people.
So in conclusion the importance of knowledge in Anthem is evident throughout the book. From the controlling implanted lack of knowledge by the government to Equality 7-2521 discovering electric light. Ayn Rand uses this lack of knowledge to display the horrors of Soviet Russia and create a wonderful plot. And when Equality discovers the house in the mountains and the books there, the wealth of knowledge excites him as he realizes the importance of the knowledge he finds there. And that's why knowledge plays an important role in the book
The government withholds important knowledge to keep power. They do this through the Home of Scholars. The Home of Scholars supposedly is supplying the people with innovative technology. But, they are in fact rediscovering the same things learned many years earlier. Also, they reject any questioning …show more content…
He knows that it is wrong, but he wants to learn and understand why things happen. Shmoop.com says: ¨At his core, it seems like Equality 7-2521 has always been a scientist. Since he was a kid, he's wanted to know about the world and its mysteries, and about life and its meaning. Not even the strongest discouragements of his society can quiet that desire, which he calls his "curse".¨ He also understands the gravity of discovering electric light and the importance it could potentially play in society. He takes his experiment to the World Council of Scholars but they reject it since he isn't a Scholar. Also they don't understand the science and the word might get out a Street Sweeper bypassed the Scholars in knowledge. The fact that the Scholars aren't as smart as people think and that you can do something outside your job or you can experiment with other things would upset the balance of power through knowledge since there would no longer be a controlling lack of knowledge. Therefore there might be an uprising by the people.
So in conclusion the importance of knowledge in Anthem is evident throughout the book. From the controlling implanted lack of knowledge by the government to Equality 7-2521 discovering electric light. Ayn Rand uses this lack of knowledge to display the horrors of Soviet Russia and create a wonderful plot. And when Equality discovers the house in the mountains and the books there, the wealth of knowledge excites him as he realizes the importance of the knowledge he finds there. And that's why knowledge plays an important role in the book