Similarities Between Anthem And Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury 's novel Fahrenheit 451 delineates a society where books and quality information are censored while useless media is consumed daily by the citizens. Through the use of the character Mildred as a foil to contrast the distinct coming of age journey of the protagonist Guy Montag, Bradbury highlights the dangers of ignorance in a totalitarian society as well as the importance of critical thinking.

In the futuristic book Fahrenheit 451 reality is turned upside down when heroes become villains. The world is blind to the evils that lay inside the government. The people who aren't are educated are hunted, and seen as insane. Morals will be put to the test, and although this book focuses on one man's journey through it all, it is very clear that the issues this fictional society faces could not be to far from issues what could happen in real life. Fahrenheit 451 is a direct representation of the theme man vs society and his journey to wake up the sleeping civilians of the United states.

The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform. Both characters are similar in their desire to rebel against the masses, and in doing so, risk their lives to alter orthodox perceptions. Winston Smith and Guy Montag are alike in their characterization, but are dissimilar in their achievements. Conformity against individuality is a major theme in both books, and the protagonists

In today’s society, it is truly amazing how easily we can access information from all over the world. By using the internet or reading a book one can find answers to any question one may have. If for some reason access to all that information is restricted or taken away, that would be censorship. Many science fiction writers are concerned with the idea of censorship and how it could show up in a futuristic society. This is exactly what the legendary author, Ray Bradbury did in 1953 when he published a novel called “Fahrenheit 451”. It is written in the third person limited point of view and the genre of this novel is science fiction. In the 1950’s, the United States was dealing with the McCarthy hearings and the aftermath of World War II, which Bradbury used to incorporate in his novel. The central theme in this novel is censorship, so by Bradbury using metaphors and symbols he is able to show the dangers of the government having too much control. Without people in this society communicating with one another and the overabundance of technology it destroys the society of this futuristic U.S. town. In “Fahrenheit 451” the government censorship, causes the people of the society to believe that what is said and done by the government is the only way to be happy and

"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door" (Bradbury 56). This quote was from Fahrenheit 451, a book where technology takes over a society and diverse knowledge is banned. People who own books are deemed crazy and have everything burned down. It connects to Harrison Bergeron, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, where everyone is equal by bringing everyone down to the lowest average. People in this dystopian society are handicapped mentally and physically and when someone decides to rebel they are met with grave consequences. Both Fahrenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron show us that the censorship of knowledge and thoughts has a negative impact on individuals and society. However Fahrenheit 451 emphasizes more How society gets antisocial without books. While Harrison Bergeron targets more the negative effects of no competition.

The differences and similarities between the book’s society and our modern day society really bulged out at me while I was reading the book ‘Fahrenheit 451’. In Fahrenheit 451, books are banned. And instead of having firemen that put out fire, the firemen start the fire to burn down books and houses.There are many differences and similarities between our modern day society and the the society in the book ‘Fahrenheit 451’. Such as our Government, Technology, and Behavior.

Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, presents a society in which humans suffer from depression, fear, and loss of empathy which are the result of censorship of free thought and knowledge.Humans suffer from loss of empathy due to their lack of human interaction. People live in fear of the government as the dystopian society deprives the people of knowledge. Depression is evidenced by suicidal tendencies caused by hollow lives.

In the books Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem, by Ray Bradbury and Ayn Rand, the societies displayed are very different from modern day societies. In Anthem the main character, Equality 7-2521, is a young man who lives in a society where there is absolutely no individuality personality wise and it is basically considered a sin to be different than others. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Guy Montag, lives in a society where no one thinks independently, it is illegal to read, and no one really cares about anything. Both societies restrict free thinking, but both do it in ways different than the other. In both books the main characters meet someone who changes their lives for the better.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is an excellent utopian/dystopian fictional story about a man who fights for the freedom to read. The government in this world has made almost every book (with a few exceptions) illegal. They have done this due to the contradictory ideas found in them. It was thought that all of the contradictions might confuse citizens on what is the truth and what isn’t. This book, along with being a utopian fiction, follows the Hero’s Journey archetype. Even though this book may not have purposely been made as an example of the Hero’s Journey the book and many others follow the paradigm. It may not be a perfect example, however, it definitely has it’s moments.

Conformity and individuality are very important themes in Fahrenheit 451 and in modern life. The novel demonstrates how individuality is very rare. Is about modern America. Without individuality today, everyone would not be different and would follow someone else trends and everything about them. In the society of Fahrenheit 451, people would stick to desires of others, so that they are not left alone by society. They would look for answers in books of what was the purpose for their life. In Fahrenheit 451 people who express their individuality find themselves as social outcasts, and are at worst in real danger.

John Dos Passos once said, “Individuality is freedom lived.” The root of individuality lies in freedom. Without freedom, there is an inability to think for oneself and share one’s ideas. In a society where this freedom is lacking, people will not think for themselves and submit to whatever rule is enforced over them. In Fahrenheit 451, the government attempts to control freedom as a means towards reaching a perfect society. The “perfect” society that is created, comes at the cost of individuality. In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, the individuality of the citizens is threatened by the amount of government control in their lives, and can be seen through the Utopian goals, the government punishments, and the citizens’ conformity in response to this.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is full of important morals and themes. The book is flooded with symbolism and meaning to both the real world and science fiction world that Bradbury has created. With so many themes in this book it is difficult to choose the ones that contain the most importance, but some of them can be picked out from all the rest, for example, you must have bad things to have good things, you have to earn your happiness and finally, your opinions are influenced by the people around you. These themes show up multiple times in the book and are expressed heavily in the story.

What if there was a society where people didn’t have freedom and rights or if they tried to hide their feelings and pretend everything is positive? Is our society close to that now, or is our society much different from that description? In the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, the citizens don’t have the rights we have today. The people try to hide their feelings and only care about themselves. This describes our society a little because people are still fighting for rights and there is crime wherever you go. The dystopian society in Fahrenheit 451 is much like and different from our society today.

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you 'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It 's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”(Bradbury 82).

There are a few common aspects of the setting of Fahrenheit 451, a book by Ray Bradbury and today’s society. Just like any books being burned in Fahrenheit 451, our government holds certain information as classified and does not let it out to the general public. Both societies use censorship as a way of limiting knowledge. Oversight and surveillance continue to be allowed at an alarming rate and was a part of Bradbury’s concerns. Fitting in and being "normal” or mainstream are not as accepted in either setting. There are many similarities through the book setting and today 's society.