Media Consumption In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

A Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, once said, “Censorships reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.” Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury shows us a futuristic society that he believes we are heading for. In his book, novels are banned and it is up to a group of firemen to go around and burn them all. In the end, an unexpected hero arises to go against his current society’s beliefs, and it shows his struggles along the way. Bradbury’s relatable themes make the reader think of the similarities between the book and their world, and is a key element in why the book is so successful.

The dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, and the political cartoon “Control of Internet Speech” although created in different times have a large amount of similarities regarding the rhetorical devices and themes used. Multiple editions of Fahrenheit 451 have been published throughout the years, however the version this essay will be referring to was published in June, 2013. The book revolves around Guy Montag, a fireman living in a futuristic and technologically advanced world where freedom of knowledge is censored. Forbidding books is a form of censorship(suppression of information) because books are platforms for authors to share their thoughts and readers to gain knowledge. This is achieved through forbidding books and having firemen burn those that are found.

The book Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a dystopian society. In this society books are banned and being unique, in a world where everyone is the same, is frowned upon. The main social issues discussed in this book, by Ray Bradbury, are censorship, conformity, and the lack of human connection cause by technology. Throughout the book there is an abundance of examples of how technology has overtaken the citizens of this society. Bradbury took the liberty to write a book as a warning to the people of the future to not let technology control their lives and to always have a thirst for knowledge.

Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a future world where books are banned and burned. At the heart of this story is a theme of information censorship, where ideas and knowledge are suppressed by an oppressive government. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses the motif of fire to emphasize the dangers of censorship and to illustrate how the destruction of books and knowledge leads to a society that is unable to think critically or question authority. The novel introduces the motif of fire in the opening scene, where protagonist Guy Montag is seen burning books.

The Threats of Technology In today’s society, technology is a very useful tool that is used all over the world. However, in the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, technology is used as a control over citizens. The dystopian fiction is about a man named Guy Montag who is a fireman in the town. During the time in the book, firemen burn books, because they are considered “evil.”

Ray Bradbury, acclaimed writer and author once said that “The problem in our country isn't with books being banned, but with people no longer reading. You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” In his famous novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury gives an account of a fictional America, which has let the importance of reading, and the importance of books in general, depreciate so much that books become taboo to own. Firemen are called not to put out fires but called to start them, burning houses, and the books they contain, to the ground.

Imagine going to a library to go find a book to read that wasn't there." Ray Bradbury the writer of "Fehrenheit 451" wrote this book about firemen to saving live but destroying them. Children around the world not getting to read and learn for entertainment because these firemen burn these books and maybe people. Set in a dystopian world long ago there was a boy who had a feeling that he wanted to write a book, and he called this book, Fahrenheit 451. Because this book has "quality of information, leisure to digest, and the right to carry out action," Fahrenheit 451 is a memorable book and should not be passed by any reader.

One of element of Fahrenheit 451 that is shown in our society today is the value of books. In the novel, books are forbidden and seen as a disgrace to society so they are burned. Today, movies, television and social media take over book’s presence and people spend less time reading and more time using electronics. In the novel, if people have books, they are also looked down upon; as stated, “She’s nothing to me; she shouldn’t have had books” (Bradbury, 48). Although in our world the diminished value of books is not as exaggerated, both societies have similar thoughts on books’ value.

Similar to the recent news of multiple Roald Dahl novels being banned due to “offensive language,” Ray Bradbury’s hit novel, ‘Fahrenheit 451’ specifically outlines the reasons why all books should be banned for society to flourish. Beatty, the fire caption, is one of the largest influencers for the banning of books in the novel; he claims that the thinking books cause, due to the knowledge they obtain, will upset society because nobody likes to have to think. In his lecture with Montag, Beatty uses several types of persuasion to convince his audience that books should be banned. People are impatient, they desire to begin “real life” as soon as possible as everything leading up to that is deemed useless. Beatty explains that life is seen as productive once life is immediate and people are not worried about useless things such as books and thinking; “Life is immediate, the job counts, pleasure lies all about after work” (page number).

According to a 2021 report by Datareportal, there are over 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide, about 63% of the global population. (Datareportal) This shows how significant the impact that technology has had on mass media and communication is, as people can now access and share information more easily and quickly than ever before. “Fahrenheit 451” is a novel by an author named Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag the main character is a fireman who instead of putting out fires makes fires and burns books in their futuristic world. It tells a story about how he went from a book-burning fireman to a book-reading guy.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.

Ray Bradbury depicts a future society in Fahrenheit 451 where reading is viewed as harmful and pointless. The government's decision to burn books did not come out of nowhere; rather, it was made after the populace as a whole ceased reading and lost interest in censorship. This begs the question of whether such a scenario is conceivable in the society we live in now and whether reading and books might experience a complete loss of interest. Furthermore, a complete loss of interest in reading and books in our society is impropobable concerns have been raised regarding the reading habits and the emergence of digital media.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the world is in a state of corruption and intellectual darkness. Bradbury portrays a dystopia in which censorship has evolved into its full potential. It is a world in which all literary mediums are outlawed. Firemen are used as police officers to burn all books, and its owners’ houses. The firemen’s occupation is beneficial to the totalitarian regime in rule because the burning of the books allows the people to become ignorant, which allow the government to have total control.

Neil Gaiman once wrote, “some books exist between covers that are perfectly people-shaped” (Gaiman xvi). The idea that books can be defined as the sharing of thoughts and information between people reveals a deeper meaning in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist faces a society in which books are censored and, thus, burned. This, according to his definition, means that if books become banned, certain connections between people will, too, be destroyed. Ray Bradbury reveals the theme (the importance of books) through the protagonist’s dynamic character, which comes as a result from his conflicts with society.

How will you control your specific item in your new society? I will maintain control over the new society by taking full control of the media. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag was talking to Mildred about the TV, “‘Millie, does’-he licked his lips- ‘does your ‘family’ love you, love you very much, love you with all their heart and soul, Millie?’ He felt her blinking slowly at the back of his neck” (Bradbury 73). Mildred didn’t respond to Montag's question, leading to believe that she didn’t know whether the family on the TV loved her.