These Anthem project ideas extend learning and give students a variety of ways to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and creativity. Customizable file formats available for download.
Anthem Projects Overview:
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- Anthem II: The World Council Strikes Back
- A Speech to Free the City (public speaking)
- Symbols, Motifs, and Allusions (presentation)
- Anthem KARAOKE!
- Novel Topics Research Project
- Propaganda Exposed! (poster gallery)
- A Home of the Actors Production (performance)
- Read-N-Share: Dystopia Stories
- In a World Where… (You make a movie trailer.)
- Creative Writing: Speculative Fiction
- Theme Reflection (personal essay)
- Judging a Cover by Its Book (art challenge)
Anthem II: The World Council Strikes Back
ANTHEM Projects Anthem 2 assignmentCreative Writing: Anthem II (PDF)
Alright, maybe the World Council doesn’t strike back and maybe Equality doesn’t achieve “maximum voltage,” but imagine that you have been hired by the Rand Institute (a real thing) to write a sequel for Anthem. You could start the story immediately after the last chapter, skip ahead generations into the future, or even write a prequel.
You will be graded on how well you plan the narrative elements and write a sample chapter that imitates aspects of Rand’s style.
A Speech to Free the City (public speaking)
Anthem Projects: Public Speaking
The society described in Anthem uses the City Theatre and “Social Recreation” to communicate their messages supporting collectivism and unity. If Prometheus returns to the city to convert others, he will have to persuade the brainwashed masses that he has found a better way of life.
Write a speech for Prometheus that persuades people to leave the collective society. You will be graded on how well you develop your argument and use public speaking devices.
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- Point of view: Prometheus returns to liberate free-minded individuals.
- Setting: City Theatre, 5-10 minutes
- Purpose: Convince people to join the revolution
- Audience: The brainwashed people of the city
Symbols, Motifs, and Allusions (presentation)
ANTHEM Presentation symbolsAnthem Presentation Project (PDF)
Ayn Rand uses symbols, motifs, and allusions to add layers of meaning and develop the themes. Choose one element from Anthem to analyze. Present your analysis in a polished slideshow and explain how Rand uses the element to create connections and add layers of meaning for the comprehending reader.
Organize your presentation logically (like an essay). Use digital media features (textual, graphical, audio, visual, or interactive elements) to add interest and aid understanding.
Anthem KARAOKE!
Anthem Project: Public Speaking
Ayn Rand was not musical herself, but in Anthem she uses music extensively as a motif, a recurring element that adds meaning or impact. The most obvious example of this motif is the title itself.
You will compose lyrics for an Anthem inspired song. First, identify an appropriate point of view and context related to the book. Second, choose a song you know and change the lyrics. Your new song should demonstrate expert understanding of the book.
Novel Topics Research Project
ANTHEM Projects and Assignments NOVEL TOPICSAnthem Project: Research Topics
Write a comprehensive research report exploring one topic related to Anthem by Ayn Rand. You will record formal research and compose a report that includes in-text MLA (Modern Language Association) citations.
Some of the topics become relevant after the book’s publication. They did not influence Rand’s writing in 1938, but they relate to the larger context of the period.
Propaganda Exposed! (poster gallery)
Anthem Project Ideas: Propaganda
Rand wrote and published Anthem at a time when two philosophically opposed systems, capitalism and communism, competed for world domination. The sides generated avalanches of propaganda in attempts to influence the hearts and minds of people and nations.
The methods of faulty persuasion have not changed, and they are being directed at people like YOU! It is imperative that you think critically when a person, agency, company, government, or organization wants to influence your beliefs or actions.
Create a poster illustrating one propaganda / faulty persuasion technique for our class gallery. Be ready to present your knowledge, explain examples, and add your poster to the display. Feel free to share illustrative media (video, audio, photographs, etc.) when you present the technique.
A Home of the Actors Production (performance)
The City of Men requires Equality to attend plays produced and performed by the Home of the Actors. These performances are collective (like everything in the society) and communicate the approved themes on hard work, contentedness, brotherhood, togetherness, and equality.
The Council of Vocations has assigned this class to the Home of the Actors. You will work in groups to create plays for Social Recreation in the City Theatre. Your play should center on collective dialogue between two choruses. The choruses might act some things out (as a group), but the play should focus on the chanting back and forth.
Read-N-Share: Dystopia Stories
Anthem Projects and Assignments
Some authors write speculative fiction; they imagine stories within fantastic or even impossible circumstances. Some of these stories take place within a setting best described as a dystopia, a hypothetical human existence in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.
Your group will select one dystopia story to read, analyze, and present. You will be graded on how well you collaborate and present thoughtful analysis.
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- “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson – A town must follow a grisly and mysterious tradition to prosper.
- “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury – What happens when people become used to satisfying their worst instincts?
- “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin – Would you have what it takes to walk away from a perfect life?
- “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury – How might our AI overlords respond to individuals who fail to get with the program?
- “2 B R 0 2 B” by Kurt Vonnegut – (The zero is pronounced “naught.”) What if people could live forever.
- “The Perfect Match” by Ken Liu (This one is a bit long.) – What happens when the algorithm knows you better than you know yourself?
- “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar – The government takes an active role in managing the intelligence of the population.
- “The Minority Report” Philip K. Dick – (Challenging!) The government has found a way to stop crimes before they happen.
In a World Where… (You make a movie trailer.)
ANTHEM Projects and Assignments Movie TrailerMany of our favorite movies start as a lone author’s idea for a short story, novella, or novel. When filmmakers turn a piece of literature into a movie, we call it an adaptation. (The story telling has been adapted for a different medium.) Sometimes the original author is personally involved in making the movie and other times the author is just paid for their idea.
You will be making a film trailer (preview) to create excitement and interest for a new movie. This will be a dystopia movie set in a speculative human existence that is terrible to imagine.
PRESENTATION OPTIONS:
In the interest of practicality, your trailer should mainly rely on images paired with narration. (However, if you want to take it to a higher level, have at it, Spielberg.)
A) Low-tech: Simply show your selected images and narrate live to the class.
B) Medium-tech: Use Google Slides, SlideShare, or PowerPoint. Add titles (text) and fancy transitions. You can even record slide timings and narration in advance.
C) High-tech: Edit clips and images using iMovie (Mac), the video editor of the Photos App (Windows), or any editing software that suits you. You can use music and special effects!
Creative Writing: Speculative Fiction
Anthem Projects and Assignments
Build on what you have learned by writing your own speculative fiction. Write an imaginative short story based on an extraordinary premise (includes science fiction). You might explore a limited speculation or a mind-blowing new reality. We are using the broad definition of speculative fiction that includes utopia / dystopia fiction, science fiction, fantasy, the supernatural, alternate histories, and even superhero stories.
You will be graded on how well you…
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- Establish a clear point of view, setting, and plot.
- Write descriptively (vivid language, detailed imagery, and sensory details).
- Include a thoughtful reflection / conclusion (from the narrator or another point of view).
Anthem Assignment: Theme Reflection
Anthem Projects and Assignments
Write a personal essay reflecting on one theme explored in Anthem. You might completely endorse the message, reject the idea vehemently, or elucidate a more nuanced view. Assume that your reader has read Anthem, and feel free to make connections to the text; however, a personal essay is focused on you.
Judging a Cover by Its Book (art challenge)
Anthem Projects and Assignments
In this creativity challenge, you will provide the cover for a new edition of Anthem by creating original art inspired by the text. You might create a sketch, collage, graphic design, painting, photograph, or sculpture. Choose elements from the novella (theme, imagery, symbol, allusion, setting, character, conflict, etc.) to explore in your art.
You will be graded on your ideas and interpretations (not your artistic talents). Make comparisons, analyze connections, and use relevant terms / vocabulary.
RELATED POST: ANTHEM UNIT PLAN
Thanks for checking out Top 12 Anthem Project Ideas.
These Anthem final projects allow students who have finished the novel demonstrate their skills, knowledge, talents, and creativity. If you have found these ideas helpful, consider using the complete Anthem Unit for High School which includes a wealth of activities and materials.