"Anthem" by Ayn Rand essay?

Question

For school i had a few books i needed to read for summer reading and write an essay on. I was just wondering if i could have a little help about what the book "Anthem" teaches us about humankind. please and thank you (:

Answer 1

Hi Ava,

It sounds like you may not have read the book yet - in which case I highly recommend that you do.  It's very short, and it has an interesting message.

Anthem is one of Ayn Rand's earlier works.  She had left Communist Russia when she was probably close to your age.  She had had a difficult life in Russia and it had left a strong impression on her.  She moved to America and experienced capitalism - a free, democratic society where hard work and merit was rewarded.  The comparison between the two societies - one communist and one capitalist - helped shape her philosophy.

Communism and capitalism are economic systems that both say a great deal about humanity.  One speaks to the desire for all humans to have equal share of a society's resources based on their need; and the other speaks to the desire for all humans to have equal *opportunity*, but to be rewarded based on their contribution, not their need.

If you only read the first 5 pages of Anthem, I'm sure you can figure out if the society in Anthem is based on capitalism or communism.  If you read the next 5 pages, you'll probably get a feel for whether Ayn Rand is in favor Anthem's society or if she thinks it's bad.  And from there, you can probably start writing your essay.  Good luck, Ava!