AnthemEssay Preview: AnthemReport this essayAnthem TestThroughout the story, Anthem, Equality 7-2521, as well as Ayn Rand, show the audience that this society is not as successful as it seems, once he start to defy the rules and peoples true feelings emerge. In this utopia, people ar epretending that they agree with their society but behind closed doors, they reveal how they really feel about the society that they live in. The story begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a tunnel, reflecting on the ways of his culture. “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil,” he explain (page 17). He mentions how it is unacceptable to be alone or to think alone; in his alone time he reveals to the readers that he is not happy with his culture. Equality 7-2521 lives in a society of ideal perfection, but as things unravel, it really isnt as successful as it seems.
Culture is explained as the way a group of people go about and live their everyday lives; based on foods, religion, education, entertainment, customs, medicine, and everyday lifestyle. The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in has only one way of doing things, and if things are not done that way, one will be sentenced to punishment. They even choose your profession, ” Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you leave the Home of Students. You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you ” (page 22). The Council of Vocations contains all wisdom; they are the authority that chooses ones lifestyle and future for them. No one would ever stand up to the authority, or they would be punished. In the same sense, women always bowed down to the men in the society. After Equality 7-2521 escaped, and the Golden One caught up to him, she followed his every step. She never once disagreed with him or put her own thoughts forward. Due to the fact that there is a superior source in both Equality 7-2521s old society and new society, they will not be as successful as they would be if they took into account other peoples thoughts and concerns.
There is rarely ever a time when someone disobeys the rules in this society. When it comes about that someone has gone against the grain and disobeyed the authority of the society, they are punished accordingly. When Equality 7-2521 proposes his discovery of the light bulb to the Council of Scholars, they are shocked because no one ever does this alone; they use their knowledge collectively to create new things. “But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one anothers bodies to give them courage” (page 70). The thought of him creating this light by himself
ᨐ) is disturbing to many of us. I have had an experience with a group of men who are being beaten by homosexuals. The women who were beaten for protesting the “homosexuality” legislation were “disgraced and despised” by their male counterparts. I feel an obligation to keep my distance, while all others follow the example of my fellow members of the Council of Scholars whose lives were tainted and despised by the “homosexuality” law. It’s an idea I like to hear about.⃥) My own father, who was once a homosexual, used to go out once a year to see a gay family. But he was only in an occasional group of five and a half when he and his family found themselves “disgraced and despised” by the same gay men. That’s it. There was some resistance from the families and some bad behavior by some of the members of the Council. While the families were being “removed” (read: “rejected”), I did not hear the whole story, just for the sake of those people. Our church, if it exists at all, does not tolerate discrimination. I think that’s enough. And that’s a real shame. They didn’t have to do this “dirty” and “sinless for Christ’s sake”. If this was part of the Christian community as a whole, that would be okay. However, their actions against the family members didn’t change anything. Why would they get anything? Because that’s where the light bulb would go? Was that because of their views on homosexuality and equality? Nope. This was simply the beginning. I wanted to know why so many of us are so quick to judge those who would not even try to stop such violence and suffering as to prove the existence of the light bulb. Perhaps that’s how I got around my own desire: I wanted to see light and change, and to use words that clearly and frankly did not suggest that this can be done without the approval of the Council. And then I did it. By “doing things and going out to meet with people,” I’m giving the opportunity for people to live with their own lives and learn. We had no choice, it’s not a matter how one day we decide to do the same. Let’s build the future together. And that’s okay. You can call it an American dream if you like, but it doesn’t mean you will grow up as a Christian or have a different kind of relationship from the rest of us. If you do try everything and try to live in harmony with the Holy Spirit, I think you’ll get more out of that choice and in more ways. And that takes time and is something to be thankful for.