• Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide Answers By Lindsay Joseph
• Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide Answers
• Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide

Sep 7, 2016 - Anthem—Lesson Plan and Study Guide. © Ayn Rand Institute 2016. The Fountainhead—Lesson Plan and Study Guide. © Ayn Rand Institute.

Anthem is one of 's earlier works, and presages the fears of collectivism that characterize Objectivism and her later work, such as and. The novel is set in the future and has a universal, timeless feel in its characterization of an ideal character's struggle against a monolithic state. Over the course of this relatively short novella, Rand sets the individual against the collective and concludes that the rational celebration of self is the only avenue through which technological and societal progress can occur without the suppression of free will. Rand wrote Anthem in 1937, as a break in her composition of The Fountainhead, and she published it in 1938, with a revised and more commonly read version appearing in 1946. As in the case of many contemporary writers of dystopian fiction, such as George Orwell with, Rand initially wrote her novel as a warning against Soviet Communism before the end of World War II, but did not receive a popular audience until the Russians were no longer wartime allies of Western Europe and the United States.

At the time, some contemporary philosophers still supported the Soviet Union, and even those who saw problems with the regime such as George Orwell believed that less extreme versions such as socialism might still have legitimate value. Rand, on the other hand, rejected all forms of collectivism as inherently flawed, a conclusion that undoubtedly had roots in her experiences in early twentieth-century Russia. Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905, the year which marked the defeat of the Russians by the rising military power of the Japanese. In the same year, domestic troubles combined with increasingly bad news abroad sparked a minor revolution - which proved in many ways a practice run for the future Communist leaders. Twelve years after Rand's birth, the February Revolution caused the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, and eight months later, Lenin led the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution and wrested power away from the more moderate elements.

Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide Answers By Lindsay Joseph

In the upheaval, Rand's family lost their prosperous business and descended into poverty. Rand became increasingly disgusted with the ill effects of Communism and immigrated to the United States in 1926 after the rise of Stalin in the early 1920s - but shortly before the purges of the Communist Party and the mass collectivization of agriculture which led to much conflict among the kulaks, or rich peasants. Unsurprisingly, given her background, Rand was a staunch opponent of Communism before and during the Cold War, and she undoubtedly had the pro-socialist elements of the West in mind as well as some of the more socialist elements of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal when she wrote Anthem. In her view, collectivism led inevitably to the persecution of people with original ideas, as well as to the punishment of the able by forcing them to serve the state. As demonstrated in Anthem, Rand believed that too much focus on the state led only to the erasure of human rights, and through 's search for the Unspeakable Word 'I', and through the collectivist naming system, she also echoes the Soviet use of propaganda, particularly via the Agitprop department of the Communist Party. Unlike Orwell, who portrayed the Soviet future of 1984 as suppressive through the use of technology, Rand believed that a collectivist society would regress into a repetition of the Dark Ages, further adding to the dystopian nature of her collectivist state.

In Anthem, Equality 7-2521 is the embodiment of many Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution values of individualism and progress. Part of the reason why Ayn Rand's writings have become so popular in American society is because she implicitly celebrates American progress in the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century as the result of the thirst for knowledge and of the drive of individuals, as well as of the emphasis on the rights of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' declared in the American Revolution. Equality 7-2521 battles in a mental struggle against the tyranny of the group, and he eventually succeeds against those individuals - such as the Scholars - who take the path of least resistance and uphold the collectivist status quo. He is a typical Randian hero, with a hard, strong body and a fearless, proud, and active mind to match, and in the end, he affirms the right to individually driven production.

How To Cite in MLA Format Wang, Bella. Chazelle, Damien ed. 'Anthem Study Guide'. GradeSaver, 31 July 2009 Web.

Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide Answers

Today we are beginning our unit on Anthem, by Ayn Rand. We are reading this book because it fits in with our unit, Making My Point, and we will be exploring how the main character, Equality, feels compelled to act on his values and beliefs. Not only will we be reading the text, but we will also try to create a similar society in our room by avoiding the use of singular pronouns and getting new names. I am hoping that this will help students understand how Equality, the main character in the text felt living in the dystopian setting in the book.

This lesson focuses on character motivations and conflicts that advance the plot. As my students enter the room today, they will see on the SmartBoard. I am having them select three names today (even though there was no choice in Anthem) because I want them to experience what it might be like to be called by an abstract noun name and set of numbers since this is how the society lived in the text. I'll explain this to them after all of the names have been assigned. After we have assigned all of the names, I will have students create a name tent so that we can keep track of all of the names.

We'll use the name tents in other lessons as well. This is a great way to begin the unit because it helps us to explore one of the themes in the book , the idea of collectivism. This structured name development process will show students how the society in Anthem sought control over the lives of the people. We'll spend just a few minutes previewing the text to get a sense of Ayn Rand and to preview the content of the book. I'll give students about 3 minutes to read the front and back covers and to survey the beginning, middle, and end of the book. I'm having students preview because I think it is necessary to put the book in context and to understand why the author may have chosen to write about this society in this way. In this part of the lesson, I will also explain the idea of collectivism.

I will tell my students that we will try not to use the word, 'I' while we are reading the book because in this society, there is no 'I'; we are all one. Here is where I will explain the idea of so that they understand the philosophy of the society in Anthem. I'm thinking there will be some looks of astonishment and some will think that I have finally lost my mind, but I will be very explicit about why we will attempt to mimic the society. The reason is that we live in a completely different society, and I want my students to experience the discomfort that collectivism may cause. I'll take some time to answer the multitude of questions that I am expecting after students realize that I this is not a joke. I plan to answer the questions they ask very simply: 'Because we are one.' For this part of the lesson, we will read chapter one together in a shared reading.

Anthem Lesson Plans And Study Guide

In a shared reading, the teacher or a student reads aloud while the rest of the students read along with a copy of the text. During the shared reading, the reader shares his/her thinking aloud as well to model comprehension and analysis. I am modeling the process that students will continue as they read portions of the book on their own.

I will also pass out an that I created from. Today, we will try to determine the transgressions and sins of the narrator in order to understand how these interactions advance the plot of the story ( ). As we read this first chapter, we will keep a running list on the board of all of the sins and transgressions that the narrator has committed. In other words, we will be stopping at various points in chapter 1 to discuss what is happening in the text ( ). I think this is important to do in the first chapter as my students try to make sense of this society because this first chapter really sets the tone for the rest of the plot.

We are also doing this in order to discuss our opinions about why these simple acts are condemned in the text. We will be charting our opinions as to whether we think these acts should be condemned. (I'll be sure to remind my students that in this society, their opinions really don't matter, but we will chart them nonetheless to aid in a full understanding of the text.). For this part of the lesson, my students will be completing the first two rows of our (transgression and sin). The and I am sharing this with them to give them a model of the examples from the text with page numbers and the complete sentences that I expect to see on their papers. During the application, I am encouraging students to add to the middle column (examples from Anthem) ( and to complete letter a on the chart (Why is this character or act condemned in Anthem?).

Twenty minutes might be too much time for some students, so I will encourage any students that finish early to continue reading the text to find examples of the curses (which it the next term on the chart). For this part of the lesson, students will write their opinions on whether they think the transgressions and sins should be condemned on the chart (if they haven't already done so). I am having them state their opinions because it helps them to reconcile their reviews of society with those of the characters in the story. I will have a few students share their entries from the chart during the closure and share the rationale for the opinions that they have entered on the chart. The video in the application section shows sample responses to the closure question.