Anthem Blog!!!

What stinks? Oh, it's this society!

The first book we read this year was Anthem by Ayn Rand. Continuing the dystopian theme set with Fahrenheit 451, Anthem takes us into the far future where technology has degraded and society has transformed. Instead of finding an advanced, space-faring, intelligent people, we come across something rather shocking. Horses, candles, and other horrors of pre-industrial times. This society is based off of the collectivism of "Communist" Russia, and we can see how the people use "we" instead of "I". With this collective business going on, one of the most important themes is the power of the individual, and the limits of a group (with the main collective idea being represented by the Council of Scholars). The regressed technology and how it got to that point, however, is also vital to the story. When one sees the feebleness and lack of progress of the Council, they see what has caused this regression, and thus see the main flaw of the whole society. The Council doesn't know how to handle things. They are afraid of each other and can't make a decision. They took many years to bring something as simple as the candle into the general public. However, Equality, working alone, discovers the light bulb in a matter of weeks. Humans cannot work together as one in such a broad sense as this. We are hardwired for conflict, and just like physics in general, if there is not conflict, no individual movement against another, nothing would happen. Progress and advances are made when a group is in conflict, when it has goals that need to be met. When a group has no goals and simply wishes to survive, there is no need for advancement, and a regression may be in order to keep the ideals of philosophies of the society alive. The boring, blending in of cultures and personalities, removes any new, creative ideas. The council's utter fear of the light bulb for it's creation by an individual shows the ignorance and dimwittedness only possible from years of this societal stagnation.

Too many happiness quotes

Personally, I had a little trouble picking a favorite quote from the book. The quote I chose comes from the end of the book, which to me seems to be a succession of inspirational paragraphs celebrating the human individual. While these fit with the theme of the story, they seem incredibly rushed, and I get the sense that the author tried to squeeze as many of her philosophies that she could into the last few pages, uncaring how they fit into the story. While they don’t all fit into the story, the quote I chose was “I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth.” This stood out to me for some reason. I guess it’s the pure certainty that happiness is all that matters. This quote of Equality’s is another of his ramblings on how great individuality is, and although they speak the truth, the repetition is tiresome. The idea present in the quote is different than would be expected of thinkers of Rand’s time. Equality doesn’t care about the secrets of the universe, be they mystical or scientific. All he cares about is personal happiness. This is a clear slap in the face to the “communist” society Rand knew so well. To Equality, the hardships and pains of life do not matter, for they cannot compare to the potential happiness that each individual has. The only contrasting idea I have is that for Equality to have this happiness, he needs other people. He emphasizes the power of self, but one self cannot exist on its own, let alone enjoy its existence.

My Theory of Relativity

I liked this novel because I could relate it to topics facing us today. Should the government run our lives? Does it really know the best for us? I think everyone should read this novel for two reasons. For one, it's short. It gets to the point and is easy to understand. Also, in this day and age, more and more people are giving up and simply looking for handouts or guidance. They are losing their sense of individual power, and are becoming more and more convinced that they shouldn't work for what they have. This mindset can only lead to a dystopia. Once the government starts giving things, it can start taking them away, until they are in complete control. This book shows the flaws of this perspective and emphasizes a strong, individual attitude.