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Fountainhead Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: Signet, 1993.Print. The Fountainhead (1943): The story of an innovator—architect Howard Roark—and his battle against a tradition-worshipping society. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. As you read answer the questions in Part A. Your answers to the questions will help you write the Part B essay, in which you will be asked to: SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE TOPICS: • With which character in The Fountainhead do you most empathize or identify? Explain your answer. What does the author seem to think of the character you’ve chosen? What do you think about the author’s view of the character, especially in relation to the novel’s theme. Explain your answer. • When Howard Roark refuses the Manhattan Bank Building contract he says that this is “the most selfish thing you’ve ever seen a man do.” And in his courtroom speech, he argues for selfishness and egoism and against the conventional morality of altruism. Do you think he is correct to praise selfishness and denounce altruism? Why or why not? Explain. • Why does Toohey support Keating’s career early on? What is Toohey’s purpose in promoting the careers of people like Keating, Gordon Prescott, Lois Cook, Ike the Genius, and Gus Webb? In what way does his purpose relate to his campaign against Roark? How does this issue relate to the wider themes in the novel? Part B: Essay Part A: Complete as a separate word document. Do Not copy & paste the questions. must be between Submit to turnitin.com 800 -1600 words. Submit to 1. Dominique Francon loves Roark and struggles to destroy him. Why? turnitin.com 2. How does Howard Roark exemplify the fact that reason must be used to solve man’s problems, rather than relying on others’ judgments or one’s emotions? Why is the dynamiting of Cortlandt not an example of irrationality? 3. Keating gives up art for architecture and Catherine Halsey for Dominique Francon. Why are these major betrayals for him, necessitating his failure in life? 4. What is Toohey’s ultimate purpose in trying to control the Banner? 5. How do Keating’s and Roark’s paths to success differ? Which one in the end is the real success? 6. Why does Toohey ultimately fail in his manipulations against Roark? 7. What does Ayn Rand mean by the terms “first-hander” and “second-hander”? 8. Why does the courtroom verdict at the Cortlandt trial mean the psychological destruction of Gail Wynand? 9. If you had the opportunity to meet Howard Roark, what would you ask him? 10. Is Roark a moral man, a practical man, both, or neither? 11. What does Ayn Rand mean by individualism, and why are the Founding Fathers of the United States individualists? 12. Why does Roark say that refusal of the Manhattan Bank Building contract is “the most selfish thing you’ve ever seen a man do”? .

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Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Ayn
Who Is Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Few 20th century intellectuals have been as influential—and controversial— as the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Her thinking still has a profound impact, particularly on those who come to it through her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead—with their core messages of individualism, self-worth, and the right to live without the impositions of others. Although ignored or scorned by some academics, traditionalists, pro- gressives, and public intellectuals, her thought remains a major influence on Ayn Rand many of the world’s leading legislators, policy advisers, economists, entre- preneurs, and investors. INTRODUCTION AN Why does Rand’s work remain so influential? Ayn Rand: An Introduction illuminates Rand’s importance, detailing her understanding of reality and human nature, and explores the ongoing fascination with and debates about her conclusions on knowledge, morality, politics, economics, government, AN INTRODUCTION public issues, aesthetics and literature. The book also places these in the context of her life and times, showing how revolutionary they were, and how they have influenced and continue to impact public policy debates. EAMONN BUTLER is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading think tank in the UK. He holds degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and an honorary DLitt. A former winner of the Freedom Medal of Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge and the UK National Free Enterprise Award, Eamonn is currently secretary of the Mont Pelerin Society. Butler is the author of many books, including introductions on the pioneering economists Eamonn Butler Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, F.
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2017 the Fountainhead Winning Essay
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Ivo Van Hove Takes on Ayn Rand: the Fountainhead in New York
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