Anthem Study Guide

In what is Equality writing? (i.e., what format is he writing?)

Diary, first person; stolen paper

Describe Equality's physical appearance.

6 feet tall

What is Equality's curse?

Being 6 feet tall because they are too tall and stand out

Compare the Home of the Infants, the Home of the Students, and the Home of the Street Sweepers.

Home of the Infants- where they lived until they were 5, children born in the same year, everything was clean and white, everyone was similar. Home of the students- ten years of learning; Home of the Sweet Sweepers- where all of the sweep sweepers live. All very routine

Why was Equality pleased with his Life Mandate?

Equality was guilty but now he had a way to atone for it by living in equality with his fellow brothers

Describe a typical day in Equality's life.

Wake up, eat breakfast, clean the streets, eat lunch, clean the streets, eat dinner, then go to one of the halls for the Social meeting

What is ironic about the Social Meeting?

They stay in their "groups" and don't socialize with brothers of other trades, they are spoken to, they aren't social

Why are friends forbidden?

One should not love one brother more than another

What is Equality's crime?

Shows preference over other people but his name is equality so it's ironic; he has his own thoughts

Why does Equality feel no shame in committing his crime?

He doesn't feel like he is doing anything wrong; has little emotion in the beginning of the book, should not feel anything- shame is a feeling

Describe the government and institutions where Equality lives.

Collectivism; individuality is nonexistent. Everything is a routine

What does Equality mean when he says, "They"?

Liberty

Who is Liberty and what does she do?

A girl that Equality took notice of; She works the soil and lives in the Home of the Peasants beyond the city

What is a Transgression of Preference? How did Equality commit such a transgression or transgressions?

A sin or error in showing preference to someone. Preferred Liberty and went over and talked to her, he realizes the transgression and knows that he is different. Also when he wanted to be accepted into the home of the scholars

What is the Time of Mating? Why does Equality think being sent to the Palace of Mating as being a "shameful matter"?

The time each spring when all the men, older than 20, and women, older than 18, are sent for one night to the City Palace of Mating. The girls mature earlier. Parents and children never see each other. You don't know the person. He's uncomfortable

How are children raised in Equality's society?

In the Home of the Infants and the Home of the Students

Why doesn't Liberty want Equality to be one of her brothers?

She is attracted to him

Why does Equality care about Liberty's age?

Since she is 17, he does not want her to be sent to the Palace of Mating next year

What is wrong with Equality's brothers?

They are in fear, have nightmares. Their nightmares are normal to us but different to equality

Why is Equality afraid of the Uncharted Forest?

People who enter are perish from hunger and from the claws of the wild beast which roam the forest

What are the Unmentionable Times?

People fought the Evil Ones and the Evil Ones were conquered. Then great fires burned the evil ones and the things made by the evil ones. And the fire was called The Dawn of the Great Rebirth

What is the punishment for speaking the Unspeakable Word?

Put to death

What has Equality discovered and what has he learned from it?

Electricity; causes the needle on the compass move, causes electricity, metal draws the power of the sky

Why does Equality think that the Council of Scholars is blind?

He has more knowledge than the Council of Scholars, much more to learn, stuff the council does not understand does not matter, they don't take risks, narrow-minded, don't accept change,

A euphemism is defined as "the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also : the expression so substituted" For example, Equality is not assigned a job; he is given a "Life Mandate". What other euphemisms have you discovered in this book?

The Palace of Mating, Home of Infants, Home of Students, Home of the Useless, Unmentionable times

What name has Equality given to Liberty? Why?

The Golden One. She is special to him and stands out from the other brothers

Do you think that the name is appropriate? Why or why not?

What name has Liberty given to Equality?

The Unconquered. Yes because Equality is foreign to her and she is not used to him

What is Liberty's Life Mandate?

Planting seeds

What did Equality intend to do with his discovery?

Present it to the World Council of Scholars and they will forgive him because he thinks the gift is greater than his transgressions.

What is the World Council of Scholars and why is it significant?

A great council, to which the wisest of all of the lands are elected, and it meets once a year in the different cities on earth.

Why now does Equality feel the need to guard his tunnel?

If anyone heard of his secret, they would neither understand nor believe him

Why does Equality want, for the first time, to know what he looks like?

He wants to figure more out about himself, his body, and the world

Why was Equality put in the Palace of Corrective Detention?

He was late to the theater and refused to tell anyone where he was instead

How was he treated in the Palace?

Poorly, he was beaten until he would tell people where he was

Why was he able to escape from the Palace, and why was it suddenly necessary to escape?

Broke down the door, it was not a guarded Palace. The next day, the World Council of Scholars was meeting in his cities. To share Equality's discovery

Why did Equality not try to escape earlier?

He just now figured out the alternative to collectivism, and he can defy the council

In this chapter, how does Equality refer to the pages that he has been writing?

As his confession; does not want to share with anyone because he was told not to

Why does Equality say, " We are old now, yet we were young this morning . . .?"

The day was difficult and it caused him to mature, and accept reality. Before he thought he knew a lot, but later he realized he did not fully know everything. Since his ideas were not embraced he is considered useless, the elders are also considered useless.

What happened when Equality presented his discovery to the World Council of Scholars?

Were afraid; they jumped to their feet and huddled together against a wall

40. When Ayn Rand writes, "for their eyes were still, and small, and evil," what does she really mean? How do you know this?

That the council refuses to open up their eyes and try other things such as individualism; judgmental, all seeing, all knowing, evil individual, concentrated, . She is referring to Russia and how her society was when she was growing up

Why is the World Council of Scholars concerned about Equality's very?

It would ruin the department of candles, which would wreck the Plans of the World Council, and without the plans of the World Council the sun cannot rise

Where does Equality go and why?

The Uncharted Forest because no one will follow him there to destroy his box. The first time he wont be judged. Goes to the forest for survival, solitude

Why does Equality experience a pride in eating?

He was satisfied that he found the food he needed and killed it by hand

What else does Equality discover in the Forest?

The river where he saw his reflection

Why is he not concerned about being one of the Damned?

He does not think anything will happen to him, just means being expelled from society so it does not matter to him. The people that told him about that he know smore than so it doesn't matter

Who follows Equality into the Forest and why?

Liberty because she wanted to be with Equality

What discoveries do they make in the Forest?

Bow and arrow to kill their own food with

What does Equality seem to be searching for?

Why does he keep writing?

Equality is turning more towards individualism and collectivism because he is becoming more independent since he has entered the forest

What discovery do they make in this chapter - left over from the Unmentionable Times?

The house

What does Equality seem to be searching for?

Why does he keep writing?

His independence

So he can share his feelings

"I am. I think. I will" What is the significance of those words? Explain fully.

It is the first time Equality began to think of himself as an individual and not as a whole with this brothers and sisters. He is becoming independent, but with that happening it shows the formation of his new ego.

Discuss any three of the precepts which Equality adopts as his guide to life? Do you see any similarity between them and the thoughts of the transcendentalists? Explain fully.

"And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire..." Equality believes that coming together as a whole is beneficial, but the individual also earned alone time. He believes that not all things should be done as a group. This is similar to the thoughts of transcendentalists because they believed society corrupted an individual's purity. They believe that true communities can only be formed when there are real individuals that comprise the community.

Explain what Equality means by the creed of corruption?

'We' is a creed of corruption because it refers to the group, and not an individual. We makes Equality think of the previous times when he had no individual rights and e prefers 'I.'

Why does Equality believe that people require names?

It is not proper for men to be without names because they need to be able to distinguish one from all other men.

What name does he choose for himself and why?

Prometheus because he took the light from the gods and he brought it to men, and he taught men to be gods. However, he suffered for all of his deeds just as Equality did.

What name does he suggest for Liberty and why?

Gaea because the Golden One will be the mother of the new gods just as Gaea was the mother of earth and all of the gods

How is Equality able to learn so much in the House in the Forest?

There are many resources he did not have access to previously such as books

What did Equality learn about slavery and freedom? Why did men give up their freedom once they earned it?

At first man was enslaved by the gods, then by the kings, then his birth, then his kin, then his race. He learned freedom is a right that cannot be taken away. They were so used to being slaves, they did not know how else to live their lives.

59. What is the sacred word and why is it so important?

Ego because it can never die because all men will have an ego and it will carry on.

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