Grammar tends to be one of those things that so easily gets overlooked. In the grand scheme of life, it seems to be such a minuscule part, and yet, all of language hinges off of grammar’s rules. Grammar controls words, and words control the world . It is a powerful force, one that is not to be tampered with.
I came to this realization of grammar after reading a novella entitled Anthem which was written by Ayn Rand, a Russian born author and philosopher. I would like to explain to you how Anthem imparted this realization to me and why it is so important to understand this concept in today’s world.
Important Things to Note From Ayn Rand’s Anthem:
Anthem is written in the first person perspective of Equality 7-2512, the main protagonist of the book. No one in this universe has names of their own, nor special possessions or differentiating opinions. Everyone is equally impoverished to live out their monotonous existence which is chosen for them by the Council of Vocations. In this world, the word “I” is known as the Unspeakable Word, as to individualize yourself from the collective of humanity is seen as a crime. There can be no individuality in this world, as individuality is what leads to personal opinions, and personal opinions lead to dissenters. In order to remedy this, everyone in this world refers to themselves as “we/us” and refers to others as “they/them.” You own nothing in this universe, not even yourself.
What Does This Mean For Us?
While this world build by Rand is a major exaggeration of an ultra collectivist society, I cannot help but see some direct connections to the world we live in today. For instance, currently there is one mainstream narrative that everyone is expected to adhere to, and to dissent from that narrative gets you labeled as a racist, sexist, and a bigot. Part of this narrative involves breaking grammatical law and calling others by pronouns that do not make sense from a linguistic perspective, i.e. using “they/them” to refer to individuals rather than a group.
The way that Ayn Rand chose to use grammar in this book got me thinking about how powerful grammar really is and why it is so important to obey its laws. People believe that they can shift grammar to obey their own whims and desires, but the fact of the matter is, the laws of grammar are just as binding as the laws of science. We forget that man did not make grammar or language. These things were created by God in the beginning. We have no right to twist the grammatical rules set in place, for when you do bend the rules, confusion and miscommunication run rampant.
For example, let’s return to the fact that in Anthem, everyone refers to themselves as “we/us” rather than “I/me,” and refers to others as “they/them” as opposed to “you” or “he/she.” If you haven’t noticed already, the obvious problem with this is that to refer to a single person as “they” you are essentially ridding them of all individuality. They are no longer their own person, but rather, simply a member of the proverbial crowd.
Am I the only one who sees how dehumanizing this is? To be referred to as nothing more than a part of the thousands? It actually scares me to think that people willingly wish to be referred to in this way, and the preference for this is only growing. You see, when we constantly shift grammar to match our own selfish desires, we train our brains to see this new, flawed grammar as truth. And the more our brains recognize as truth, the harder it is for us to escape our delusions.
Why do you think mental illness can be so debilitating? Because it changes the way your brain thinks and allows it to recognize falsehood as reality. That is why it is so important to fight the thoughts that illnesses like depression and anxiety put into our minds. Because if we do not fight, we become lost in a sea of lies which our brains are registering as truth. Thus, the more we cater to the incorrect use of grammar, the more mentally ill our society will inevitably become.
Disobeying the laws of grammar is a slippery slope that starts out with causing confusion and ends with acceptance of the falsehood it created.
You are an individual. Your worth can be found in your own uniqueness and individuality, not in your membership to any crowd. Do not allow the mainstream whims of society make you reject these innate truths. Do not allow the laws of grammar to be broken, they have more power than you think.
There is so much more that can be said about this incredible book, but in an effort to stay on topic, I will end my post here. You can earn more about Ayn Rand and Anthem by clicking the link to the left! You can also request a free copy to read for yourself!
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