Anthem – Literary Analysis Essay
Select one of the questions listed below and respond in essay form with an introductory paragraph, 2-3 short
body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Make sure that each response answers all parts of the
question, includes direct evidence (quotations) to support your claims, and provides enough contextualization
and explanation to add clarity and depth to your work. Tip: Each option includes multiple questions, so you
could consider answering each part of the question in its own body paragraph.
1. The first-person pronoun “I” is forbidden in this society. Why is mentioning this word the only crime
punishable by death? How is this word in direct conflict with the ideals of this society? What could this
discovery lead to? Why are the elders so afraid? What is Rand’s message to the reader?
2. Why does the Council of Vocations assign Equality 7-2521 the job of street sweeper? Is it due to an
error, incompetence, or a more sinister motive? What is Rand trying to communicate about the
collective will of those in power?
3. Aside from very rare exceptions (Equality, the Saint at the Pyre) there is literally no opposition to the
leaders in this society. Why is this? What ideas must these men have accepted to live a life of obedience,
drudgery and fear? What does Rand suggest about the power of conformity and collectivism?
4. What do you think Equality’s main motivation is for creating his new invention? He later says. “We
have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box for the good of our brothers. We have built it for its
own sake.” Explain what he means by this. What is Rand’s position on the power of the individual and
our intellect?
5. What does Equality finally understand about his society when the Council threatens to destroy his
invention? Does the World Council of Scholars reject Equality only because he is different or for some
additional reason? What is it about Equality, specifically, that they are so opposed to, and what do you
think motivates their opposition toward him? What is Rand’s commentary on authoritarianism?
6. On page 68, Equality says, ‘We are old now, but we were young this morning.” Walking into the forest,
he feels his life is coming to a close; however, on page 78-79, he awakes and acts like a child discovering
something new and joyful. How would you explain this behaviour? What new understanding has he
gained and what is he experiencing for the first time? Why do you think Rand writes this scene in this
way?
7. Re-read the second paragraph on page 95, beginning: “I know not…” What does Equality now realize is
the proper goal and purpose of his life? What is Rand’s message to the reader? Do you agree?
8. Why did Ayn Rand re-name Equality 7-252 (later The Unconquered) Prometheus? How are the
characters from the novella and classical mythology alike? OR Why did Ayn Rand re-name Liberty 53000 (later The Golden One): Gaea? How are the characters from the novella and classical mythology
alike?
9. At the end of the story, Prometheus has discovered the importance of will-power, self-determination,
and names. He chooses his own name, but he chooses for The Golden One, renaming her Gaea. This
seems both hypocritical and contradictory to the central message of the author. What might Ayn Rand
have been trying to communicate about Prometheus, their relationship, and/or gender relations in
general?
10. Consider both the title of the novella (Anthem) and the final, sacred word (“Ego”). Neither of these
words appear anywhere else in the text. However, they are crucial to understanding the concept and
overall message of the author. In what way is this story an Anthem (or a celebratory song) dedicated to
the Ego, which Rand defines as the “essential you” and “your intellect”?
Introductory Paragraph (Overview)
o
Textual Bridge: Introduce the title, author, and form of each text included in your work.
o
Summary: Briefly summarize the texts in no more than 1-2 sentences each.
o
Thesis statement: Outline the purpose of your essay including focus of each body paragraph
** Note: this is a typical intro and is more a requirement than a suggestion. You could do more than is
included here, but you should not do less. This is about as bare bones as an intro should be. You must
write your essay as though the reader has not read and is not familiar with the texts.
Body Paragraphs (Some Suggestions)
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Topic Sentence/Point: make your point – may use transitions to explain connections to previous
paragraphs and develop a logical flow of ideas
o
Contextualization: Explain the context of the upcoming quotation, so the reader understands the
who, what, where, when and why of direct evidence used.
o
Integration of Evidence: Ensure your sentence doesn’t start and end with quotation marks (i.e. The
author explains, “….”; The character describes, “…”; The audience is told “…”; etc.).
o
Explanation: After providing textual evidence (quotations), you should explain how your evidence
proves your point. Your explanation may take more than one sentence, depending on how much you
have to say.
o
Conclusion/Transition: transition to the next body paragraph – this could happen in the first
sentence of your next paragraph too, but some logical progression of ideas is suggested.
** Note: The components above can be moved around and/or combined into single sentences – i.e. the
evidence could come before you make your point, or the contextualization could be used to integrate a
quotation into a text. But these are the cornerstones of a solid body paragraph and should be
incorporated into your writing.
Concluding Paragraph (Overview)
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Provide explanation for the importance of the analysis you have explained. Why is it
important to consider? What might the author’s intentions be? Why is this still so impactful today?
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Answer: Why should your reader care? What does this have to do with you, me, us as humans? How
does this connect to the human experience and our common humanity?
o
Make sure to close with a “clincher” sentence – a commentary on the importance of literature
and tragedies, or the ideas of the play and your essay to end on a powerful note or conclusion.
**Note: some of these suggestions are (more or less) the same ideas expressed in different ways – it is
not necessary for you to do all of them individually, but rather that your final paragraph gets to the
essence of what the play is about and how it addresses our common humanity.