Why build this site?This website has been designed as part of an English class at Purdue University. The project is to create a website based on a person who has contributed to our understanding of Otherness, either through their creative work or through their actions. Otherness is a concept many people are familiar with, yet not many address it. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines therness as "the quality or state of being other or different." (Merriam-Webster) Being an other means being different, either physically, mentally or philosophically, as in Rand's case. People can be treated as an other and ostracized by society, their peers, etc., or embrace their differences and celebrate them. This site is for younger people new to Rand's concepts and theories. Some of her ideas are a tad difficult to understand, so they need to be summarized accurately yet briefly.
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How was Ayn Rand an other?Ayn Rand was treated as an other in many facets of her life and embraced her differences. As a child, she was not particularly femenine and did not fit in with the other children. Anne C. Heller describes Rand's features as a child in her biography. "She had few friends and little inclination to make new ones, and she was physically inert in an era of passionate physical exercise." Rand became "violently enthusiastic about things she liked", making an even bigger gap between herself and other children her age. (Heller 167).
Even as an adult, Rand was not popular with her peers. Her views on the world caused quite a stir in her day. Her ideas were not new, but they were very unpopular. If one did hold her values, either politically or religious, one one kept it to themselves and did not talk about them in public. Rand was not a quiet figure in that sense. She was quite vocal about her beliefs. According to an interview with Seamus Cartwith (pseudonym), who attended some of her lectures, Rand would often remove people from her life who did not carry the same beliefs. This created a self-made Otherness about her. |