In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the author gives us a main character named Equality 7-2521. This character lives in a communist country where he must follow all the rules provided by the Vocations Council. If any of these rules are violated within the state, consequences will be applied immediately. This is not what we humans need in our daily lives. Although structure and order are essential for humans to live coherently, we must nevertheless have our own identity and strive to meet our own needs and happiness. In order to meet these wants and needs, we must be free to choose to pursue these goals. There are historical events where people in our world wanted individualism and the right to pursue their own happiness. Events from a historical perspective that support Rand's opposition to communism include the June 4 Incident in Tiananmen Square, the White Movement in the Soviet Union in 1918, and the Velvet Revolution. These events mirror those that happened in the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In the novel Anthem, we learn that the general lifestyle was very strict and people's actions had to be appropriate where lived Equality 7-2521. They couldn't say or think certain things, otherwise they would be punished. We see this from the beginning of the novel when he declares: “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words that no one else thinks and to write them on a paper that no one else should see. It's vile and bad. It is as if we are speaking alone, to no ears other than our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than doing or thinking alone. We broke the laws. The laws say that men can only write if the Vocations Council asks them to do so. May we be forgiven! » This opening may be linked to a historic incident that occurred in the summer of 1989 in Beijing, China. The Tiananmen Square protest was a statement against the reforms that took place in China in the 1980s. Many of these reforms would benefit only a select few people, but would disaffect the majority of China's population. Many students were unhappy with all of these cuts and demanded democracy, greater accountability, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech, although these goals varied among this group of students. This may be linked to the events of the novel where Equality 7-2521 discovers that deep down he does not agree with the rules that have been imposed on him by his society. He wants to do and learn other things rather than just being a street sweeper all his life. He hid in a tunnel for three hours a day for two years to teach himself education and eventually discovered electricity. He finally has enough and decides to go to the World Council of Scientists to show them what he discovered because it is a great invention and it should be normal for him to do this alone. As the novel progresses, it is evident that Equality 7-2521 discovered that through reading books and self-educating himself, the Councils were treating him and his brothers in a manner not human. They do not have the right to choose or freedom of expression – which every human being should have the right to do. This shows that we, as humans, should always be able to exercise our rights and freedoms in order to pursue our own personal happiness. People will go to extreme measures to get..