Life Expectancy... In Chapter one, Equality states that it is very unusual for men to reach the age of 45. Discuss possible explanations as to why life expectancy is so short in his society.
In Equalities society it seems to be very repetitive. As soon as they turn fifteen they have to stay with the same job for the rest of their lives, so by the time they reach the age of forty or forty-five they are exhausted. Some of the other reasons could be because of the lack of enjoyment in their lives. When your Ancient you are basically useless. The older people begin to get they develop the state of mind that when your put in the "Home of The Useless" your time is bound to come. Its as if they may look forward to it. According to Equality they just sit and watch the days go by.
There could have been many factors to why the life expectancy was so short. One could have been the methods that they lived with and used. They didn't have any modern technology, and the life expectancy wasn't always as high as it is today. It used to be pretty low. Also, they bleed men to clean them of illnesses. We know, with our technology, that you need blood to live. To them, it must have been that the blood had the illness in it, though, by bleeding them, they took away the life source of the sick person. These kinds of methods could have lowered the life expectancy tremendously because they didn't know enough to know how to keep people alive very long, and they didn't even want people to ask the questions that could save people.
There are so many factors that go into life expectancy. I have noticed just throughtout my life that people who are happier and live their lives to the fullest seem to live longer. My great grandpa lived to be 94. He worked hard everyday on the farm and cut his own grass until he was 85! He ate bacon and eggs for breakfast for breakfast every morning which doctors say isnt healthy however it made him happy. This is a fine example of how your day to day life effects you. Stress and general unhappiness can ware on your body. So in response to your question. In chapter 1 I have seen that they live a very dull, unfullfilling and repetative life. I am sure that this has a huge impact on the short life expectancy of 45.
A ton of elements go into play when one considers life expectancy. One reason could have been because there was no technology making life expectancy shorter than it is today. When one reached the age of forty or so the men were completley worn out and had a tremendous lack of unfulfilment in their lives.
Marissa and Abrosia have very good points, and i'm going to agree with them. But also the "government" of the city seems very, very controlling. Even more than communist. The "government" tells everyone what they are going to be when they reach age fifteen, who they are going to mate with every spring, and even when they must retire. Which is age 45. Since the fact of "government" control is obvious, the "government" may also decide when the citizens are to die. 1)because they may want a perfect society. And 2)because the scholars may think the people over the age of 45 are useless labor wise.
I think the main reason is because Equalities society doesn't have proper healthcare. People don't have any modern technology or knowledge. For them to believe that the Earth is flat and the Sun revolves around it, or to cure illness by make the person bleed is just so idiotic of them. Because of that I don't think that they have enough knowledge to maintain a proper healthcare system, in fact, they don't even have one. Some of them might die because of the boredom (like Ambrosia said) or because of the controlling government that Tarah did mention , but most of them can die because of illnesses. Even if they did not die because of the illness they got but they will die because of the infection they get by the "bleed to cure" treatment
When i am reading this book I think about a mix between the movie "Book of Eli" and the book "City of Ember". I get the feeling some culture shock has happened that would cause life to be abnormal from what we know to today. I think that maybe there has been a war of some sort, which could have led to a nuclear state, which would cause a termination on life expectancy. I feel like the way every thing is in order, from the time these people grow up is a very purpose driven stand on what they all should do with their lives. It raises curiosity, but I'm leaning toward nuclear war causing shortness in life span.
I agree with the City of Ember bit, some definite similarities between the two, like the jobs being chosen for them, and the very no-question nature that exists in the city. I'm wondering why the main character keeps referring to himself as "we" instead of "I". I am guessing that there has been a food/medical supply shortage, and this is why people aren't living as long as they are today.
This is just like the City of Emberjust like Alan said, they are all assign their permanent job for life. All the characters work so hard at their jobs no wonder they die at a very young age. The characters find a hidden place but if people find out where it is who knows what the consequences could be.Once something is discovered people will take it away so that explains why they want it to be a secret. Its good for them to learn about all the hidden things so they can find away out from their society
Just the thought of living such a repetitive and tiresome life is not exactly appealing. Many of the people could have been depressed while living such an unsatisfying life or possibly faced another psychological issue due to the impact of the way they "lived". On top of that, no medication would be available to help them since whatever the past held is supposed to be kept in the past.
I think everyone who has previously answered has covered a lot of possiblities. I agree with them all, but I mainly think that the elder people just don't WANT to live anymore. As it says on page 46, "The heads of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their muscles drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight." Their bodies are just done for. They have nothing worth living for, they can't even smile without proper reasoning. Maybe the Old Ones and the Ancient Ones embrace death, they don't tell anyone when they are feeling under the weather because they want to pass away. Or the government just makes sure they die...There's always that possibility. I am guessing that the life expectancy for women is a lot shorter considering they must go through child birth.
Life as narrated by Equality in the book "Anthem" poses a very interesting topic for debate: why is it so rare for men to reach the age of 45 in their society? Why is the life expectancy dangerously low? Answers for this interesting question are as diverse as they come; just look at the previous posts! But it is possible that the life expectancy is so low because the society Equality lives in is only focused on one thing: perfection. If a man becomes too "old," the Council finds that the man can no longer contribute to his society and he is "worthless." The fact that they are sent to the Home Of The Useless only emphasizes this point. And by the time the man has been placed in the House Of The Useless, the Council has already appointed a younger, stronger man to take his place. And if a man feels he has has nothing to live for anymore, what is the point of living? This might not be the exact reason as to why the life expectancy is so short, but it is certainly a contributing factor.
Going off of what Ambrosia said, one main reason their life expectancy is cut short is from all the manual labor they are forced to do. This constant wear and tear can eventually destroy their bodies. They are also told what to do and given no choices or individuality. They aren't able to live up to their potential or dreams as in the case of Equality when he was showing promise of a child prodigy. He wanted to become a scholar and to learn during his life but was forced to become a street sweeper. This "mind controlling" force of government that plots their every move destroys the people, mentally and physically. This might be one of the main reasons the life expectancy is cut short.
In the book "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, there are many possible reasons for the society to only live till the age of 45. Some of the reasons could be that they were restricted to live a very vigorous life. The people did not have technology or very much of a social life. The only ones that they could talk to were the ones that they have lived with there whole lives. If one is so bored in life why would they want to live? This is a very possible factor of why they live to the young age of 45.
I completely agree with Emily. Equality's world as he knows it is based on perfection and order. When men reach an age when they are no longer needed in the community and almost forgotten, the will to live must leave them. Secondly, the time which the book is written is in a place where they have buried advancements in technology. Rail road tracks have not even been reinvented yet, because when Equality stumbles upon them, he does not know what they are. This could be a big part of the short life expectancy. If they men were to fall ill, the might have the knowledge to cure them.
It makes much sense that the life expectancy of a man was so young in that time. On almost every page, Equality speaks of the fact that there was not much knowledge of the world yet. Without the knowledge they did not know how to stay healthy. Although, this is a major explanation, the fact that their live's are repeated over and over again with no change, can be exhausting. A life that you do not enjoy and is physically exhausting can out a toll on your future. Or in their case, their present.
I agree with Lauren. The want to live is gone. The book makes it sound like they are physically in pain while they are still living. No one wants to stay alive when they are like that. If you lose the want to live, i dont think your life will last very long after that. Which is probably why life expectancy was so low. Men were worn out.
I agree with the previous people who stated that they have nothing to live for so the will to live is decreased which can make a significant impact on life expectancy. These people also live underground to where they could be exposed to different kind of diseases or infections that people on the surface would never expect. The government is trying to form a perfect government in my opinion which was already previously stated, but also they have to realize that each person is unique and are better at different things.
The life expectancy was so low because they had worked for hours and hours every single day for 10 years. They were exhausted of doing the same thing over and over. Even when they got to the age of 25, the only thing to do was sit and wait for your death. They also didn't have the things we have today, they didn't know how to stay healthy.
The first chapter of this book just screams conspiracy to me. I'm sure there are plenty of natural reasons why the life expectancy was so short but I think that maybe there was another reason. Maybe the "leaders" don't want people to live that long for some reason. It could just be a lack of technology and science that has nothing to do with the government. Thats just what comes to my mind first.
From what harrison said, I can also conclude that their life expectancy is low becuase they have to do so much manual labor. Without the modern technology we have today people can be tired of what they are doing and not live their life to the fullest. They had nothing to live for, unlike us. We are told that we can do whatever we want as long as we have the dedication. The lack of technology could come into play also. If we didnt have the technology we do today, out life expectancy would certainly not be as high as it is.
Through my mind there are many different factors that cause the life span of the people in Equality's society to be so short. In my opinion I believe since the time period of which this book was taken place, far past, so of course they didn't have the medical resources as we do now. Their society was not as developed and well equipped as us. I could see how the will/want to live once they reach near the age of 45 is effective factor too. If they don't want to live anymore than they just don't have the fight anymore in them so they don't take care of themselves as well as they did before. But the one that I think plays the biggest role of the life span is the government's one goal. Perfection. Once you're old you most likely won't be able to carry out the duty or job as well as someone younger. These jobs are what are supposed to keep the society running the way it is and that is what they want.
The reason they die so young is because they have no free will. When they turn fifteen they work in the same profession for the rest of their life. They're never able to expand their minds and knowledge beyond what they have been taught. They live in captivity just like animals would therefore they have a shorter lifespan.
Their life expanse is so low because they are captive and really have nothing to live for. Thus, you live for nothing, meaning you won’t live very long. When they are sent to the Home of the Useless, they are only forty years old. That’s young in the society we live in now, but everything is so secretive. Maybe there’s a deeper meaning to this as well, maybe there is something hidden, secretive that is going on in the Homes. They aren't allowed to talk to others and are hushed often. Maybe it’s those secrets that hide the true meaning as to the life expectancy.
I am in agreement with Devin, while reading the first chapter, I have made many connections with the book, "City of Ember." The story line in these books are alike due to the fact that the governments are completely bleak and have a life evaporating feeling to them. There are innumberable factors to life expectancy. In many cases it has to do with attitude. If you feel as if you are useless, you make yourself useless. A connection I made was that I have had a doctor tell me before that some doctors use to prescribe pills with an empty type substance. The person consuming the pill believed they were healing and with a positive attitude, they did indeed feel better. Crazy, but true! The 40-45 year olds in the "Home of the Useless" were made to believe they had nothing left to offer to society. A positive attitude can be life changing.
When the men hit 45 they are considered too old and shouldnt be allowed to live much longer. They are useless according to their "leaders". If the men can't try new things after their education or socialize with different people other then the people they knew since they were born...then whats the point of living?
These "Equality" guys really have nothing to live for because I mean like Kayla says when they reach a certain age they are actually considered "old", but they meet "The Golden One" and is like completely shocked, of these "strangers" I mean if they have no social life outside of what their doing, what is the point? To me I believe that would be like one of the biggest questions because these guys don't even have their own name and then on top of that they have to be a certain height and all this junk. Wouldn't you want to be your own person? I would.
Though I am not sure as to why these people die at such a young age, 2 reasons come to mind when I think about it.
1. They work 7 day weeks, for many hours. These people are probably very exhausted. 2. Many many years before I was born people died at younge ages also, but over time the life expectancy grew larger. Maybe now it has gone back down and will continue to change over time.
I think the reason why it is very unusual for men to reach the age of 45 in the the Anthem is because the fact that they started working at the age of 15 and having to stick with the same job everyday get boring and tiring. And as you keep working doing hard labor it could put your back out. Usually if it were me doing the same thing everyday it would get boring. Most of the people who hit 40 or younger usually probably think whats the point in living if there isn't going to be a new experience to do in the future?
I think that there are many reasons why the life expectancy for men is so short in the book The Anthem. I agree with every single comment on here. These men have nothing to look forward to in their life at all. They know exactly how the next day is going to go and so on. The men cannot even be themselves, there is no individualism at all. That has to be very hard on them. Surely, once these men have turned 45 they are tired of one another and doing the same thing everyday. They even know exactly what they are going to do at the age of 45 so what is there to look forward to? These men have nothing to live for really. For example, no families, loved ones, hobbies or anything like that. If I were them I would be bored all the time and just not be happy with life and thats not how it should be.
There are many reasons for the short life expectancy for men in the book Anthem. The fact that they could not choose their own futures could be one of those reasons. Imagine doing something you don't enjoy for the rest of your life. It would become very tiresome. I honestly would not want to live my any longer if I had to go through that. For many of the men in this book, they had to wake up everyday to same routines. There was never anything new to look forward to which made their days very dull. They didn't have the opportunity to learn new things, only a few people could, but what if those few people couldn't learn as much or as quickly as others who weren't given that opportunity could. Technology is a major thing that helps people live longer, and that is what the men lacked most. In life, work isn't the only thing we must do, we need time to socialize and have fun. These men were not able to speak their minds, nor could they fall in love with a woman. What's the point in living if all they do is work? In my opinion, I think the men were the happiest when they became old and "useless". Life wasn't really worth living in that time period.
I never really knew the actually meaning of Abyss, but I had heard the word before. Abyss-The bottomless pit in old accounts of the universe. In todays chapter, I kind of gotten lost. What was it exactly that the men created. The way they described it was as if they had just discovered a new creation, new life. This is a really good book, but confusing at times.
in Equality's society, life expectancy is short because when they hit the age 45 they are basically told by there leaders they are too old and have no reason to live therefor they are useless.
In Equalities society it seems to be very repetitive. As soon as they turn fifteen they have to stay with the same job for the rest of their lives, so by the time they reach the age of forty or forty-five they are exhausted. Some of the other reasons could be because of the lack of enjoyment in their lives. When your Ancient you are basically useless. The older people begin to get they develop the state of mind that when your put in the "Home of The Useless" your time is bound to come. Its as if they may look forward to it. According to Equality they just sit and watch the days go by.
ReplyDeleteThere could have been many factors to why the life expectancy was so short. One could have been the methods that they lived with and used. They didn't have any modern technology, and the life expectancy wasn't always as high as it is today. It used to be pretty low. Also, they bleed men to clean them of illnesses. We know, with our technology, that you need blood to live. To them, it must have been that the blood had the illness in it, though, by bleeding them, they took away the life source of the sick person. These kinds of methods could have lowered the life expectancy tremendously because they didn't know enough to know how to keep people alive very long, and they didn't even want people to ask the questions that could save people.
ReplyDeleteMarrissa,
ReplyDeleteYour comment about bleeding men to clean them of illnesses is intriguing. I can't imagine how painful this must have been.
Ambrosia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for being brave enough to make the first post. :)
There are so many factors that go into life expectancy. I have noticed just throughtout my life that people who are happier and live their lives to the fullest seem to live longer. My great grandpa lived to be 94. He worked hard everyday on the farm and cut his own grass until he was 85! He ate bacon and eggs for breakfast for breakfast every morning which doctors say isnt healthy however it made him happy. This is a fine example of how your day to day life effects you. Stress and general unhappiness can ware on your body. So in response to your question. In chapter 1 I have seen that they live a very dull, unfullfilling and repetative life. I am sure that this has a huge impact on the short life expectancy of 45.
ReplyDeleteA ton of elements go into play when one considers life expectancy. One reason could have been because there was no technology making life expectancy shorter than it is today. When one reached the age of forty or so the men were completley worn out and had a tremendous lack of unfulfilment in their lives.
ReplyDeleteMarissa and Abrosia have very good points, and i'm going to agree with them. But also the "government" of the city seems very, very controlling. Even more than communist. The "government" tells everyone what they are going to be when they reach age fifteen, who they are going to mate with every spring, and even when they must retire. Which is age 45. Since the fact of "government" control is obvious, the "government" may also decide when the citizens are to die. 1)because they may want a perfect society. And 2)because the scholars may think the people over the age of 45 are useless labor wise.
ReplyDeleteTarah,
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the government wanting a perfect society is interesting. Does that make anyone think of a connection to this comment?
Alexis,
ReplyDeleteI like your connection with your great grandpa and the life that he lived!
I think the main reason is because Equalities society doesn't have proper healthcare. People don't have any modern technology or knowledge. For them to believe that the Earth is flat and the Sun revolves around it, or to cure illness by make the person bleed is just so idiotic of them. Because of that I don't think that they have enough knowledge to maintain a proper healthcare system, in fact, they don't even have one. Some of them might die because of the boredom (like Ambrosia said) or because of the controlling government that Tarah did mention , but most of them can die because of illnesses. Even if they did not die because of the illness they got but they will die because of the infection they get by the "bleed to cure" treatment
ReplyDeleteWhen i am reading this book I think about a mix between the movie "Book of Eli" and the book "City of Ember". I get the feeling some culture shock has happened that would cause life to be abnormal from what we know to today. I think that maybe there has been a war of some sort, which could have led to a nuclear state, which would cause a termination on life expectancy. I feel like the way every thing is in order, from the time these people grow up is a very purpose driven stand on what they all should do with their lives. It raises curiosity, but I'm leaning toward nuclear war causing shortness in life span.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the City of Ember bit, some definite similarities between the two, like the jobs being chosen for them, and the very no-question nature that exists in the city. I'm wondering why the main character keeps referring to himself as "we" instead of "I". I am guessing that there has been a food/medical supply shortage, and this is why people aren't living as long as they are today.
ReplyDeleteDevin,
ReplyDeleteYou have raised an interesting concept....a nuclear state. Good connections with the books.
This is just like the City of Emberjust like Alan said, they are all assign their permanent job for life. All the characters work so hard at their jobs no wonder they die at a very young age. The characters find a hidden place but if people find out where it is who knows what the consequences could be.Once something is discovered people will take it away so that explains why they want it to be a secret. Its good for them to learn about all the hidden things so they can find away out from their society
ReplyDeleteJust the thought of living such a repetitive and tiresome life is not exactly appealing. Many of the people could have been depressed while living such an unsatisfying life or possibly faced another psychological issue due to the impact of the way they "lived". On top of that, no medication would be available to help them since whatever the past held is supposed to be kept in the past.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone who has previously answered has covered a lot of possiblities. I agree with them all, but I mainly think that the elder people just don't WANT to live anymore. As it says on page 46, "The heads of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their muscles drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight." Their bodies are just done for. They have nothing worth living for, they can't even smile without proper reasoning. Maybe the Old Ones and the Ancient Ones embrace death, they don't tell anyone when they are feeling under the weather because they want to pass away. Or the government just makes sure they die...There's always that possibility. I am guessing that the life expectancy for women is a lot shorter considering they must go through child birth.
ReplyDeleteLife as narrated by Equality in the book "Anthem" poses a very interesting topic for debate: why is it so rare for men to reach the age of 45 in their society? Why is the life expectancy dangerously low? Answers for this interesting question are as diverse as they come; just look at the previous posts! But it is possible that the life expectancy is so low because the society Equality lives in is only focused on one thing: perfection. If a man becomes too "old," the Council finds that the man can no longer contribute to his society and he is "worthless." The fact that they are sent to the Home Of The Useless only emphasizes this point. And by the time the man has been placed in the House Of The Useless, the Council has already appointed a younger, stronger man to take his place. And if a man feels he has has nothing to live for anymore, what is the point of living? This might not be the exact reason as to why the life expectancy is so short, but it is certainly a contributing factor.
ReplyDeleteTo Alan:
ReplyDeleteThe reason they never use 'I' is because it's from the Unmentionable Time, its Evil.
Going off of what Ambrosia said, one main reason their life expectancy is cut short is from all the manual labor they are forced to do. This constant wear and tear can eventually destroy their bodies. They are also told what to do and given no choices or individuality. They aren't able to live up to their potential or dreams as in the case of Equality when he was showing promise of a child prodigy. He wanted to become a scholar and to learn during his life but was forced to become a street sweeper. This "mind controlling" force of government that plots their every move destroys the people, mentally and physically. This might be one of the main reasons the life expectancy is cut short.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Anthem" by Ayn Rand, there are many possible reasons for the society to only live till the age of 45. Some of the reasons could be that they were restricted to live a very vigorous life. The people did not have technology or very much of a social life. The only ones that they could talk to were the ones that they have lived with there whole lives. If one is so bored in life why would they want to live? This is a very possible factor of why they live to the young age of 45.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Emily. Equality's world as he knows it is based on perfection and order. When men reach an age when they are no longer needed in the community and almost forgotten, the will to live must leave them. Secondly, the time which the book is written is in a place where they have buried advancements in technology. Rail road tracks have not even been reinvented yet, because when Equality stumbles upon them, he does not know what they are. This could be a big part of the short life expectancy. If they men were to fall ill, the might have the knowledge to cure them.
ReplyDeleteIt makes much sense that the life expectancy of a man was so young in that time. On almost every page, Equality speaks of the fact that there was not much knowledge of the world yet. Without the knowledge they did not know how to stay healthy. Although, this is a major explanation, the fact that their live's are repeated over and over again with no change, can be exhausting. A life that you do not enjoy and is physically exhausting can out a toll on your future. Or in their case, their present.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren. The want to live is gone. The book makes it sound like they are physically in pain while they are still living. No one wants to stay alive when they are like that. If you lose the want to live, i dont think your life will last very long after that. Which is probably why life expectancy was so low. Men were worn out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous people who stated that they have nothing to live for so the will to live is decreased which can make a significant impact on life expectancy. These people also live underground to where they could be exposed to different kind of diseases or infections that people on the surface would never expect. The government is trying to form a perfect government in my opinion which was already previously stated, but also they have to realize that each person is unique and are better at different things.
ReplyDeleteThe life expectancy was so low because they had worked for hours and hours every single day for 10 years. They were exhausted of doing the same thing over and over. Even when they got to the age of 25, the only thing to do was sit and wait for your death. They also didn't have the things we have today, they didn't know how to stay healthy.
ReplyDeleteThe first chapter of this book just screams conspiracy to me. I'm sure there are plenty of natural reasons why the life expectancy was so short but I think that maybe there was another reason. Maybe the "leaders" don't want people to live that long for some reason.
ReplyDeleteIt could just be a lack of technology and science that has nothing to do with the government. Thats just what comes to my mind first.
Some people just dont live good lifestyles which results in early death. Some reasons could be unknown. Alan:)
ReplyDeleteFrom what harrison said, I can also conclude that their life expectancy is low becuase they have to do so much manual labor. Without the modern technology we have today people can be tired of what they are doing and not live their life to the fullest. They had nothing to live for, unlike us. We are told that we can do whatever we want as long as we have the dedication.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of technology could come into play also. If we didnt have the technology we do today, out life expectancy would certainly not be as high as it is.
Through my mind there are many different factors that cause the life span of the people in Equality's society to be so short. In my opinion I believe since the time period of which this book was taken place, far past, so of course they didn't have the medical resources as we do now. Their society was not as developed and well equipped as us. I could see how the will/want to live once they reach near the age of 45 is effective factor too. If they don't want to live anymore than they just don't have the fight anymore in them so they don't take care of themselves as well as they did before. But the one that I think plays the biggest role of the life span is the government's one goal. Perfection. Once you're old you most likely won't be able to carry out the duty or job as well as someone younger. These jobs are what are supposed to keep the society running the way it is and that is what they want.
ReplyDeleteThe reason they die so young is because they have no free will. When they turn fifteen they work in the same profession for the rest of their life. They're never able to expand their minds and knowledge beyond what they have been taught. They live in captivity just like animals would therefore they have a shorter lifespan.
ReplyDeleteTheir life expanse is so low because they are captive and really have nothing to live for. Thus, you live for nothing, meaning you won’t live very long. When they are sent to the Home of the Useless, they are only forty years old. That’s young in the society we live in now, but everything is so secretive. Maybe there’s a deeper meaning to this as well, maybe there is something hidden, secretive that is going on in the Homes. They aren't allowed to talk to others and are hushed often. Maybe it’s those secrets that hide the true meaning as to the life expectancy.
ReplyDeleteI am in agreement with Devin, while reading the first chapter, I have made many connections with the book, "City of Ember." The story line in these books are alike due to the fact that the governments are completely bleak and have a life evaporating feeling to them. There are innumberable factors to life expectancy. In many cases it has to do with attitude. If you feel as if you are useless, you make yourself useless. A connection I made was that I have had a doctor tell me before that some doctors use to prescribe pills with an empty type substance. The person consuming the pill believed they were healing and with a positive attitude, they did indeed feel better. Crazy, but true! The 40-45 year olds in the "Home of the Useless" were made to believe they had nothing left to offer to society. A positive attitude can be life changing.
ReplyDeleteWhen the men hit 45 they are considered too old and shouldnt be allowed to live much longer. They are useless according to their "leaders". If the men can't try new things after their education or socialize with different people other then the people they knew since they were born...then whats the point of living?
ReplyDeleteThese "Equality" guys really have nothing to live for because I mean like Kayla says when they reach a certain age they are actually considered "old", but they meet "The Golden One" and is like completely shocked, of these "strangers" I mean if they have no social life outside of what their doing, what is the point? To me I believe that would be like one of the biggest questions because these guys don't even have their own name and then on top of that they have to be a certain height and all this junk. Wouldn't you want to be your own person? I would.
ReplyDeleteThough I am not sure as to why these people die at such a young age, 2 reasons come to mind when I think about it.
ReplyDelete1. They work 7 day weeks, for many hours. These people are probably very exhausted.
2. Many many years before I was born people died at younge ages also, but over time the life expectancy grew larger. Maybe now it has gone back down and will continue to change over time.
I think the reason why it is very unusual for men to reach the age of 45 in the the Anthem is because the fact that they started working at the age of 15 and having to stick with the same job everyday get boring and tiring. And as you keep working doing hard labor it could put your back out. Usually if it were me doing the same thing everyday it would get boring. Most of the people who hit 40 or younger usually probably think whats the point in living if there isn't going to be a new experience to do in the future?
ReplyDeleteI think that there are many reasons why the life expectancy for men is so short in the book The Anthem. I agree with every single comment on here. These men have nothing to look forward to in their life at all. They know exactly how the next day is going to go and so on. The men cannot even be themselves, there is no individualism at all. That has to be very hard on them. Surely, once these men have turned 45 they are tired of one another and doing the same thing everyday. They even know exactly what they are going to do at the age of 45 so what is there to look forward to? These men have nothing to live for really. For example, no families, loved ones, hobbies or anything like that. If I were them I would be bored all the time and just not be happy with life and thats not how it should be.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons for the short life expectancy for men in the book Anthem. The fact that they could not choose their own futures could be one of those reasons. Imagine doing something you don't enjoy for the rest of your life. It would become very tiresome. I honestly would not want to live my any longer if I had to go through that. For many of the men in this book, they had to wake up everyday to same routines. There was never anything new to look forward to which made their days very dull. They didn't have the opportunity to learn new things, only a few people could, but what if those few people couldn't learn as much or as quickly as others who weren't given that opportunity could. Technology is a major thing that helps people live longer, and that is what the men lacked most. In life, work isn't the only thing we must do, we need time to socialize and have fun. These men were not able to speak their minds, nor could they fall in love with a woman. What's the point in living if all they do is work? In my opinion, I think the men were the happiest when they became old and "useless". Life wasn't really worth living in that time period.
ReplyDeleteI never really knew the actually meaning of Abyss, but I had heard the word before. Abyss-The bottomless pit in old accounts of the universe. In todays chapter, I kind of gotten lost. What was it exactly that the men created. The way they described it was as if they had just discovered a new creation, new life. This is a really good book, but confusing at times.
ReplyDeletein Equality's society, life expectancy is short because when they hit the age 45 they are basically told by there leaders they are too old and have no reason to live therefor they are useless.
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