3. Is Anthem a realistic portrayal of life in a totalitarian society? Compare the fictionalized society in Anthem to a real dictatorship, past or present. Some options are Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Cuba, China, Cambodia, etc.
Throughout history, there have been numerous totalitarian societies. Some of the most commonly thought of are Soviet Russia, Cuba, China, Cambodia and most of all Nazi Germany. In most cases, things have not turned out for the better. The society in Anthem would also be considered totalitarian. The people have no say, the world council decides everything, as did Hitler in Nazi Germany.
In the grand scheme of things, Hitler’s effect on Germany was physically and mentally scarring where the world council’s effect on the whole society in Anthem was mentally scarring. The lack of freedom to think as an individual crippled people. The lack of freedom to think almost turned into just the lack of thinking, they don’t need to think anymore, their council does it for them.
In Anthem, the past society is mentioned several times, but it is not mentioned in such graphic terms as to know what exactly that society was like. One thing you learn is about the downfall of that society and how a new one, the one in which Anthem takes place, rises. The council took advantage of the society’s weakness to make it fit into their views and beliefs, after a while, people forgot what it was like to think for themselves. They weren’t even individuals anymore, they were a group. The situation in Nazi Germany was very similar, after World War One, Germany was in a devastating state. It was in debt and suffering from many loses from the war. Hitler saw an opportunity and he took it. He was appointed Chancellor of Germany by the president at the time and started to pave the way for his big ideas about how Germany should be, including a Germany free of Jews. He took advantage of the people and manipulated them through the power of words and fear.(“Holocaust History” Germany: Establishment of…)
Many books were burned in Nazi Germany, mostly ones which contradicted the new views and primary beliefs of Germany during World War Two. There were huge bonfires in the middle of cities burning thousands upon thousands of books. Just like in anthem, the old books from the previous society were burned to ashes so the citizens wouldn’t get any ideas about rebelling or even figuring out how things work. If they can control the rate at which they discover new inventions, they can ultimately control the whole society, because by doing that they are keeping track of their time used and resources. (“Holocaust History” Book Burning…..)
In Anthem, it is clear that people did not object to the new society, but it might not have been that they didn’t object, they might not have had a chance to. When Hitler rose to power in Germany, no one was given the chance to say “no.” ("E.5. The Functioning of the Nazi.….) It is implied that Anthem is a Post-Apocalyptic Society, therefore, the nation as a whole would be severely weakened. Their resources would be drained, and their world would essentially be over. The people would almost be waiting for a leader to come along to raise them up, and when someone finally does, no matter who it is, they aren’t going to say no. As previously stated, Germany was incredibly weakened. People didn’t know where things were headed until it was too late, and by then-it didn’t seem wrong-it was just part of their everyday lives, just as the citizens in Anthem didn’t know that they could think as an individual. They let a selected group of people control their lives. Though the citizens lives were not taken away, something just as important was, their freedom. A person without their own personal freedom is hardly a person at all, they cannot act or speak for themselves, and cannot express their own opinion.Though it might have seemed that the public had a choice in Germany, and in Anthem, if you look at the situation, they really didn’t. (Cmarada, Jake. “The Nazification….)
Though this piece of work is fiction, it could as well be nonfiction, as hard as that is to believe. Though it seems unrealistic that people nowadays could be manipulated as easily as they were in Anthem, Nazi Germany is proof of this. It is not uncommon for this to happen either. The aspects of the situation is very similar to what was described in Anthem. But the fact of the matter is, when given a dire situation, and faced with hardships, people crack, and will reach out to anyone who will help them up.
Works Cited
Cmarada, Jake. "The Nazification of German Society." Www.ithaca.edu. Ithaca University, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ithaca.edu/history/journal/papers/fa03Nazification.htm>. Page 8-11
"E.5. The Functioning of the Nazi Regime: State and Society." E.5. The Functioning of the Nazi Regime: State and Society. Colby College, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.colby.edu/personal/r/rmscheck/GermanyE5.html>. Page 7
"Holocaust History." Book Burning. The United States Holocaust Museum, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005852>. Page 4
"Holocaust History." Germany: Establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship. United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005204>. Page 5-7
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