1. Anthem A short but fascinating story by Ayn Rand…

2. Ayn Rand A Russian-American novelist – 1905-1982 Famous for Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We the Living, and Anthem. The founder of Objectivism The co-founder of the Nathaniel Branden Institute, with (duh!) Nathaniel Branden, her married boyfriend.

3. Ayn Rand Born in Russia, lived through the Communist Revolution, moved to US at 21 years old. Severely disagreed with communism. An amazingly zealous advocate for individual rights, regarded any form of statism and collectivism (Nazism, Fascism, Communism, Socialism) as evil. Founded the Objectivist philosophy

4. Ayn Rand The Ayn Rand Institute is still in operation They extol the virtues of Objectivism. They provided our Anthem books. They are politically active, including (to a certain extent) with the Tea Party Movement.

5. Objectivism "Objectivism is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." [ Individual rights are more important than any. Rational, reasonable self-interest is necessary. Profit and success are what run the world. Human intuition and instinct don’t exist. Religion is evil, because it enslaves people’s minds.

6. The Fountainhead The Fountainhead – Howard Roarke, an architect, against the ‘second-handers’, people who live off other people. Roarke refuses to give in and compromise his artistic vision to please others, and after a lot of trouble, eventually succeeds, based on his own unique merit.

7. Atlas Shrugged Atlas Shrugged – What if the real producers in the country went on strike? Dagny Taggart, operator of Taggart Transcontinental railroad, is (like many others) losing her business to outrageous taxes. Then she meets John Galt, a genius who chose to leave U.S. society and to gather other brilliant minds and start a truly capitalist society.

8. Anthem Anthem– What could happen if people lose their individuality to the government? Written in 1937 A dystopian novel set in the future A new dark age of collectivism and socialism So collective that the word “I” has disappeared

9. Anthem Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, lives in a commune where everyone’s lives are controlled by government. Government determines people’s jobs Government determines people’s education Government controls reproduction Everyone lives in government housing – all white, one gender, 100 beds. Technology is evil Thinking is outlawed – only the Council of Scholars is allowed to think.

10. Anthem Anthem is loaded with many symbols Iron bracelets – like manacles Names – crowd anonymity “We” – no individuals White – the lack of different colors 100 beds – groupthink Segregated buildings – stages of life Palace of Corrective detention – no locks

11. Anthem Anthem is loaded with many symbols Battery - power His physical features – he’s different Martyr of the Pyre – death of individuality Light bulb – why not a motor or radio? Mirror – self-awareness Fire – purifying AND destructive Forbidden Forest – allegorical wilderness

12. Anthem In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, she uses a great number of symbols, such as the light bulb, the battery, the iron bracelets, and the names. Choose three symbols to show how Rand uses symbolism to enhance her story beyond the text. Use the Essay Engineer format, start with a general thesis, narrow it to specific, and give three points of evidence to support your position. As always, do not use “I”, me, my, we, us” etc. And don’t even THINK of using “As you can see…”, “This paper will show…” etc.

13. Anthem Second Draft… No sentence fragments No comma splices No run-on sentences No outlawed words Any of these equals a letter grade on final draft Follows the spirit of the Essay Engineer Has evolved past the example words of the Essay Engineer (“There are many…” “First,” etc.)