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Science and technology in “The perfect day” and "Anthem."

"The perfect day" is a story where the author recognizes the future of humanity while the contemporary age is considered the past. The story is written or narrated in the present. In this future society, all human beings look alike with tan skin, black hair, and slanting eyes; however, the author makes an effort to eradicate any signs of genetics. Society is controlled by the Uni, who decide and control every aspect of the world, including how people should mate and handle their daily activities. The "Anthem" by Ayn Rand is a narration by Equality 7-2521 that tells the audience about his life from an underground railroad tunnel. Equality 7-2521 is different compared to the rest of the people. He refers to himself as we instead of I as demanded by the system in the journal. There are also rules for people to follow and guide them in generating a better society. In the story, people are not allowed to venture or speak about the events that happened in the past, demonstrating that the storyline is set in the future. "The Perfect Day" approaches the idea of science through eradication of diseases, better innovations, how the leaders control society through scanners, and reliance on technology, while "Anthem" approaches the idea of science by examining ailment solutions, backward innovations, leaders controlling society by preventing them from having ideas, and absence of technology.

One of the main ideas from stories is a scientific advancement in the sector of health. Scientific development and advancement have enabled human beings to concur and face many challenges throughout history. In "The perfect day," science is part of the medical journey of that society. Unlike modern situations, Chip's society has been able to eradicate diseases. When Li's parents call Bob to explain the incurables, he states that society knows a lot about medication, unlike in the past. "We didn't always know as much about medicine and chemistry as today" (Levin, 5). Treatment was also available for individuals to prevent them from falling sick; however, epidemics occur on rare occasions, such as the instance on Mars. In the "Anthem," science is not advanced, and diseases still haunt individuals who are left to bleed. Equality 7-2521 states that they learn how to bleed people to cure them of sickness (Rand, 4). Society believes that the only way of curing ailments is through blood or bleeding. In this society, when one is identified with a certain ailment, they are left to see it through instead of getting some help. For example, Union 5-3992 suffered from severe seizures, but the rest were not allowed to do anything. On the day before spring break, Union 5-3992 started convulsing, and we left them in the shade to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and went to finish our work (Rand, 7). Science one of the stories is used to defeat diseases, and in the other story, people are not allowed to discover medication.

Another significant area of scientific comparison is the innovations occurring in both stories. Throughout time science has been the center of innovation as individuals discover how and why something works. In the "Anthem," the leaders have prohibited individuals from scientific exploration, with only a few allowed to perform scientific research. Equality 7-2521 wants to join the Home of Scholars because he appreciated science and was born naturally curious and intelligent. The Home of Scholars is where every new invention came from, including making candles from wax and strings or making glass (Rand, 4). In the future of "The Perfect Day," science is used to control the community and even alter the genetic makeup of the human species through genetic engineering. For example, children had tan skin, black hair, and slanting eyes. The narrator also states that grandparents were also created the same when introducing Papa Jan. All of them had marked similarities such as few centimeters of skin, too light or too dark skin, big ears, and a bent nose (Levin, 7). Science expounds at the innovations displayed in the stories.

The other essential area of scientific comparison is how leaders use technology to control society. The leaders use power in the stories to control individuals and take away their autonomy and liberties. In "The Perfect Day," leaders use technology and science to keep people under control by using bands and other methods. Society is raised to understand and believe that Unicomputers belong to the family and that they are supposed to ask for things from the scanners. For instance, during their Unicomp trip, Papa Jan does not allow Chip to use the scanners, and Chip becomes anxious because of that reaction (Levin, 11). In the "Anthem," leaders create homes where certain individuals must go, which become their workstations. Equality 7-2521 wants to become part of the Home of the scholars, a scientific group but is denied the chance because he is different (Rand, 8). His curious nature prevents him from becoming the thing that he desires the most, a scientist. When he presents his lightbox to the Home of Scholars, they reject his idea claiming that it will ruin the plans of the World Council without whose plans the sun cannot rise (Rand, 25). In the first story, science is used to control the people, while in the second, the absence of scientific knowledge is used to control the citizens.

The dependency of scientific knowledge and inventions is another apparent area between the two stories. The stories revolve around science on human beings, one in the future and the other in the past. In "The Perfect Day," society is dependent on computers for everything. Chip goes through a lot of trouble to destroy the room where the piece of blue equipment was kept and controlled by the government. A lady asks him what he has done, and Chip answers that though the machines were to be reprogrammed, they were to end up like before (Levin, 195). The "Anthem" society does not depend on science or its invention, for the only accepted invention is the candle, and the lightbox was rejected. Unanimity 2-9913 argues that it took the council 50 years to get the World Council to approve the candle invention (Rand, 25). One society depends on science which leads to their doom, while the other does not rely on scientific inventions.

'The Perfect Day" and the "Anthem" are science fiction stories where the former focus on the future of humanity while the latter examines the past. In the first story, science is part of society, with computer technology playing a crucial part in society. In the second story, society dreaded and feared technology because the leaders or the World Council have deemed so. In both stories, individuals are not allowed to pursue personal ideas or rights, which is Rand's story makes them a backward society. However, science has helped eradicate diseases apart from the rare occurrence of pandemics in the future.

Work Cited

Levin, Ira. This Perfect Day. Random House, 1970.

Rand, Ayn. Anthem. NAL, 1999.