mveng1.weebly.com · Web viewChapter 11 ends with “This one god, this one word: ‘I,’” and the final words of the book refer to the “sacred word: EGO.” Does this mean that

Unit 2: The JourneyAnthem by Ayn Rand

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________Teacher’s Name: ________________________________________________

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Anthem: Anticipation GuideDIRECTIONS : Before reading Anthem, read the following statements. Decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement and check the appropriate column. Then, write your thoughts explaining why you agree or disagree.

Agree Disagree

____ ____ 1. The individual is more important than the group.

____ ____ 2. It is better to conform than to be different.

____ ____ 3. When we believe something strongly, we should stand up for our belief no

matter the cost.

____ ____ 4. We exist to benefit and serve society.

____ ____ 5. Some knowledge is too dangerous to be revealed to society, thus should be

kept secret.

____ ____ 6. If an individual does not believe the laws of the society to be ethical or moral,

he then has the right to defy these laws.

____ ____ 7. A group’s needs are more important than an individual’s needs.

____ ____ 8. Some emotions are better not felt.

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Anthem: Personal Glossary

TERM TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND Page #

The Great Truth

The Unmentionable Times

The Uncharted Forest

The Evil Ones

The Great Rebirth

Start a personal glossary in which you explain the following terms. Provide textual evidence and page numbers.

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Anthem: Personal Glossary

TERM TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND Page #

COLLECTIVISM

INDIVIDUALISM

ALTRUISM

EGOISM

CONFORMITY

INDEPENDENCE

OBEDIENCE

Start a personal glossary in which you explain the following terms. Provide textual evidence and page numbers.

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Anthem: Concepts to ConsiderUse a highlighter or underline important information for each concept. Be sure to put into your own words on the right.

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INDIVIDUALISM VS. COLLECTIVISM

The principal political issue in Anthem – and in society at large – is the issue of individualism vs. collectivism. The society depicted in Anthem is a collectivist society. “Collectivism,” Ayn Rand wrote, “means the subjugation of the individual to the group – whether to a race, class or state does not matter.” In such a society, the individual is owned by the group; he has no right to a private existence, which means no right to lead his own life, pursue his own happiness or use his own property. The individual exists only as part of the group, and his worth is determined by his service to the group. The alternative to collectivism is individualism, the view advocated by Ayn Rand. “Individualism,” she wrote, “regards man – every man – as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being.” Individualism does not mean that one can do whatever he feels like doing; it means that every man is an individual and has the same rights. “An individualism is a man who says: “I will not run anyone’s life – nor let anyone run mine. I will not rule or be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave. I will not sacrifice myself to anyone – nor sacrifice anyone to myself.”

COMMUNISM

Communism is an international political movement and a political and economic system that has its origins in the philosophy of Karl Marx. Also referred to as Marxism, it is a socialist philosophy that calls for an international revolt of workers against capitalism to bring about a workers' utopia.

The term communism originated among secret revolutionary groups in Paris in the 1830s and referred both to a political movement of the working class in a capitalist society and to a projected form of society that would come into existence after the workers came to power through class struggle. In a communist society, the community owns political and economic power, and the wealth is distributed among the people according to need

In 1917, one of Marx's most ardent admirers, Vladimir Lenin, led a group of revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks in overthrowing the existing monarchy in Russia, establishing in its place the world's first communist government.

Key points in my own words:



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EGOISM

If lacking an ego means that one has become a robot, what, for Ayn Rand, is the exact meaning of egoism? Egoism means “concern with one’s own interests.” It means that oneself, rather than others, is the proper beneficiary of one’s action. Equality 7-2521 is egoistic. He lives for his own happiness; he doesn’t sacrifice himself to others, nor does he sacrifice others to himself. The egoism he manifests is exactly what the leaders try to eradicate: ambition, wanting things for oneself, wanting to learn, wanting a career that makes him happy, loving someone, thinking for himself. Equality 7-2521 represents the unconquerable human spirit, the affirmation of life. In contrast, almost all of his fellow citizens are gray, passive, non-entities; as such, they are the living dead. Chapter 11 ends with “This one god, this one word: ‘I,’” and the final words of the book refer to the “sacred word: EGO.” Does this mean that egoism is a religion, with the worship of God replaced by the worship of self? No. Ayn Rand has said that she chose the title Anthem

SELFLESSNESS

Anthem dramatizes Ayn Rand’s view that the self is destroyed in a collectivist society. How is the lack of self—or selflessness—shown? No one has a personal name, for, under collectivism, individuals are interchangeable. To prefer one person to another (as a friend or romantic partner) is to commit the cardinal sin: the Transgression of Preference. As in Nazi or Communist societies, it is wrong to disagree, to have independent thoughts, even to ask questions, because to do those things sets one apart from others. Self-assertion is forbidden. All decisions are made by the Council in the name of the whole. Individuals have no rights. No individual choice is allowed by the government: “Everything which is not permitted by law is forbidden.” Anthem depicts what happens to a society that implements selflessness. The result, according to Ayn Rand, is a subhuman society: what makes human beings human is having a self, which means having a mind. A selfless individual is a mindless individual. To practice selflessness, one must abstain from thinking and obey one’s masters. To practice collectivism, one must merge himself into the group, and the only way to do this is to obliterate individual identity and individual thought. The result is the kind of society found in Anthem, a society of mindless robots, people with no motivation, no ambition, no hope. They are unable to create anything, and the society they live in has no room for creativity.




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EGOISM

If lacking an ego means that one has become a robot, what, for Ayn Rand, is the exact meaning of egoism? Egoism means “concern with one’s own interests.” It means that oneself, rather than others, is the proper beneficiary of one’s action. Equality 7-2521 is egoistic. He lives for his own happiness; he doesn’t sacrifice himself to others, nor does he sacrifice others to himself. The egoism he manifests is exactly what the leaders try to eradicate: ambition, wanting things for oneself, wanting to learn, wanting a career that makes him happy, loving someone, thinking for himself. Equality 7-2521 represents the unconquerable human spirit, the affirmation of life. In contrast, almost all of his fellow citizens are gray, passive, non-entities; as such, they are the living dead. Chapter 11 ends with “This one god, this one word: ‘I,’” and the final words of the book refer to the “sacred word: EGO.” Does this mean that egoism is a religion, with the worship of God replaced by the worship of self? No. Ayn Rand has said that she chose the title Anthem

FREE WILL

One of the oldest and most important philosophic issues is the problem of free will vs. determinism. Those like Ayn Rand, who advocate free will, contend that people can make choices, can make up their own mind, can make decisions, can direct their own lives by the ideas and values they adopt. Those who advocate determinism contend that people are by nature in the grip of forces beyond their control, that their beliefs and values are the result of some force such as God, other people, the stars, economic conditions, instincts or one’s racial heritage. Anthem shows what it means to have free will, and it does so in a particularly interesting way. It depicts a world where people’s lives seem to be determined but it’s actually a world where people have free will. Students often believe that in Anthem only the heroic characters have free will, that the masses are indeed brainwashed, with no power to control their own lives. However, as Ayn Rand presents them, even those who submit to the authorities have free will. They are robots, but they are robots by choice: they were not forced to obey; they do so because they voluntarily abdicated the responsibility to think for themselves. They are depressed, without hope or ambition; they make no effort to accomplish anything; they merely obey and go along with orders. Ayn Rand holds that free will means “the choice to think or not.” Most of the citizens have chosen not to think, which leaves them no alternative but to do whatever they’re told to do. How is free will manifested in Anthem? Prometheus relies on his own judgment rather than take the beliefs of his leaders as automatically true. His rediscovery of electricity is the prime example of free will: he himself initiates the thinking required to understanding the world around him; this is what makes him independent. Neither he nor his friends are bound by tradition. That the past is “unmentionable” does not prevent them from mentioning it; that the forest beyond their city is “uncharted” does not prevent them from reaching it. And this is the ultimate meaning of a free-will approach to life: the future is open to man; what you attain is up to you; your values and your ultimate happiness are achievable. In Ayn Rand’s view, man has the power to think and direct his life; he isn’t doomed to a life of despair and defeat. If he is willing to rely on himself rather than be pushed by events, he can, like the heroic characters in Anthem achieve self-confidence.


Name _______________________________________________________ Freshmen English CP

Anthem Reading Guide

Chapter 1

As you read the first chapter, list some of the Houses to which a person could live or be sent.

What is the narrator’s “name”? How is he identified?

What characteristic makes the narrator more identifiable in a crowd? Why is the narrator considered cursed?

Who controls the society?

What is the Great Truth?

If the reader considers current society/modern times, the “time of evil’ what would be some of the things they would want abolished or removed from society?

What crime is the narrator committing and what is the likely punishment for his crime?

Make an inference: Why will the narrator not be assigned to the Home of the Scholars?

What is the other name given to current society?

What profession would have suited the narrator better?

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Chapter 2

Who is introduced in Chapter 2 and what limitations are placed on their contact?

What is the latest sin in the list of growing sins and how are they not caught?

What indicates there is jealousy on the part of Equality?

Why is Equality 7-2521 reprimanded?

What word can’t anyone speak? Why? What happens to those who speak the word?

Chapter 3-4

What does Equality discover in this chapter? How important is this discovery?

Why is Equality frustrated with the Council of Scholars beliefs?

Why does Equality fight against them?

What name does Liberty 5-3000 choose for Equality? Why is it appropriate?

When Liberty 5-3000 brings water to Equality and he drinks it, what emotion is he feeling? Why doesn’t he understand what he’s feeling?

Chapter 5-6

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Describe the emotion that Equality is feeling at the beginning of chapter 5.

Discuss Equality’s main motivation for creating his new invention.

Discuss why Equality is so interested in seeing his own image at this point in the novel. Discuss the emotion he is feeling.

What does Equality expect will happen if he shows his discovery to the council?

Discuss why the Prisoners never think to escape from the palace of corrective detentions.

Chapter 7

How does council react to the box at first?

Explain what Equality means when he says, “We are old now, yet we were young this morning.”

What does Scholars Council decide to do with the box?

Where does Equality 7-2521 run to?

Chapter 8-9

What is Equality experiencing for the first time this morning? How does he feel as a result of this experience?

Why does Equality laugh when he realizes he is the damned?

What does the uncharted forest symbolize in Anthem?

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Does Equality have to worry about being followed by the others? Explain.

Equality questions the morality of his former society. Contrast what he was previously taught about solitude, good, evil, and joy to what he now believes.

Chapter 10-11

Describe the house and its contents, then explain why Liberty and Equality find it so strange.

What great discovery does Equality make in this chapter?

Explain what the following quotations mean in your own words and discuss how they can be applied to your life:

“Whatever the road I take, the guiding star is within me.”

“For the word ‘we’ must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as second thought.”

What does Equality now realize is the proper goal and purpose of his life?

In what ways is “I” like a god? Explain.

Re-read the incident with the story of the pyre. What was he trying to communicate with Equality?

What are the first words Liberty 5-3000 speaks to Equality 7-2521 after they discover the forbidden word?

What is Ego?

Chapter 12Why do the characters take the new names of Prometheus and Gaea?

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Discuss why they weren’t allowed to choose their own names in their old society.

Discuss what Prometheus plans to do in the future and how this is different from his old society.

Prometheus realizes that to be free a man must be free of his brothers. List 2-3 examples from Anthem that illustrate the truth of this statement.

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Anthem: Journal Topics for FishbowlThroughout reading the novel, chart textual evidence to support answer to the question.

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Journal 1: Would you want to live in this society? Why or why not? What would be the benefits to living in this society? What would be the downfalls of living in this society?

Opinion Evidence from text (include page #)

Journal 2: Equality 7-2521 was taught as a child to recite a pledge which states, “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers we are allowed our lives. We exist, through, by, and for our brothers who are the state. Amen.” What do you think happens to the personality and sense of individuality in a child when he is taught that he is nothing? Explain your answer.


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Journal 3: Equality 7-2521 suddenly found that he was happy to be alive. Why? Are you happy to be alive? Explain.


Journal 4: Equality 7-2521 first experiences a sense of accomplishment and pride. Why was he excited about this? Have you ever created something of which you were proud? Tell about it.


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Journal 5: Describe Equality 7-2521’s first day in the uncharted forest. How did he react to his new feelings of freedom? What was his reaction when he saw his reflection for the first time? What did he see in his own face which is different from the faces of his brothers?


Journal 6: Discuss the word “we” in this book. Do you think it is harmful to for men to be treated as if they are not individuals, but instead just a part of a group?



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Journal 7: Explain one of the following quotes and discuss in your own words how they can be applied to your life.

“Whatever road I take the guiding star is with me.”

--OR--

“For the word ‘we’ must never be spoken save by one’s choice and as a second thought”


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Documents

mveng1.weebly.com · Web viewChapter 11 ends with “This one god, this one word: ‘I,’” and the final words of the book refer to the “sacred word: EGO.” Does this mean that