Anthem

By Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

Ayn Rand’s Biography Anthem was written by Ayn Rand. She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on

February 2, 1905. She witnessed both the Kerensky and

Bolshevik Revolutions during her teenage years in Russia.

In order to escape the fighting during the Russian revolution, her family went to the Crimea, where she finished high school.

After high school, she attended the University of Petrograd and later the State Institute for Cinema Arts.

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.

In Hollywood, she met actor Frank O’Connor, whom she married in 1929.

Ayn Rand’s Biography (cont’d.) After struggling for several years at various

non-writing jobs, she sold her first screenplay, Red Pawn, to Universal Pictures in 1932.

Her first novel was We the Living. She began writing The Fountainhead in

1935. While writing The Fountainhead, she took a

break in 1937 to write Anthem. She began writing Atlas Shrugged in 1946. Ayn Rand wrote and lectured on her

philosophy of “Objectivism,” which she characterized as “a philosophy for living on earth.”

Ayn Rand died on March 6, 1982, in her New York City apartment.

Every book by Ayn Rand published in her lifetime is still in print, and hundreds of thousands of copies are sold each year, so far totaling more than 25 million.

1905 Ayn Rand (“Alissa Rosenbaum”) is born.1914 Rand decides that she wants to become a writer.1917 In order to escape the Russian Revolution, her family flees for Crimea.1924 Rand graduates from the University of Petrograd.1925 Rand leaves the Soviet Union and travels to America.1929 Ayn Rand marries Frank O’Connor.1932 Rand sells her first screenplay, Red Pawn, to Universal Studios.1933 Rand completes her first novel, We the Living.1936 We the Living is finally published in the United States.1937 Rand writes Anthem in a few weeks.1943 The Fountainhead is published.1945 The Fountainhead becomes a bestseller.1946 Rand begins Atlas Shrugged.1947 Anthem is finally published in the United States.1957 Atlas Shrugged is published in the United States.1979 Her husband, Frank O’Connor, dies.1982 Ayn Rand dies.1985 The Ayn Rand Institute is established in California.1999 The US Postal Service issues an Ayn Rand postage stamp.1999 The Ayn Rand Institute publishes Russian Writing on Hollywood, Rand’s first

formal writings.

Timeline of Ayn Rand’s Life

About Anthem Anthem is one of Ayn Rand's earlier works. It warns of the fears of Collectivism that characterize

Objectivism. The novel is set in the future and has a universal, timeless

feel in its characterization of an ideal character's struggle against a monolithic state.

In the relatively short novella, Rand sets the individual against the collective and concludes that the rational celebration of self is the only avenue through which technological and societal progress can occur without the suppression of free will.

More About Anthem As in the case of many contemporary writers of

dystopian/anti-utopian fiction, Rand initially wrote her novel as a warning against Soviet Communism before the end of World War II.

Rand rejected all forms of Collectivism as inherently flawed, a conclusion that undoubtedly had roots in her experiences in early twentieth-century Russia.

Unsurprisingly, given her background, Rand was a staunch opponent of Communism before and during the Cold War.

She undoubtedly had the pro-socialist elements of the West in mind as well as some of the more socialist elements of FDR's New Deal when she wrote Anthem.

In her view, Collectivism led inevitably to the persecution of people with original ideas, as well as to the punishment of the able by forcing them to serve the state.

And More About Anthem As demonstrated in Anthem, Rand believed that too much

focus on the state led only to the erasure of human rights, and through the narrator's search for the Unspeakable Word, and through the collectivist naming system, she also echoes the Soviet use of propaganda.

Rand believed that a collectivist society would regress into a repetition of the Dark Ages, further adding to the dystopian nature of her collectivist state.

In Anthem, the protagonist & narrator (Equality 7-2521) is the embodiment of many Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution values of individualism and progress.

Ayn Rand's writings have become popular in American society because she implicitly celebrates the emphasis on the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as declared in the American Revolution.

What is an “anthem”? Anthem: a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism The National Anthem of the United States is “The

Star-Spangled Banner.” The lyrics come from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott

Key during the War of 1812. It has 4 stanzas, but only the 1st is traditionally sung. It was officially recognized by the Navy in 1889 and was made

the National Anthem by Congress and President Herbert Hoover in 1931.

It represents the values of America: Freedom Patriotism, Justice Bravery, Confidence Victory, Triumph, Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Based on this information, why do you think Ayn Rand entitled her book Anthem?

Genre: Anti-Utopian/Dystopian Fiction Definition:

Depicts a (generally futuristic) society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian.

It has underlying cautionary tones, warning society that if we continue to live how we do, this will be the consequence.

It is regarded as a negative utopia and is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian (ex: communism) form of government.

Dystopias usually feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and constant states of warfare or violence.

Dystopias often explore the concept of technology going "too far" and how humans individually and en masse use technology.

A dystopian society is also often characterized by mass poverty for most of its inhabitants and a large military-like police force.

Rand’s Version of the Anti-Utopia/Dystopia: Ayn Rand did not believe it was possible to have a society that is

tyrannical, yet has a highly technological economy. She held that economic progress depends upon freedom, that the uncoerced mind is the source of technology, prosperity, and progress. Thus the collectivist society she depicts is stagnant and primitive.

Collectivism vs. Objectivism Collectivism – a form of communism; the

subjugation of the individual to the group – whether to a race, class, or state does not matter. In Anthem, Ayn Rand will present a collectivist society that is stagnant and primitive, and the word "I" is obsolete.

The individual . . .is owned by the group

has no right to a private existence

has no right to lead his own life, pursue his own happiness, or use his own property

exists only as part of the group

Collectivism vs. Objectivism Objectivism/Individualism –regards 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 or woman is an individual and has the same rights.The individual . . .

has rightswill not run anyone else’s life, nor let anyone run theirswill not rule or be ruledwill not be a master nor a slavewill not sacrifice themselves to anyone, nor sacrifice anyone to themselves

Communism Background Information Communism - a government

where the desires of the group are more important than the individual.

People share work fairly and are paid equally.

The word “Communism” comes from the Latin word “Communis” which means common or belonging to all.

Goal: to get rid of social classes & make everything fair for everyone.

Red Scare in the U.S.In US history, the term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong anti-communism: the First Red Scare, from 1917 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The Scares were characterized by the fear that communism would upset the capitalist social order in the United States; the First Red Scare feared worker revolution and political radicalism, the Second Red Scare feared (national and foreign) communists infiltrating the Federal Government.

Anthem: Key Facts, Symbols, & MotifsSetting - Sometime in the distant future, after the collapse of the social order because of the common acceptance of collectivist values; location is in an unidentified city

Protagonist - Equality 7-2521

Point of View – First Person (Plural); Equality’s POV

Symbols - Light; the forest; manuscripts

Motifs - Darkness and light/ ignorance and knowledge/ transgression and damnation

Themes of Anthem Individualism or Egoism (celebration of self):

Equality 7-2521 struggles throughout the novel with his growing desire to spend time alone, to write for his own benefit, and to create at his own leisure and for his own purposes.

Dangers of Collectivism: The World Council of Scholars embodies one of the chief evils of

Collectivism, which is the inability of a collective government to come to a conclusion and take action on behalf of the society it governs.

Martyrs as Heroes: A martyr is one who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to

further a belief, cause, or principle.   Creativity & Originality:

Rand believed a man’s value rests in the originality of his mind as expressed in his work, and the value of his work resides in his personal investment in it.

Love and Friendship: Rand thinks love and friendship are not simply an irrational attachment to

another human being. Instead, they are the result of the mutual recognition of like-minded individuals.