Post 4

This week, having finished America Alone, I chose to read critically acclaimed author Ayn Rand's novella Anthem. Anthem is almost a literary manifesto of sorts, a very pure, refined portrayal of Rand's views on the world. Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is basically a beleif that government should serve to protect the inherent individuality of human beings, and not as it does today encroach upon individual rights daily, justifying by saying it is "for the greater good". Anthem is about a distopian, the opposite of utopian, future in which the inherent vices contained within socialism have led to a complete lack of individual action. All commerce, all "innovation", all thought even is completely controlled for the government. This novella shows the evils of socialism by making the reader gasp in horror at future which has no poverty. In summary, Rand and other believers in objectivism would argue that when self interest ceases to govern a man, he has lost all that makes him human.
I very much enjoyed reading this novella (called so for having a length of only 56 pages) because it states and expresses what is essentially my ideology much better than I currently can. Anthem is, in addition to being ideologically congruent with myself, quite well written. Due to the obliteration of the individual, the main character has no name, and despite this is incredibly well developed by the end of the story. Thats all for this week. -Boone