Anthem

· Sold by Penguin
4.1
39 reviews
Ebook
272
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Anthem is Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a dystopian future of the great “We”—a world that deprives individuals of a name or independence—that anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

They existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one—the great WE.

In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.

“I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.”—Ayn Rand

Ratings and reviews

4.1
39 reviews
Imee Paterno
December 19, 2014
Anthem written by Ayn Rand is a dystopian fiction novella. In the year 1996, Anthem was published by Signet Publications in New York. Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and Collectivism has received numerous amounts of praise worldwide. Readers will utterly have zero interest. Rand’s Anthem is not for everyone in the ages ranging from eleven to nineteen due to the lack of thrill the book provides. Anthem is about a protagonist named Equality 7-2521, a twenty-one year old street-sweeper living in the society. Equality 7-2521 seeked knowledge. In the book, Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future; the world seemed to have lost all technology and knowledge we have today. In this time, they had no forms of electricity and machinery, despite being in the future. It seems as if it has taken one step forward, then five steps backwards. The society was isolated; they had no other contacts outside world. The book preaches collectivism rather than individualism. “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE. One, indivisible and forever.” (Rand 19). The people in the society refers to themselves as “we” never “I”. All the citizens’ decisions have alre
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Kelli Huynh
December 20, 2014
Anthem Review Anthem, by Ayn Rand, was published on April 10, 1997 by Signet, a division of Penguin Group (USA). Like many of Rand’s other works, this novella focuses on the idea of objectivism. The idea of reading non-fiction stories about the past may seem interesting, but this novella is not a book for everyone. Readers today may be uninterested with this work of literature. Anthem is a novella that is indirectly based off of the author’s life in Russia. The people in this book are forced to listen to their leaders and come together as a whole. “‘We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.”’ This quote on page 19 of the book shows that the society shows no sense of individualism. There are no “I”, and “me” mentioned in the book. The people in the society follow the lifestyles that are planned for them by their leaders. They are to do nothing, but obey the laws. The main character of the story is Equality 7-2521. He is the only one rebellious enough to go against the leaders and explore other parts of the world. Equality 7-2521 tries to create new things and show it to the World of Councils, but his plan fails when t
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alysia gritz
December 19, 2014
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novel written by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 published for the first time in 1938 in England. It takes place at an unnamed future date when humans have entered into another dark age characterized by irrational ideas and actions, collectivism, and socialistic thinking. Technological advancement is carefully planned and the idea of individuality has been eliminated.Equality 7-2521 is a man who is set apart from his society. Since the "Great Rebirth" it has been a crime in this world of his to think or act as an individual. Even love is forbidden. Yet, since he was a young child in the Home of the Infants, Equality 7-2521 has felt that he is different. When he is sent by the Council of Vocations to work as a street sweeper, he stumbles upon an old tie of the old world that gives him the push he needs to break free. The book title is perfect because you could say it is anthem of individualism. Ayn Rand's Anthem is a short but sententious exploration of the dynamism of the words ‘we‘ and ‘I‘. It shows how much each of these words can elicit congeniality leading to maltreatment that could prove unpropitious to humanity.
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About the author

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.

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