Written by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, the setting of the novella Anthem is a futuristic society in which the protagonist breaks the laws so stringently enforced by his society's governing body. The society in which Rand situates her characters is in ruins. Civilization as readers know it no longer exists. In fact, members of this society have digressed or devolved. It takes a man with an independent spirit like Equality 7-2521's to break a cycle that is the only hope for a despairing society without a future.
The first assigned reading for my tenth graders this semester, Anthem proved to be a bit of a challenge for some of Pre-AP students as well as the low-achieving students who have never really had to apply critical thinking skills. However, I still recommend Rand's work as an early read in the
semester to get those stagnated minds in gear for longer, deeper readings.
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