2023年Ayn Rand Institute essay contest安·兰德写作比赛介绍

安·兰德

20世纪著名的哲学家、小说家和公共知识分子。她的哲学理论和小说开创了客观主义哲学运动，她同时也写下了《The Fountainhead》、《Atlas Shrugged》等数本畅销的小说。

安·兰德的哲学观受到亚里士多德、约翰·洛克的极大影响，她的哲学是属于启蒙时代以及理性时代的哲学。

她的小说所要表达的目标是要展示她理想中的英雄：一个因为其能力和独立性格而与社会产生冲突的人，但却依然奋斗不懈朝她的理想迈进。

 

安·兰德写作比赛

Ayn Rand Institute essay contest 安·兰德写作比赛，是由安·兰德协会于1985年发起组织，在全球范围内举办关于安·兰德小说的征文比赛，旨在通过这项比赛推广安·兰德的哲学理念，希望促进人们越来越多地认识、理解和接受安·兰德的哲学思想。每年向全球学生颁发的总奖金超过 220 万美元。

竞赛优势

1.安·兰德写作比赛成立至今，已有30多年历史，在国际中学生文学作品竞赛中的地位举足轻重，具有极高的含金量。比赛免费参加，而且还有丰厚的奖金，获奖论文还可以发表在赛事官方网站上。

2.安·兰德写作比赛以安·兰德的文学作品为背景，鼓励学生通过反思安兰德深刻而有影响力的小说来解读安·兰德的思想。参赛者需要用心阅读相关书籍，应对复杂的主题并突破写作能力界限。通过参赛使学生能够对安·兰德的作品有更深层次的欣赏。

3.安·兰德写作比赛的评分标准取决于，参赛者是否能够证明和论证自己的观点，虽然有主题但是参赛者依然有很大的自由发挥空间。

4.写作比赛既是文科生的背景提升工具，通过有深度、观点清晰的文章向大学展示其对写作的热爱以及自身的思想深度，也给理工科学生在申请履历同质化的竞争环境下，提供了展示自己全面均衡发展的机会。

比赛要求

①读一本安·兰德的小说，注意主题和人物动机，并思考如何回答论文主题问题。

②当你开始写作时，考虑如何回答你选择写的论文问题。确保给自己足够的时间来构建一个连贯的大纲，找到支持证据，并修改你的草稿几次。

③提交时请务必检查你提供的信息是否正确，以及论文是否符合要求。

评判要求

论文写作应围绕主题，要清晰、清晰、有条理，并将小说中的想法和事件联系起来。获奖论文必须表现出对小说哲学意义的杰出理解。

比赛主题1

Anthem

适合学生：8-12年级

截止投稿时间：2023年4月27日

写作要求：600-1200词以内

获奖荣誉：最高$2,000的奖金

比赛题目（任选其一）

1. Ayn Rand once said that chapters XI and XII of Anthem contain the real anthem of the story. Consider several different definitions of the word “anthem” and then explain why you think Ayn Rand called the book “Anthem.” In what sense do you think chapters XI and XII (or the book as a whole) is an anthem? How does the book’s title relate to the themes and message of the story? Explain your answer.

2.For the following statement from Anthem, explain its role in the story, its relation to the themes and message of the story, and its relevance to your own life: “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when they live for their brothers?”

3.Equality 7-2521 has committed some of the worst crimes there are in his society. If those crimes are discovered, he faces the risk of terrible punishment. Yet in the face of this danger, and despite how much Equality has suffered at the hands of his society, he resolves to bring his invention (and admit his crimes) to the World Council of Scholars. What motivates him to come forward? What does he hope to achieve? If you were Equality’s friend (like International 4-8818) or the person who loves him (like Liberty 5-3000), what would you want him to do, and why? What do you think would be right for him to do, and why?

比赛主题2

The Fountainhead

适合学生：11-12年级

截止投稿时间：2023年4月27日

写作要求：800-1600词以内

获奖荣誉：最高$5,000的奖金

比赛题目（任选其一）

1、Mallory says the following about Roark: “You know how people long to be eternal. But they die with every day that passes. . . . They change, they deny, they contradict—and they call it growth. . . . How do they expect a permanence which they have never held for a single moment? But Howard—one can imagine him existing forever.” Give examples of characters in the novel who change in the way Mallory suggests. In what respects is Roark unchanging through the book? Are there any respects in which his character develops? How do these issues of characterization relate to the theme of the novel?

2、Toohey tells Keating the following: “I’m the most selfless man you’ve ever known. I have less independence than you, whom I just forced to sell your soul.” Drawing on Toohey’s own explanation and on his actions in the story, explain your understanding of what Toohey means by this. Does the author agree with Toohey’s assessment of his own motivation? Do you? Explain your answers.

3、In The Fountainhead, we can see how Roark is guided by his own creative vision, whether in the way he develops his skills as an architect, in the terms on which he’ll work for employers, or in the standards he uses for accepting or rejecting new clients. Judging from examples of these aspects of his decisions and actions, do you think he would be a supporter or opponent of free-market capitalism? Explain your answer, being sure to define relevant terms.

比赛主题3

Atlas Shrugged

适合学生：12年级、大学和研究生

截止投稿时间：2023年11月6日

写作要求：800-1600词以内

获奖荣誉：最高$10,000的奖金

比赛题目（任选其一）

1、In his speech about money, Francisco says: “Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. . . . Paper [money] is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked: ‘Account overdrawn.’” Explain what Francisco means by this and how it serves the purpose of his speech. Then explain how his statement can be seen as applying to our economic world today.

2、In his radio speech, John Galt names a principle that Rearden and Dagny have struggled to discover for themselves: “The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. . . . Do not try to live on your enemies’ terms or to win at a game where they’re setting the rules. . . . One cannot hope to maintain one’s life by accepting bribes to condone one’s destruction.” Explain what Galt means by this and how the issue plays a role in the plot of the novel. Describe an issue or event from current events (whether in your country or in its relations with others) to which you think this principle applies. How might events have unfolded differently if this principle of the sanction of the victim were taken more seriously?

3、The bum in the diner says to Dagny, “It doesn’t take any morality to turn out a ten-ton truck on an assembly line.” In important ways, the events of the novel go on to address this and other claims the bum makes in this scene about the nature of morality. What do they suggest is right about the bum’s conception of morality? What do they suggest is wrong about it? How, in particular, does Rearden start from the bum’s point of view and develop a new view over the course of the story?

无论对于文科生还是理科生，优秀的写作能力，都是进入名校的必备技能。