Ayn Rand Anthem Analysis

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Looking Inward to Accomplish Goals Individuality is a cherished ideal throughout many countries around the world. The ability to differentiate your brand, self, or company from others is the premise of capitalism and our world’s monetary system. However, many times when evaluating the importance of our own ideals, we must step back and view them from an objective standpoint. The book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, allows readers to see how the confiscation of individual characteristics affects the development of all human endeavors. In doing so, readers realize that the concepts of self-awareness, self-image, and, above all, names are pertinent to accomplishing one’s goals. Upon digesting the first chapter of Anthem, the reader quickly becomes accustomed …show more content…
This character changes the viewpoint of both the protagonist and the reader. Liberty 5-3000 is an avid supporter to Equality 7-2521’s otherwise solitary life. In addition, through her beauty, she gives Equality 7-2521 the courage to break his cultural norms and give Liberty 5-3000 a name of her own, “The Golden One”. This is revolutionary, as it is the first anomaly to the usually bland naming process. Upon further acquaintance, “The Golden One” bestows upon Equality 7-2521 his own name, “The Unconquered”. As the author of the article “Names”, Shoshana Milgram Knapp, puts it, “Each gives the other a name to capture an emotional essence: He has named her The Golden One, and she has named him The Unconquered.” The Ideology of Equality 7-2521’s society is that, if no one has a special name, everyone is insignificant and equally disposable. However, this one act of renaming Liberty 5-3000 with an accurate name that clearly depicts her as an individual, would start a snowball effect that pushes Equality 7-2521 to continue on the path of defiance and rebellion. The naming process gave meaning to Equality 7-2521’s cause and helped him prevail through the scoffers and their punishment. In the same manner, giving a name to any purpose endows that cause with a meaning. As a thought, an idea may do little to mature, but as a named concept, it becomes its own entity, and is harder to
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