Thursday, October 25, 2007

Anthem- Symbols

One of the most prominent symbols in Anthem is light. Light is known to represent truth and knowledge, hence the light bulb over the heads of cartoon animations. In the novel, Equality and Liberty are the knowledgeable ones and so the names that they choose for themselves show this inner light. Equality becomes Prometheus, the god and bringer of light, while Liberty becomes the Golden one.

The city that Equality and Liberty live in is shroud in darkness. Everything from the buildings to the color of the peoples clothes are neutral colors, like white grey and brown. The only means of light for the people comes from candles which, in reality, provide very little light. This lack of light and color makes everything blend together, nothing is bold and different, everything is equal. When Equality shows the Scholars his discovery of light, they are fearful and unexcepting. This could be because light reveals things that people try to hide. It is hard to blend in when everything is illuminated. The light penetrates their frail society and shows the weakness in their ways. The light reveals their errors, much like how light on a mirror shows smudges. Once the cover of darkness is pulled back, the people do not like what they see and are scared, wanting to run away from the light and plundge back into the concealing darkness where they can inevidably hide from themselves.

While society does not accept the light, Equality and Liberty are not afraid, and so step towards it. By excepting light for what it is, Equality and Liberty embrace individuality and knowledge and break away from the rest of society. Through the help of light, both Equality and Liberty are able to see themselves for who they really are, it is like their own 'becoming of individuals'.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Anthem- Quote

"Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds, I am not a sacrifice on their alters"(95).

This is one of my favorite quotes from Ayn Rand's Anthem. I found it to be a very empowering part of Equality 7-2521 speech, and one with a very important message, not just for the characters in the book, but for readers as well. Just by learning the word 'I' Equality was able to realize that he is an individual, and can stand on his own two feet. He came to realize that he can make choices for himself and that he is his own person. I think that today, people forget that they are individuals who can make choices on their own. We constantly follow trends set before us and we let other people use us for their own needs. We should not give up ourselves and our individuality for the sake of others. We should live for ourselves, make our own path in life, and help others that need it along the way. We should not take advantage of others, or let others take advantage of us. People are not servants to one another, like they were in Anthem, people are servants to themselves. It is not your responsibility to help others climb the ladder of success, it is your responsibility to help yourself climb. Equality has realized that he should not sacrifice his hopes and dreams, who he is, and what he is capable of, just so he can be of use to others. People should not be the scabs that help others heal, people are completely capable of healing themselves. Equality's speech is one that everyone can learn from, and everyone should listen to. Individuality is extremely precious, and should not be taken advantage of.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Acrobat

U2's song "Acrobat" and Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale have striking similarities. Both works seem to focus on a girl that is opressed through choices that she did not necessarily want to make. Many of the topics discussed in "Acrobat" correlate directly to The Handmaid's Tale, making this song a perfect reflection of the thoughts and situations Atwood's novel.

The two opening lines in U2's song "Don't believe what you hear/ Don't believe what you see" were a direct connection to Atwood's character, Offred. Offred did not want to believe that the world she knew had changed so drastically. She did not want to believe that her role in society had been reduced simply to how she preformed her duty of childbearing. Offred did not want to believe in this world that she saw before her, where men where hung because they were pro choice. Offred tried to ignore these things and tried to keep believing that things were bound to change. Another line that correlates with the novel is "When I first met you girl/ You had the fire in your soul/ What happened to your face/ Of melting in snow". These lines describe how Offred's fiery nature, and love of life have slowly drained from her. She no longer fights for her rights, or for how life used to be. Offred has conformed to everyday life in the society that has be forced upon her. She has become lifeless, excepting things as they come, instead for fighting for them as she would have done in the old United States.

Another shocking similarity comes from the lines "You know that your time is coming round/ So don't let the bastards grind you down". As a handmaid, Offred has only so much time to do her duty of reproducing. The stress of not being with child, and the shame of not doing your duty surely brings some women to the brink of insanity, or at least into silent shame. This verse also brings into account the ceremonies that Offred had to go through once a month. She knows when it is time for the ceremony, and although it is an awful thing, she must not let it get the best of her, she must stay strong.

One of the most important things to Offred, and probably the one that kept her sane, was her mind. Offred was free to think what she wanted, when she wanted, it was probably the only thing that she had left that was under her control. The line from "Acrobat", "And you can dream" reflects the importance of this one last free will, free action. A line that directly correlates with this is, "And you can find/ Your own way out". Offred's dreams, her thoughts, her 'mind scenarios', where her way out. They were her way to escape the confinements of being a Handmaid, and losing all her rights as a women. Through her mind, she is able to go anywhere she wants, be anyone she wants, see anyone she wants. Offred's thoughts are the things that her keeping her sane in this world where she is considered nothing but a reproductive object.

As you can see, U2's song and Atwood's novel are extremely similar in their content, as well as their scenarios. Both women are treated similarly; it might as well have been the same person writing both the novel and the song. These two works go hand in hand, and the song helps to further describe The Handmaid's Tale.