Unit 2: The Journey
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________
Teacher’s Name: ________________________________________________
1
Anthem: Anticipation Guide
DIRECTIONS: Before reading Anthem, read the following statements. Decide whether you agree or
disagree with each statement and check the appropriate column. Then, write your thoughts
explaining why you agree or disagree.
Agree
Disagree
____
____
1. The individual is more important than the group.
____
____
2. It is better to conform than to be different.
____
____
3. When we believe something strongly, we should stand up for our belief no
matter the cost.
____
____
4. We exist to benefit and serve society.
____
____
5. Some knowledge is too dangerous to be revealed to society, thus should be
kept secret.
____
____
6. If an individual does not believe the laws of the society to be ethical or moral,
he then has the right to defy these laws.
____
____
7. A group’s needs are more important than an individual’s needs.
____
____
8. Some emotions are better not felt.
2
Anthem: Personal Glossary
Start a personal glossary in which you explain the following terms.
Provide textual evidence and page numbers.
TERM
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND Page #
The Great Truth
The Unmentionable Times
The Uncharted Forest
The Evil Ones
The Great Rebirth
3
Anthem: Personal Glossary
Start a personal glossary in which you explain the following terms.
Provide textual evidence and page numbers.
TERM
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE AND Page #
COLLECTIVISM
INDIVIDUALISM
ALTRUISM
EGOISM
CONFORMITY
INDEPENDENCE
OBEDIENCE
4
Anthem: Concepts to Consider
Use a highlighter or underline important information for each concept. Be
sure to put into your own words on the right.
COMMUNISM
Key points in my own words:
Communism is an international political movement and a political
and economic system that has its origins in the philosophy of Karl
Marx. Also referred to as Marxism, it is a socialist philosophy that
calls for an international revolt of workers against capitalism to bring
about a workers' utopia.
The term communism originated among secret revolutionary groups
in Paris in the 1830s and referred both to a political movement of the
working class in a capitalist society and to a projected form of society
that would come into existence after the workers came to power
through class struggle. In a communist society, the community owns
political and economic power, and the wealth is distributed among the
people according to need
In 1917, one of Marx's most ardent admirers, Vladimir Lenin, led a
group of revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks in overthrowing the
existing monarchy in Russia, establishing in its place the world's first
communist government.
INDIVIDUALISM VS. COLLECTIVISM
Key points in my own words:
The principal political issue in Anthem – and in society at large
– is the issue of individualism vs. collectivism. The society
depicted in Anthem is a collectivist society. “Collectivism,” Ayn
Rand wrote, “means the subjugation of the individual to the
group – whether to a race, class or state does not matter.” In
such a society, the individual is owned by the group; he has no
right to a private existence, which means no right to lead his
own life, pursue his own happiness or use his own property.
The individual exists only as part of the group, and his worth is
determined by his service to the group. The alternative to
collectivism is individualism, the view advocated by Ayn Rand.
“Individualism,” she wrote, “regards man – 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 is an individual and
has the same rights. “An individualism is a man who says: “I
will not run anyone’s life – nor let anyone run mine. I will not
rule or be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave. I will not
sacrifice myself to anyone – nor sacrifice anyone to myself.”
5
Anthem: Concepts to Consider
Use a highlighter or underline important information for each concept. Be
sure to put into your own words on the right.
SELFLESSNESS
Key points in my own words:
Anthem dramatizes Ayn Rand’s view that the self is destroyed in a
collectivist society. How is the lack of self—or selflessness—
shown? No one has a personal name, for, under collectivism,
individuals are interchangeable. To prefer one person to another
(as a friend or romantic partner) is to commit the cardinal sin: the
Transgression of Preference. As in Nazi or Communist societies, it
is wrong to disagree, to have independent thoughts, even to ask
questions, because to do those things sets one apart from others.
Self-assertion is forbidden. All decisions are made by the Council
in the name of the whole. Individuals have no rights. No individual
choice is allowed by the government: “Everything which is not
permitted by law is forbidden.” Anthem depicts what happens to a
society that implements selflessness. The result, according to Ayn
Rand, is a subhuman society: what makes human beings human
is having a self, which means having a mind. A selfless individual
is a mindless individual. To practice selflessness, one must
abstain from thinking and obey one’s masters. To practice
collectivism, one must merge himself into the group, and the only
way to do this is to obliterate individual identity and individual
thought. The result is the kind of society found in Anthem, a
society of mindless robots, people with no motivation, no ambition,
no hope. They are unable to create anything, and the society they
live in has no room for creativity.
EGOISM
Key points in my own words:
If lacking an ego means that one has become a robot, what, for Ayn
Rand, is the exact meaning of egoism? Egoism means “concern with
one’s own interests.” It means that oneself, rather than others, is the
proper beneficiary of one’s action. Equality 7-2521 is egoistic. He
lives for his own happiness; he doesn’t sacrifice himself to others, nor
does he sacrifice others to himself. The egoism he manifests is
exactly what the leaders try to eradicate: ambition, wanting things
for oneself, wanting to learn, wanting a career that makes him
happy, loving someone, thinking for himself. Equality 7-2521
represents the unconquerable human spirit, the affirmation of life. In
contrast, almost all of his fellow citizens are gray, passive, nonentities; as such, they are the living dead. Chapter 11 ends with “This
one god, this one word: ‘I,’” and the final words of the book refer to
the “sacred word: EGO.” Does this mean that egoism is a religion,
with the worship of God replaced by the worship of self? No. Ayn
Rand has said that she chose the title Anthem “because this is my
hymn to man’s ego.” For Ayn Rand, the self is like a god, but is not a
god in the religious sense. The ego or self is a “god” in that it is one’s
highest value, the source of what is good in life on Earth.
6
Anthem: Concepts to Consider
Use a highlighter or underline important information for each concept. Be
sure to put into your own words on the right.
FREE WILL
Key points in my own words:
One of the oldest and most important philosophic issues is the
problem of free will vs. determinism. Those like Ayn Rand, who
advocate free will, contend that people can make choices, can
make up their own mind, can make decisions, can direct their
own lives by the ideas and values they adopt. Those who
advocate determinism contend that people are by nature in the
grip of forces beyond their control, that their beliefs and values
are the result of some force such as God, other people, the
stars, economic conditions, instincts or one’s racial heritage.
Anthem shows what it means to have free will, and it does so in
a particularly interesting way. It depicts a world where people’s
lives seem to be determined but it’s actually a world where
people have free will. Students often believe that in Anthem
only the heroic characters have free will, that the masses are
indeed brainwashed, with no power to control their own lives.
However, as Ayn Rand presents them, even those who submit
to the authorities have free will. They are robots, but they are
robots by choice: they were not forced to obey; they do so
because they voluntarily abdicated the responsibility to think for
themselves. They are depressed, without hope or ambition;
they make no effort to accomplish anything; they merely obey
and go along with orders. Ayn Rand holds that free will means
“the choice to think or not.” Most of the citizens have chosen
not to think, which leaves them no alternative but to do
whatever they’re told to do. How is free will manifested in
Anthem? Prometheus relies on his own judgment rather than
take the beliefs of his leaders as automatically true. His
rediscovery of electricity is the prime example of free will: he
himself initiates the thinking required to understanding the
world around him; this is what makes him independent. Neither
he nor his friends are bound by tradition. That the past is
“unmentionable” does not prevent them from mentioning it; that
the forest beyond their city is “uncharted” does not prevent
them from reaching it. And this is the ultimate meaning of a
free-will approach to life: the future is open to man; what you
attain is up to you; your values and your ultimate happiness are
achievable. In Ayn Rand’s view, man has the power to think
and direct his life; he isn’t doomed to a life of despair and
defeat. If he is willing to rely on himself rather than be pushed
by events, he can, like the heroic characters in Anthem achieve
self-confidence.
7
Name _______________________________________________________
Freshmen English CP
Anthem Reading Guide
Chapter 1
As you read the first chapter, list some of the Houses to which a person could live or be sent.
What is the narrator’s “name”? How is he identified?
What characteristic makes the narrator more identifiable in a crowd? Why is the narrator considered cursed?
Who controls the society?
What is the Great Truth?
If the reader considers current society/modern times, the “time of evil’ what would be some of the things they
would want abolished or removed from society?
What crime is the narrator committing and what is the likely punishment for his crime?
Make an inference: Why will the narrator not be assigned to the Home of the Scholars?
What is the other name given to current society?
What profession would have suited the narrator better?
8
Chapter 2
Who is introduced in Chapter 2 and what limitations are placed on their contact?
What is the latest sin in the list of growing sins and how are they not caught?
What indicates there is jealousy on the part of Equality?
Why is Equality 7-2521 reprimanded?
What word can’t anyone speak? Why? What happens to those who speak the word?
Chapter 3-4
What does Equality discover in this chapter? How important is this discovery?
Why is Equality frustrated with the Council of Scholars beliefs?
Why does Equality fight against them?
What name does Liberty 5-3000 choose for Equality? Why is it appropriate?
When Liberty 5-3000 brings water to Equality and he drinks it, what emotion is he feeling? Why doesn’t he
understand what he’s feeling?
9
Chapter 5-6
Describe the emotion that Equality is feeling at the beginning of chapter 5.
Discuss Equality’s main motivation for creating his new invention.
Discuss why Equality is so interested in seeing his own image at this point in the novel. Discuss the emotion
he is feeling.
What does Equality expect will happen if he shows his discovery to the council?
Discuss why the Prisoners never think to escape from the palace of corrective detentions.
Chapter 7
How does council react to the box at first?
Explain what Equality means when he says, “We are old now, yet we were young this morning.”
What does Scholars Council decide to do with the box?
Where does Equality 7-2521 run to?
Chapter 8-9
What is Equality experiencing for the first time this morning? How does he feel as a result of this experience?
Why does Equality laugh when he realizes he is the damned?
What does the uncharted forest symbolize in Anthem?
10
Does Equality have to worry about being followed by the others? Explain.
Equality questions the morality of his former society. Contrast what he was previously taught about solitude,
good, evil, and joy to what he now believes.
Chapter 10-11
Describe the house and its contents, then explain why Liberty and Equality find it so strange.
What great discovery does Equality make in this chapter?
Explain what the following quotations mean in your own words and discuss how they can be applied to your
life:
“Whatever the road I take, the guiding star is within me.”
“For the word ‘we’ must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as second thought.”
What does Equality now realize is the proper goal and purpose of his life?
In what ways is “I” like a god? Explain.
Re-read the incident with the story of the pyre. What was he trying to communicate with Equality?
What are the first words Liberty 5-3000 speaks to Equality 7-2521 after they discover the forbidden word?
What is Ego?
11
Chapter 12
Why do the characters take the new names of Prometheus and Gaea?
Discuss why they weren’t allowed to choose their own names in their old society.
Discuss what Prometheus plans to do in the future and how this is different from his old society.
Prometheus realizes that to be free a man must be free of his brothers. List 2-3 examples from Anthem that
illustrate the truth of this statement.
12
Anthem: Journal Topics for Fishbowl
Throughout reading the novel, chart textual evidence to support answer to
the question.
Journal 1: Would you want to live in this society? Why or why not? What would
be the benefits to living in this society? What would be the downfalls of living in this
society?
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
Journal 2: Equality 7-2521 was taught as a child to recite a pledge which states,
“We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers we are 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? Explain your answer.
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
13
Anthem: Journal Topics for Fishbowl
Throughout reading the novel, chart textual evidence to support answer to
the question.
Journal 3: Equality 7-2521 suddenly found that he was happy to be alive. Why?
Are you happy to be alive? Explain.
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
Journal 4: Equality 7-2521 first experiences a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Why was he excited about this? Have you ever created something of which you
were proud? Tell about it.
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
14
Anthem: Journal Topics for Fishbowl
Throughout reading the novel, chart textual evidence to support answer to
the question.
Journal 5: Describe Equality 7-2521’s first day in the uncharted 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?
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
Journal 6: Discuss the word “we” in this book. Do you think it is harmful to for men
to be treated as if they are not individuals, but instead just a part of a group?
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
15
Anthem: Journal Topics for Fishbowl
Throughout reading the novel, chart textual evidence to support answer to
the question.
Journal 7: Explain one of the following quotes and discuss in your own words how
they can be applied to your life.
“Whatever road I take the guiding star is with me.”
--OR-“For the word ‘we’ must never be spoken save by one’s choice and as a
second thought”
Opinion
Evidence from text (include page #)
16