Each Journal Is Worth 10 Points

You will be independently reading Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem. There will be weekly reading assignments, chapter questions and a journal.

 Each journal is worth 10 points.

Before reading the novella, Anthem, you need to understand the context of the story.

Anthem is a short, highly stylized tale of a future dystopia so saturated in collectivism that the word “I” has disappeared from the language. Anthem largely mirrors the state of the Soviet Union under the Stalinist terror, during which Stalin ordered purges of all those who opposed him, especially independent thinkers and intellectuals. In her novels, Rand idealizes those of the sort Stalin executed and exalts her hero, a vibrant, intelligent, and physically beautiful youth, who fights his way through the nameless, faceless mass of society that seeks to use him for its own ends while draining him of all vitality and vigor. She rejects religion and group identity in favor of ego and self-determination. Reading and journal Schedule:

Week 1: Chapters 1-2: January 26-30 (pages 17-51) Week 2: Chapters 3-5: February 2-6 (pages 52-62) Week 3: Chapters 6-7: February 9-13 (pages 63-80) Week 4: Chapters 8-10: February 16-20 (pages 81-93) Week 5: Chapters 11-12: February 23-27 (pages 94-105) Journal is due by February 27 Date:

Equality 72521 was taught as a child to recite a pledge which states: "We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we 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?" How do the people in this story seem to feel about their lives? How is Equality 72521 different from the others? Give specific examples. Date:

Equality 72521 suddenly found that he was happy to be alive. Why? Date:

Equality 72521 first experiences a sense of accomplishment and pride in his invention. What was his invention and why was he excited about this?

Date: Describe Equality 72521's first day in the Unchartered 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? Explain why you think he looked different from the others.

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

Date: Why did Ayn Rand name her main characters “Prometheus” and “Gaea”? Look these names up in a book on mythology. Compare the myths about Prometheus and Gaea to the story of these two characters.

Date: Why did Equality try to convince the Council of Scholars that his invention merited their support? If a government council thinks that an invention will not benefit the community, should the invention be banned? Compare the situation in the novel to such government agencies as the Federal Drug Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration, which allow new products or new air routes only if they will “benefit the community.”

Date: What is “collectivism”? Which of our laws today are collectivist?

Date: Compare the idea of equality as used in the Declaration of Independence to the idea of equality as practiced in Anthem.

Date: The absence of industrial technology and other man-made inventions characterized the society of Anthem. Compare this to the society aimed at by environmentalism.

Date: Compare the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden with the story of Equality 7- 2521. For what “sins” were each condemned? In what ways are Equality 7-2521 and Adam similar? How do they differ?

Date: For the following quote, explain its role in the story and its wider significance:

“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think.”

Date: For the following quote, explain its role in the story and its wider significance: “I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning.”

Date: For the following quote, explain its role in the story and its wider significance: “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them.”

Date: Liberty chooses the name “Unconquered” as fitting for Equality. Similarly, William Ernest Henley’s most famous poem is titled “Invictus,” which is Latin for “unconquered.” Read the poem and identify any similarities between the speaker and Equality.

“Invictus”

~ William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

Date: Identify a theme from the novella, Anthem?

Date: Identify three driving literary devices Rand uses to convey/support the theme you identified.

Date: Identify a quote for each device, which if put into an essay, would prove the literary device used supports the theme you identified. Explain how each quote conveys/supports the theme you identified.