Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Being yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the most great accomplishment. Emerson's words parallel those of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Ayn Rand's Anthem, as they each describe a society that is in ruins because the people living in it fail to realize this "greater accomplishment.” In Anthem, Rand paints the reader a picture of a society in which one man has the idea of ​​individuality, among many other machine-like people, constantly doing their jobs because a detached government does theirs asked. Meanwhile, in Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury depicts a society where only a few remnants of hope remain, only a few individuals. These are people who memorize books so that they can perpetuate human ingenuity, a hope for a future generation. Although Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 both tell us how we should retain and develop our individuality, Rand uses a much darker and hopeless society through his characters and the lack of technological advancement while Bradbury provides insight into a society obsessed with technology with some sparks of diminishing. hope remains in a few characters. The characters in Ayn Rand's anthem seem to have a disconnected and dead sense, as if they are just machines, progressing lifelessly through a boring existence while a few of Bradbury's characters have real life within them, a spirit of rebellion and personality disparity between them and everyone else. Ayn Rand warns the reader against conformity when she adds: "We raised our right arm and we said together with the three Teachers leading us: 'We are nothing.' Humanity is everything'” (2 Rand). Here we see the parallel of Hitler's forces during World War II, all forces uniting...... middle of paper ..., while in Fahrenheit 451 the reader is given a glimpse of hope for the future, even if everything is dark and gloomy. Whether or not we are on the verge of becoming one of these societies, we must heed what these two novels warn against. But how can we change our society as a whole to make sure we don't find ourselves in any of these situations? Is there a third situation, that of always avoiding two, that would somehow be better? How can we change the world? Works Cited “Anthem.” Google Books. Internet. March 20, 2014. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print. “Quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson”. BrainyQuote. Xplorer. Internet. March 18, 2014. Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Dutton, 1995. Print.