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by Ayn Rand

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Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905

Ayn Rands Background

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Taught herself toread at age 6

Knew at age 9 she

wanted to be awriter

She had a strongfamily relationshipand comfortablechildhood

Ayn Rands Background

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During her teenage years, Russia

became a country of violent civilwars.

Ayn detested this and saw it as

pointless

The new Communist governmenttook over her fathers pharmacy

and the family almost starved todeath

They moved out of St. Petersburg

to avoid the fighting

Ayn Rands Background

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During her last year in high school, shewas introduced to American history

She believed America to be a modelnation of free men

She graduated from college in 1924; sheloved everything Western (European andAmerican) and hated everything Russian.

Late in 1925, she received permission toleave Russia to visit relatives in theUnited States

She never returned to Russia.

Ayn Rands Background

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She worked in Hollywood andwrote screenplays.

Her novels are world famous; themost well-known ones are

Anthem, The Fountainhead, andAtlas Shrugged.

She developed the Randian

hero This is a hero whose ability

and desire for independencecauses conflict within society.This hero never gives up until

he is successful.

Ayn Rands Work

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Type of work: Novella (simpler than a

novel but more complicated than ashort story)

Genre: Anti-Utopian

History: Written in the US in 1937

Narrator: Equality 7-2521 writes ajournal of events as they happen overthe course of several months

Anthem

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Point of View: First person plural narrator refers to himself as

we instead of I

Tone: Equality 7-2521 is honest and direct no irony, nosarcasm

Setting (time): The distant future, after the collapse of societyas we know it

Setting (place): Unidentified city, underground tunnel,forbidden forest

Anthem

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Anti-Utopian Literature:

Presents the world/society as it should NOT be

Mankind has entered a Dark Age

The theories of Collectivism / Selflessness rules

The theories of Individuality / Objectivism has been eliminated

Anthem

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Collectivism is the lossof being an individualand becoming part of agroup.

A person does not existas a single being butonly as part of a group.

Any word that shows anindividual (I, me, mine,my) cant be used.Instead, use we usthey

Collectivism

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The individual is controlled by the group.

has no right to a private life.

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

own anything of his own. exists only as part of a group.

The only thing that matters is the common good.

We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only thegreat WE, One Group, indivisible and forever.

Collectivism

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Anthemstresses selflessnessor without self. The idea of

self, of being a person, isdestroyed in a collectivistsociety.

It is shown the following ways:

No one has a personal namebecause individuals aresubstitutable.

To prefer one person over another as a friend or partner isforbidden. No one person is morespecial than another.

It is wrong to disagree, to havepersonal thoughts/opinions, or toask questions.

All decisions are made by aCouncil for the common good.

No individual rights for anyone.

If something hasnt beenspecifically approved, it should beconsidered forbidden.

Selflessness

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The idea of individualism believes every person is an independentbeing who has a right to his own life and thoughts/opinions.

It is the belief that everyone is equal and has the same rights.

The individual

has rights.

will not run anyone elses life or let anyone run his. will not rule others or be ruled by others.

will not be a master or a slave.

will not sacrifice himself to anyone unless he wants to

Individualism

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Individualism believes that acivilized society can only existthrough the recognition of peopleas individuals.

Every person exists for himself firstand others second.

He must exist for his own survival

and put himself first. This is notbeing selfish it is rational thought.

The pursuit of his own happiness is

the highest moral purpose of life.

Individualism

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