Summer Writing Assignment – College Essay

Among all the characters that I have encountered in books and movies, one persona stood out as the one I want to emulate the most. He went by the name Equality 7-2521 from the novel entitled “Anthem” by Ayn Rand. He appealed me the moment I read the book because he embodied what I am striving to be.

His personality was the quintessence of the qualities I needed to be successful. When I read the book, I was utterly impressed by his determination, intelligence, and more importantly, his perseverance as an individual. He has a significant influence on me and I find him a great source of inspiration to struggle harder in the complexities of life.

It was during my sophomore year that I read the book “Anthem.” At that time, I was in a predicament over whether I should concentrate on schooling or finding a part-time job.

The reason why I had such qualms was that even I made endeavors to complete my school works properly and attempted to attain high scores, my poor English proficiency derailed my plans. I was discouraged by the inconsistency of my efforts and grades printed in my report card.

The course of things changed when I read “Anthem.” I was impressed by the characteristics of Equality 7-2521, the protagonist in the novel. The story was set in a fictional world which was dominated by collectivism. Equality 7-2521, who was seeking for self-identification, struggled in a society that rejected individualism in favor of collectivism.

Equality 7-2521 discovered a tunnel where he began hiding regularly to conduct scientific experiments. Later on, he invented the light bulb and decided to share his device with the World Council of Scholars, even though he knew the way he came to discover electricity was illegal and sinful. Subsequently, Equality 7-2521’s presentation of the light bulb to the World Council of Scholars permanently severed him from society and forced him out on his own.

The reason that the World Council of Scholars made this decision was that collectivism does not allow people to think or work individually but jointly. As a result, Equality 7-2521 was exiled yet he did not stop pursuing his goal. He kept studying in the woods and eventually discovered the meaning of individualism and the word “I.”

As I read the book thoroughly, I realized the qualities that I must possess in order to achieve my ambitions. Equality 7-2521 had a worse situation than mine, but by the virtue of his positive attributes, he successfully pulled off his discovery. He believed in individualism and rejected the collectivist society around him. He was insightful, perseverant, truth-seeking, resolute, and intelligent. He was deeply curious and desired freedom to explore and think, and he was unafraid of the society of mindless drones around him.

Equality 7-2521 represented the superiority of a singular intellect to the homogeneity of the masses, who could not think of themselves and were indistinguishable from one another. I plan to get a high score as well. I believe I could reach my aspirations if I exemplify the qualities that Equality 7-2521 had. The strong and firm character Equality 7-2521 held inspired me every time I face a dilemma in real life.

Equality 7-2521’s story assured me that nothing is impossible and that I can succeed too even in my simple but unrelenting ways. Along this line, I should stay focused on my work and studies, and possibly make a significant improvement in the coming marking period.

He had a tremendous impact on my personality, not only in my study habits, but also in the determination to confront difficulties. Whoever and whatever I am now, I owe it for the most part to Equality 7-2521 for transforming me to the kind of person I never imagined I could ever be. Life indeed is like a roller coaster with ups and downs to render it more interesting and breathtaking. And above all, what is of the essence is that Equality 7-2521 indirectly made me complete and unexpectedly happy as well.