How Does Ayn Rand Show Opposition To Collectivism

Ayn Rand in her novel Anthem exhibits a society where people only purpose is to serve and better the community. Rand was writing Anthem, while World War 2 was emerging and she was watching countries change their views on society and the citizens in it. Some of these countries started to force their citizens into a mold. Thinking that society would be benefit if everyone was like-minded. Rand wanted to show these views in an extreme situation to demonstrate what could happen in the future if countries continued to do this.

The book Anthem is about a man who is born into a world where he is forced to follow in line and castigated for thing he cannot control, such as his height. The author of Anthem is named Ayn Rand. She was grew up in Russia, when the government had complete control over the citizens, later she moved to the States. After hearing about capitalism she fell in love with the idea that each person is in complete control of their life, and created her own philosophy. She named it, objectivism.

Unlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an affliction to be born with powerful intellectual capacity and ambition in Ayn Rand’s apocalyptic, nameless society in Anthem. Collectivism is ostensibly the moral guidepost for humanity, and any perceived threat to the inflexible, authoritarian regime is met with severe punishment. The attack on mankind’s free will and reason is most evident in the cold marble engraving in the Palace of the World Council: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (6). Societal norms force homogeneity and sacrifice among all people.

Growing up in a country that fears communism as a four year old fears the monster under the bed, I have experienced my fair share of paranoia and concern when it comes to collectivist societies. However, my reaction to the communistic ideals before reading works by Ayn Rand has been to avoid. After being exposed to first-hand activism by Rand, I have become more intrigued by the exposure and prevention of such societies as seen in Anthem and The Fountainhead. As the U.S. continues to change into a different take on democracy, I have been inspired to avert the form of communism, oppression, and collectivism preached in Rand’s

Anthem Ayn Rand’s strong opinion of individualism is exaggerated in a most extreme way in her world famous novel Anthem. Her book focuses on “we” rather than “I,” and about the community rather than the individuals. She magnifies communism to every possible extremity.

Men are said to live for their brothers' happiness and one shall not be selfish. Equality strives away from society’s norms bit by bit and begins to reason that after discovering the lightbulb he was committing an act of selflessness. Later on when he runs away to the Uncharted Forest, he observes his surroundings and begins to reason with the world and why it looks the way it does. He says that he cannot change how the world is to be perceived and that facts are facts. In response to Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, the first tenet is metaphysics.

honor is a thing to be earned.” Ayn Rand weaves her idea of objectivism and that people choose others relying on their own needs into her connection with Equality. In the beginning of Anthem Equality did not think of himself, but what the society wanted everyone to do as a whole, contrasting towards Ayn Rand’s beliefs (Rand, Anthem 96).When people come to the realization that no one is equal, it is easier to realize that neither are needs, making choices involving circumstances like relationships depend on a person’s thoughts and

It is truly a different way of living in Waldo, Ohio and it defies many beliefs of how people live their lives. In the article there are many ideologies prevalent throughout the entirety of the passage, but the two that drew my attention the most were classism and rugged individualism. Even in the first couple paragraphs classism is present for example, “where the upper class eats with the lower class -such as they are - with no discernable difference, thereby rendering everyone middle class”. This is not the norm in society typically, Waldo should have social classes, the wealthy should sit at a table, and the poor should sit at their table it is not right for there to be just one table with one class. Also, everyone is happy with being a

Equality defies the council of scholars and his government by studying and learning about the world. “How dare you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the mind of your brothers” (Rand 71). Equality goes against

Individuality allows every person to be themselves and be different from each other. However, In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Rand describes a society where the people were not allowed to openly be themselves, or else they would be punished for being different. The main character, Equality, notices he is different slowly throughout the novella, but kept continuing to be like everyone else for awhile. These rules exist in this society to strip human individuality in order to achieve total equality.

Obstacles of Advancement In Ayn Rand's Anthem, we encounter a very unstable future society. Totalitarianism has overtaken this culture. This means that one group of people rules over society and tolerates no variation of opinion. We find the people in Anthem's society to be slaves to the god "We" and individuality eliminated as much as possible.

How could losing individuality affect a society? The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a guy named Equality 7-2521 who is trying to find himself in a society where everything is controlled and different. Later, he finds himself even though he will have to go through many obstacles to get there. The process behind losing individuality in an Anthem’s society are in forcing strict laws, brain washing of their citizens, and removing of family. The Anthem society in forcing of strict laws made it easy for everyone to lose their individuality.

Collectivism and Selfishness in Anthem Imagine living in a world where everybody's lives are completely mapped out by the government. Where every decision is made without the input of the citizens it affects. In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts a completely collectivist society, where every idea, action, and invention is purely for the benefit of society as a whole. Everything is done with the entire population in mind, and individuality is extremely frowned upon.

We cannot stop now, even though it frightens us that we are alone in our knowledge (54).” Likewise, the book also reads, “so long a road lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! (54)” Why is it that being a part of collectivism is viewed as a higher rank in society when it is really not? Ayn Rand is a person

Objectivism in Ayn Rand’s Anthem Ayn Rand established her philosophy of objectivism in order to eliminate the traditions she experienced while she was growing up under collective governments, and to emphasize the importance of the individual over the collective group. It can be defined as a philosophy for living stating that man himself is the greatest power, and man must decide what is best for himself based on reason. The four basic tenets of objectivism are reality exists as an objective absolute, reason is man’s only method of interpreting his surroundings, man must exist as an individual in order to pursue his own interests, with the ultimate goal being happiness, and the economy of an objectivist society should be laissez-faire capitalism,