...Name Professor Class Date Fahrenheit 451 (word count: 1,426) The book “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury conveys to the reader that censorship and technology can be a tool used by governments to restrict human freedoms supported by endless access to knowledge and intimate relationships. The message of the book is that censorship and technologies, without limit, will erode the nature of human freedoms experienced in a society that values access to knowledge, books, and deep thinking. The world within Fahrenheit 451 can be characterized by a population controlled by media and extreme levels of knowledge censorship. The media is the tool employed by the government and embraced by most citizens as a means of steering the group aimlessly through life; vicariously living out any lingering ambitions and motivations towards non-conformity through the characters inside the television. In an effort to stifle creative thinking, spiritual growth, resistance, and the human tendency towards a general thirst for knowledge, the government has issued legislation that makes books illegal. Books are considered a social evil due to their inherent ability to encourage individuals to question existing frameworks and think for themselves. Therefore, the society in the book lives in a world where history does not exist and the reality is constructed and delivered through the television. The book’s protagonist, Montag, represents an individual that makes a transition from a...
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...In Fahrenheit 451 people were faced with the issue of having to be suppressed in thought and in mind. For many, they did not question these ideals, but rather went along passively. Although there were some that questioned the lack of their own natural human thought. Some had a need to think and feel. These people were known In Fahrenheit 451 as the book rebels, the people that thrived to think. They committed their very lives to the ideals of thought and creativity. They did this by memorizing works of literature, and by forming groups of thought. If I was to be a book rebel I would dedicate my life to the memorization of George Orwell’s “1984”. I would definitely preserve this book because its meaning extends to all people of all cultures. In my opinion no other work has better expressed the effects of a totalitarian government on people and society. It is of utmost importance to understand the ideals of this book to protect our own individual freedom. This book does not merely serve as an outlet for creativity and entertainment, but as a simulated warning of the hardships man must face, if he does not speak out and think for himself. I believe this book would be most valuable committed to memory especially to the people in the society of Fahrenheit 451. The book of “1984” would not only be the work I commit to memory if I were to be a book rebel. I would also recomend “1984” to moderm society in order to protect their own livelihood and that of there children’s...
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...“1984” A Book Worth Preseving In Fahrenheit 451 people were faced with the issue of having to be suppressed in thought and in mind. For many, they did not question these ideals, but rather went along passively. Although there were some that questioned the lack of their own natural human thought. Some had a need to think and feel. These people were known In Fahrenheit 451 as the book rebels, the people that thrived to think. They committed their very lives to the ideals of thought and creativity. They did this by memorizing works of literature, and by forming groups of thought. If I was to be a book rebel I would dedicate my life to the memorization of George Orwell’s “1984”. I would definitely preserve this book because its meaning extends to all people of all cultures. In my opinion no other work has better expressed the effects of a totalitarian government on people and society. It is of utmost importance to understand the ideals of this book to protect our own individual freedom. This book does not merely serve as an outlet for creativity and entertainment, but as a simulated warning of the hardships man must face, if he does not speak out and think for himself. I believe this book would be most valuable committed to memory especially to the people in the society of Fahrenheit 451. The book of “1984” would not only be the work I commit to memory if I were to be a book rebel. I would also recomend “1984” to moderm society in order to protect their own livelihood...
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...Ray Bradbury is a master of characterization techniques. He uses his expertise, such as indirect characterization, in the creation of Fahrenheit 451. In addition to learning about the explicit qualities of Bradbury’s characters, readers receive deeper insight as we carefully read his stories. In Fahrenheit 451, we learn more indirect information about the protagonist, Guy Montag, through the words used to introduce this character. We have a clear view of Montag’s thoughts and feelings that lead him into his own transformation. When the novel begins, we learn that Montag’s values are similar to that of the society he lives in. The culture in which Montag is accustomed to is one without cogitation or analysis. Their society believes that books cause pain and should not exist. Everyone in this society believes they live in a carefree, painless world beyond having burdens. In the first sentence of the novel, Montag shows how much he loves his work as a fireman: “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). The job of a fireman in this society is to set fires, not to eradicate them. Houses that are revealed to contain books, by those who set off the alarms, are destroyed by firemen. Montag enjoys watching books wither and disintegrate in front of his eyes, but never thinks why he does it. His ideas begin to change when he walks home one evening and runs into a young woman named Clarisse McClellan, who lives on the same street as...
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...William Shakespeare, voiced the truth about desired knowledge by saying that “ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven”. One must presume that Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451, learned from this. Ray Bradbury’s distopian novel shares a similar representations towards knowledge. In the novel the protagonist, Guy Montag, becomes aware of the fact that he is living in a world were knowledge and individuality is lost. People tolerate and abide by the rules and limitations specified by the government. There is nothing except for books in this society to cause people to wonder about how valuable and important knowledge and identity are. Guy Montag is a fireman whose job is to search for books and burn them. Most of the people in Fahrenheit 451 are convinced that books are a waste of time and are useless. Montag also believes this up until a change of...
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...several dilemmas in the futuristic society of Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451. Relationship seems to be missing their true essence, and actions seem worthless and done carelessly. In other words, everything is meaningless. Because of his conflict with society, Guy Montag undergoes a number of trials that ultimately make him understand the value of knowledge, nature and human interactions. At 17, Clarisse McClellan is aloof, and without any close friends. Although she may be viewed as an outcast by her peers and overall community, Clarisse holds strongly to her own unique ideology, which Montag finds intriguing. Her radical questions, such as “ Have you ever tasted rain?”, (Bradbury p.21) and “Are you happy?” (Bradbury p.7) , open Montag’s eyes to his own feelings about life. He then begins to ask questions about his society, and reflect on his own life. Another challenge which causes Montag’s internal conflict to rise, is seeing a woman burn in a fire, by choice. During a firefighter assignment, Montag and the rest of his crew come to a house with an attic filled with books, and one very strong, determined lady. After setting the attic into flames, the crew informs the lady to leave. However the lady refuses to listen, not making any signs of departure. Betty, montag's boss, then begins to count down while Montag stands near,...
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...Depending on which way one may view a certain circumstance, everyone is a victim of censorship. Unwillingly volunteering our free thinking by a superior influence. Do people feel that we need to endure censorship? Over the course of the novel Fahrenheit 451, we see how censorship adapts one's behavior. The public are banned from owning or reading books, there are many reasons for why people are so averse towards books and submit to the government. Entertainment such as, tv and radio play a big part in why most people do not independently think for themselves.The biggest reason is the sensitivities towards the “offensive” opinions written in these books that makes people submit to the government's rules. This makes one either obey the authority...
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...A Warning to Society In today's society an increasing use of television and technology exists, along with a decline in reading printed material. The result of a society in which technology is overused and a lack of reading can create an unsatisfactory life, and actual human interaction becomes limited due to these conditions. This abuse of entertainment through technology can be found in America today because people are frequently using phones, texting and connecting over social media. In a uniform society like this, where almost everyone is the same, all of the citizens will live a dull life. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a book written as a warning to society, the ban on books shows how a society with extreme regulation and an abuse of technology can create a miserable life as seen through the characters Guy and Mildred Montag....
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...OUTLINE Intro: Introduce the basis of the book and how it is structured. Introduce the importance of the plot and characters. Exposition and Rising Action: Talk about how Guy Montag is a fireman who burns books for a living. He is an average man who thinks he is happy. He then meets a teenage girl named Clarisse who opens his eyes to the truth. This acts as the rising action. As soon as Clarisse starts asking the tough questions, Montag starts to doubt himself. We see the beginnings of his internal conflict and it’s clear that this girl awoke a dissatisfaction in Montag. Mildred’s near death and the nonchalance of the rescue team indicate that he is not the only Guy with problems, this is a deeply flawed society. Climax: Guy reads the poem to Mildred and her friends. This is the climax of so many different threads. Mildred’s growing fear of her husband’s renegade activities boils over and she turns him in. Beatty’s suspicions of his underling surface. Montag faces his own guilt and his nemesis Beatty. The Mechanical Hound finally shows up....
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...Fahrenheit 451-“ The temperature at which book paper catches fire, and burns” (title page). In Fahrenheit 451, science fiction author Ray Bradbury wrote a novel about censorship and about governments taking away the rights of citizens. In several ways, Bradbury’s theme seems to describe the circumstances Americans have been living in since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. In the novel, as well as in the film, Bradbury presents the reader with his viewpoints on censorship which provide a parallel perspective comparing how American citizens have lived prior to and after the 9/11 attacks. Bradbury’s novel begins with explicit details describing the burning of books. The opening is somewhat alarming because burning books is not what a normal person would consider to be the duty of a firefighter. The government has made it forbidden and unlawful to read books. As a reader, I could not help myself from thinking back to the times of Communism in the Soviet Union and Nazism in Hitler’s Germany. During the 1950s, in protest to Communism and Nazism, many of the same token books were being burned here in the US. In the film a symbolic relationship between black, evil, Communism, and death is painted by the firefighters jet-black hardened helmets and their jet black flameproof jackets. The color black seems to symbolize the coming of death. The firefighters wore all black uniforms and they rode on a very red box-like shaped vehicle filled with petrol. The red could symbolize...
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...In Fahrenheit 451, many of the books that the "remembering" men have chosen to memorize are classics or religious texts. However, if I was placed in a position where memorizing one book would be an asset to the future, I would choose to read Silence. The reason I would choose Silence is by the virtue of the moral development and reconciliation both main characters withstand, and the principle of active living that is tested. The book starts out with the young teenage girl who feels that her whole life is based around her voice. Shy, introverted, and quiet, Stella feels the only way she can reach out and "be herself" is when she is singing. When an unfortunate disaster (unrelated to anything she did) unfolds, Stella is left deaf, without her voice. She feels that without her voice, she is nothing. However, Hayden, the opposing major character unexpectedly jumps into her life (not knowing why he does), and through her silence he begins to reach out to her. It is through him that her first sign of development is made. Stella says, "He is the white feather of hope drifting through The darkness of my days. And if I can hold on, I just might be able to fly" (Lytton 94). From the start she recognizes his hand in her life. Without him she...
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...“Those who don't build must burn. It's as old as history and juvenile delinquents.”(Bradbury 89). In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the main idea centers around the importance of human connection. Bradbury stresses this idea by allowing fire to take away the idea of building relationships with others. In turn, the society begins to collapse and literally ends with the city in flames. He also illustrates how much the real world relates to the crumbling world in the novel through technology, their current events, and the way the people treat certain issues. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury through his use of literary terms exposes how literature saves society from its inevitable demise by revealing today’s society’s weaknesses, challenges readers to connect the dystopian society in the book to reality, and demonstrates how human connections give people a reason to live and love. Even when Bradbury was a child he was interested in literature. In the article “Ray Bradbury: Martian...
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...There is also a strong sense of nationalism and citizens have a fear of the outside world and those that are outside their bubble. The society is generally stratified socially, economically, and politically causing a majority of inhabitants to live in a dehumanized state. For almost everyone except the protagonist, the society is a perfect utopian world. The melting away of this illusion is the journey a dystopian novel usually takes the reader. I can see these echoes of similarity between We and the many other great works of dystopian science-fiction such as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 and, for this discussion, Orwell‘s novel 1984. Both stories depict a post-apocalyptic world that has come into existence after a nuclear war has realigned the all of the previous geographic, political and social boundaries of the “old world”. Both stories are told by a government bureaucrat of sorts, living in a peculiar, yet glorious, futuristic society. Both describe an insipid world where the desire for consistency, social order, and reverence had crushed almost any reminisce of true humanity, individual freedom, or emotion. Consequently, the fellow citizens of these societies have become warped, brainwashed caricatures of human beings and their interactions resemble that of a...
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...Digression from conformity Through a series of events and experiences every living thing becomes a new version of themselves. These changes are imperative to people as they try to grow and, no matter what, it is hard to avoid such dramatic changes. The basis of Fahrenheit 451 revolves around the metamorphosis of Montag throughout the book, as Ray Bradbury vicariously explains the dreadful faith of society. Montag experiences vast changes that slowly destroy his ignorance of how life really is. Early in the book it is evident that Montag is caught in the centrifuge like society and is masked with happiness. As he encounters certain people he begins to realize that this complete ignorance could be detrimental. His actions after these changes shape how he handles the ending revolution of the book. Montag’s beginning innocence was what went through these dramatic changes to create a more...
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...How to Read Literature Like a Professor Morgan Banks 1.)Introduction: How'd He Do That? Memory affects the reading of literature because it helps you make connections and recognize patterns. Patterns, in turn, can reveal hidden meanings and truths in the text- if something is mentioned repeatedly, thats a big clue that is of vital importance to fully understanding the piece of literature. Finally symbols show what text cannot and guide you to a more complete understanding of the underlying point. A complicated novel will often include many characters, one central plot, and numerous sub-plots. Pattern recognition allows us to see the relationships between character, actions, and ideas. A time when symbolism enhanced my understanding when reading a literary work, was when i was reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The symbol is the green light, which sits across the water from Gatsby's house. Gatsby stood at the end of his garden with arms outstretched, desperately trying to reach the green light. The green light symbolizes how desperately Gatsby want Daisy back in his life- however, his failure to reach the green light demonstrates how Daisy is ultimately gone from his life forever. 2.)Chapter 1: Every trip is a quest (Except when it's not) Story I have chosen is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief A.) Our questor: A young boy with dyslexia and ADHD who finds out he is a demigod and that...
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