Fahrenheit 451 has been either banned or censored four times in the United States. Which is ironic because it itself is about censorship and the banning of books. Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury. It is about a man Named Guy Montag, who is living in the future where all books are banned. He is employed as a fireman and is tasked everyday with burning illegal books.
There are plentiful problems that F451 by Ray Bradbury could think of when he was writing his book. He found many flaws in our future, for example the Rules and Order could rule the earth, Suicide Rates will go up because interactions aren’t a thing anymore to even as simple as a front porch not being a thing anymore because people don’t like to socialize anymore. The F451 by Ray Bradbury talks about many things throughout the 150 Page book written in only 9 days. Bradbury was desperate to get the word out to never stop reading because back then reading was the pastime but today its watching TV to sitting on the computer for a span of hours each day. Here are 3 topics that are addressed in F451.
The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury has constantly been mislabeled for censorship. According to the author, “ his book is about the TV replacing books in society and is not about censorship.” In this essay, I will be evaluating how Bradbury’s book has been somewhat right about society, but also his fear on how technology is progressing more and that it would replace books. He was correct about a few of technologies replacing books in the future and there’s a huge chance that technology has caused kids to become antisocial. But what some of the things that he feared also has become useful now that we have technology, but because some things books can’t provide that technology can.
Could you imagine just scrolling through your phone one day and finding a news article saying that musicals have been censored and banned? Or flip flops? It would be very bizarre to have to go through life after experencing something that was now censored. What is even more weird is the affect it could have on the world though. It is strange to think about how such a small, normal thing could be taken away and have a massive affect on how the world works.
Nowadays, people face problems with governments or a higher power censoring key information. This can happen at times when entire societies do not know the censorship is occurring. For example, governments in some countries block websites from loading; They can take down websites only from filtering a censored phrase. Likewise, in Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, all information in books is burned. The books containing information being burned by firemen, ordered by government officials, have now been censored by a higher power.
In Montag’s society the world is mostly focusing on the historical role of book burning in suppressing dissenting ideas. Bradbury has stated that the novel is not about censorship, but a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature, which leads to a perception of knowledge as being composed of factoids, partial information devoid of context. First of all, Guy Montag is a fireman. Fireman in this world does not put out house fires. Houses have been fireproof for ages.
The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was written in 1953. It mainly focused on censorship in a technology filled world. At the time the book was written, the world was in the earlier stages of technology, making the books idea very ironic because of how the world came to be just like Bradbury expected it to be, filled with technology. What the book feeds to the reader is that censorship is a tactic used, by the government, allowing them to control your mindset and what you do just by censoring one thing. The book is structured just as if a person wrote the book and published it a couple of years ago.
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 the author Ray Bradbury explores the idea that censorship may lead to situations where people unknowingly resist thinking for themselves, but it may also inspire others to rebel against apathy and search for understanding on their own. Situations as in rebellion can develop when censoring topics. Confusion may develop along with technology advancements because society no longer think for themselves. Clarisse a 16 year old girl, introduces herself to Guy Montag on his route home from the fire station. Clarisse appeared very curious, questioning Montag’s life, while effortlessly he would answer.
You’ve been living your life being able to do as you please and learn whatever you want at your own will. Then one day, everything changes, everything’s censored and you no longer have the free will to do what you want. That’s the idea of censorship, we see this idea throughout Fahrenheit 451. This is the literal definition of censorship: the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.
Imagine working hard on a novel and then having it banned from student to read in school. It should be a basic right of anyone to write about the truth of any matter. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury firemen burn books and the media is censored to prevent individuals finding their truth in a matter. These designated firemen, such as the main character Montag, who set fire to books and papers. This prevents anyone from furthering their understanding of the world or receiving a proper education.
Ju Hee Kim Mrs. Maxwell AP Literature 9 August 2015 Censorship? Technology? Or Both? In the scholarly article, Sam Weller: Ray Bradbury’s 180 on Fahrenheit 451, Sam Weller clarifies the controversial theme of censorship in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Censorship As censorship has become widespread throughout the world, people are not only losing their ability to question such censorship, but also to debate and have their own opinions. Since these restrictions are so common nowadays, many just decide to just live with the fact that books will be challenged. At the local level, books are even being banned by schools and public libraries due to complaints by parents of the children who attend these schools and libraries. In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, books are censored and leads the people to a state of dystopia.
If a person loses their power to say their opinion then what are they worth? The amount of someone's worth is the mark they leave on this planet and if that mark is erased, then what's left of them? The mere thought of removing someone's life's work is a crime against humanity and that person. Fahrenheit 451 is a novel by Ray Bradbury that shows a dystopian universe where books are banned, and this is how Ray Bradbury sees the future during his time.
Censorship is the banning of any media that could offend a certain person or group of people. In "Fahrenheit 451", the government censors all books because every person was offended by at least one thing a book had to offer. To relieve problems in their society, all books were banned. By doing this, no one was hurt and everyone felt that what they were doing was right because nothing questioned their decisions. Out of all of this, Ray Bradbury is showing us that censoring media affects the way people choose to live.
This idea or theme called censorship, is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. Bradbury’s ideals for this novel have shown a different light on what a society can function like and how the people are so unaware of things. Censorship plays an enormous role in Fahrenheit 451 the firemen are portrayed negatively concerning the matter of it, society’s normalities rely on the government and its censors and the knowledge of literature and life is publically forbidden.
