Muntej Sahni

English II
2)

Anthem Discussion Questions

12/17/15
McGee/Romano

In Anthem, fear is the most prevalent emotion to man because fear is one of the

most controlling emotions to man. Fear is an unpleasant emotion that is felt when
something harmful is present. In Chapter 2 on page 46, Equality states that There is
fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in the air of the streets. Fear walks
through the City, fear without name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to
speak. Equality is basically saying that the society is run by the rules which are set up
to strike fear in the people. For example, its required that men and women live
separately. Some other rules are not being allowed to think, being physically different or
not normal, and following a strict and mandatory schedule. The rules set up by the
society are clever because not being able to make your own decisions and live your
own life will cause fear.
6)

Aside from Equality and the Saint at the Pyre, there is literally no opposition to

the leaders of the society because the citizens of the society were taught little due to the
rules of the city and the difference between what was considered good and evil. In
Chapter 1 on page 23, Equality says But the Council of Scholars has said that there
are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all things. And we learned much
from our Teachers. We learned that the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around it,
which causes the day and the night. Men have accepted to live with the idea that you
must do what the council tells you because its to help your brothers, even if its wrong.
These are the ideas that cause the people of this society to live a life of obedience,
drudgery, and fear because this is the way every citizen was taught and raised.

7) In my opinion, the most important part of the novel was when Equality presented the
lightbulb to the World Council or Scholars because I believe that it was at that moment
where he detached himself from the society and he was required to go live on his own
in the Uncharted Forest. After he decided to present his invention, his future basically
hung in the balance because he escaped from the Palace of Corrective Detention. Also,
when his invention was rejected, thats when he turned against the society, knowing that
he had created something special and the scholars werent aware of its importance.
Ultimately, a direct result of this was fleeing with a woman who he felt the emotion of
love for and discovering the significance of individuality.