Review of Anthem Essay

I chose Ayn Rand as my 20th century American author. One reason why I chose this author was because her name was the only name that came out to me out of all the authors in the list. After reading all of the names, her name was the only name that I had heard before and remembered. Another reason why I chose Ayn Rand was because I remembered reading a book by her called the Anthem, which I thought was a good book. Since I remembered her name as well as her book, I chose to pick her as my author. The three genres I chose to present the information about Ayn Rand will be a biography, a character sketch, and a book review. I chose a biography because I want to learn more about her. I want to find out where she came from and how she became an author. I chose a character sketch because I want to find out about her physical characteristics and as well as her personality. Once I do, I can describe them to you and make you draw a mental picture. The last genre I chose was a book review because I liked a book wrote by her and I would like to analyze and evaluate the book. The book was the Anthem by Ayn Rand and it was and still is one book I really actually enjoyed reading. One of the most interesting facts I learned about her was that Ayn Rand was widely known for developing a philosophical system she called objectivism. Rand characterized objectivism as a philosophy "for living on earth." Objectivism states that reality is mind-independent and that the moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of happiness. One of Rands quotes is Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of ones values.

My book review is on the Anthem by Ayn Rand. This book is written as a diary of a man living in a future where society shuns individuality. Everyone is the society have lost all knowledge of individualism and refers to his or herself as we because the words use to refer to an individual person like I or mine has been lost to this world. The Anthem provides a good introduction to Rand's philosophy of "objectivism," which is built on individuality, freedom, and reason. This book was written to jar the reader to a sense of awareness. This is a book to make you think, to make you want to be selfish and to remind the reader to closely monitor the government. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to everyone. From the Anthem I perceived that individuality is one of the most important characteristics people can obtain. It is difficult to realize how a society could have moved into this type of government. I give this book a five out of five star rating.

My biography is on Ayn Rand. She was a twentieth-century novelist and philosopher. She wrote several popular novels and developed a philosophy known as "objectivism." Rand was born on February 2, 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She moved to the United States in 1926. She died on March 6, 1982 in her New York City apartment. 'Ayn Rand' is not her real birth name, but it is the name she used most of her life. She adopted that name when she left the Soviet Union. Rand's Russian birth name in English is 'Alisa Zinovievna Rosenbaum.' At age six, she taught herself to read. At the age of nine, she decided to make fiction writing her career. During her high school years, she lived through two Revolutions. To escape the fighting, her family escapes to Crimea, where Rand finished high school. When her family returned, Rand entered the University of Petrograd to study philosophy and history. After graduating college in 1924, Rand worked briefly as a tour guide in Leningrad. Then she entered the State Institute for Cinema Arts to study screenwriting, being a long admirer of cinema. She immigrated to the United States and adopted the name Ayn Rand. She got a job of working in Hollywood for Cecille B. Demille as a writer and an extra. She met Frank O'Connor, an actor, whom she married in 1929. They were married until his death fifty years later. Her first novel, We the Living, was completed in 1934. It was the most autobiographical of her novels; it was based on her years under the Russia government. She began writing The Fountainhead in 1935. Rand completed her second novel, Anthem, in 1938. Her novel, The Fountainhead, was rejected by twelve different publishers but finally accepted after that. When published in 1943, the book made history by becoming a best seller through word-of-mouth. Working part time as a screenwriter, Rand began her major novel, Atlas Shrugged, in 1946. In 1951 she moved back to New York City and devoted herself full time to the completion of Atlas Shrugged. When published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged was her greatest achievement and last work of fiction. Ayn Rand died of heart failure in New York City on March 6, 1982.

My character sketch is on Ayn Rand. She was a controversial American novelist and philosopher. She was the creator of the philosophy objectivism. She was a Caucasian female. Her religion was atheist. Even though there were rumors, her sexual orientation was straight. Her nationality was the United States. Rand was small woman, with dark hair, and was never at ease with her body. She was the eldest of three sisters. From her earliest years, Rand felt alienated from the dark.