Anthem Introduction

Anthem : 

Anthem By Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) : 

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on February 2, 1905. She witnessed the Bolshevik Revolutions (Communism) during her teenage years in Russia. The communist victory in Russia resulted in the confiscation of her father's pharmacy and periods of near-starvation for her family.

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) : 

Ayn was introduced to America and American history during her last year of high school. She believed America had the ideal society. In late 1925 she obtained permission to leave Soviet Russia for a visit to relatives in the United States. Although she told Soviet authorities that her visit would be short, she was determined never to return to Russia, and she never did. Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) : 

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) Ayn’s childhood strongly impacted her writing. Most of her books, although fiction, focus on politics. Rand's political views emphasize individual rights and fight against communism and socialism. Rand developed a philosophy called OBJECTIVISM which focuses on “man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity”

ANTHEM: Background : 

ANTHEM: Background Type of Book · Novella (fun way to say a short novel/book) Genre · Dystopian (much like 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm) Published · 1937 Style · Anthem is written as a journal of events as they transpire over the course of several months. Point of View · The main character speaks in the plural first person. He will refer to himself as “we” instead of “I.”

ANTHEM: Setting : 

ANTHEM: Setting Setting (time) · Sometime in the distant future, after the collapse of a “normal” government. Society is now ruled by communist-like values (the country is more important than the individual). Setting (place) · An unidentified city; much of the first half of Anthem is narrated from a tunnel underground where Equality 7-2521 is hiding, and the second half is narrated from a forest where he has taken refuge from a society that hates him.

ANTHEM: Main Characters : 

ANTHEM: Main Characters Equality 7-2521 (Yes, that’s his name) The hero of the story. He is a young man of 21, and the book is written as if it was his diary. He has been assigned to work as a Street Sweeper, but longs to be a Scholar instead. He rediscovers electric light, flees the society in which he has grown up, and hopes to establish a new one based on freedom and respect for the individual. Liberty 5-3000 (Yes, that’s her name) She is the love interest of Equality 7-2521. She is described as being “brave and single-minded. Her eyes are dark and project a hard, glowing, and fearless quality. She knows no guilt.”

ANTHEM: Major Theme : 

ANTHEM: Major Theme One major theme in Anthem is Collectivism vs. Individualism

ANTHEM: Prometheus : 

ANTHEM: Prometheus Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus surpassed all in cunning and deceit. He held no awe for the gods, and he ridiculed Zeus. Prometheus was the creator of man. He stole fire from heaven and gave it to his human creations.

ANTHEM: Gaea : 

Gaea In Greek mythology, Gaea is known as Earth or Mother Earth. She is considered the primeval divinity of earth, one of the primal elements who first emerged at the dawn of creation, along with air, sea, and sky. She was the great mother of all. ANTHEM: Gaea