Examples Of Social Commentary In Fahrenheit 451

Imagine a world where firemen start fires instead of putting them out. Fahrenheit 451 is set in a utopian, or dystopian to us, society, where books are burned and people rarely have real social interaction. Although Fahrenheit 451 seems nowhere close to our society, we are both alike and different to their world.

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.

Fahrenheit 451 –Analytical Essay 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.

The dystopian society in “Fahrenheit 451” is known for destroying books to destroy the history and truth behind them as well because it can spark revolutions amongst people. The society also does this because they think it promotes more equality and less destruction. Another reason that this allusion is important to “Fahrenheit 451” is because it can be compared to characters in the story. This specific importance gives insight to the book. A very prominent example would be of Clarisse McClellan.

The word “social” may have as many definitions as there are souls inhabiting the planet, but what happens with that term is turned around completely? One answer can be found in the world of Fahrenheit 451, where a person is considered antisocial if he or she thinks freely or rebels against the norm. Society uses this term when referring to Clarisse, who spends her time exploring the world around her, rather than trying to fit in with her peers. Indeed, this world’s idea of social behavior is turned on its head, yet it is not so different from that of our own society.

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. Bradbury uses the loss of empathy in order to demonstrate the effects that censorship of free thought and knowledge have upon the individual and society.

The novel exploits human desire for the now and the easy, critiques human dependency on technology and the media, and shows the effects of extreme government control. This causes the reader to examine their actions from a different perspective. Fahrenheit 451 was also written to show the importance of knowledge. It causes the reader to think of valuable questions about the need for the information located in books. Ultimately, knowledge is power.

Fahrenheit 451 changes the way society is viewed. Growing up, we were told that we can change the world. Here it is in black and white, the importance over how one person can effect the twisted society. It is crazy to believe that less than 50 years ago, this book can predict the twenty first century generation. We are showed the way society has changed with social media.

Bradbury’s stories follow a similar genre which is a dystopian feeling where the characters realize what the world has come to be (“Fahrenheit”). Fahrenheit 451, takes place in a dystopia or “... a dehumanizing environment… where the state keeps citizens in thrall be denying them the kinds of positive, useful intellectual stimuli found in books” (Huntington 107). A dystopia is a future where life is appalling. In their attempt to make a perfect future, the government instead created a dystopia where people are destroying their only sense of truth, joy and humanity (Hamblen). Bradbury is trying to convey that, “Dystopian novels show that any attempt at establishing utopia will only make matters much worse” (Dietz).

In three distinct stories that root from our MAS (Modern American Society) we learn about one key difference that brought the demise of these dystopian societies. In Fahrenheit we explored the values of the books compared to our MAS, we also explored the difference between the definition of handicaps in the short dystopian tale called, “Harrison Bergeron”. Finally, we touched upon the meaning of equality and totalitarianism in the beloved tale Animal Farm. There are many differences in the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and our MAS (modern american society). On one topic you have the books in Fahrenheit 451, on the other you have the ones in MAS, these are key factor in both, but the similarities are few.

Ever since the beginning of time humans have made interpretations of how the world will appear and function in the future. Sometimes these interpretations can be correct, but can also be very incorrect at the same time. The period of time in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is similar to today's society regarding the lack of social skills, and the growing addiction to technology, although some may say that technology is different today because it is an efficient way to access a broad amount of information. The first similarity the novel shares with the modern era is the regard to the lack of social skills society has developed over time.

“Most dystopian, classic, and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society - a future world that could plausibly happen” (Lauren DeStefano). Many people put efforts in making their society perfect and equal, but don 't realize the opportunities that are being threatened for the individuals. The change you put out to fix the world, will come back at you and most certainly happen in the future. It 's important to see how perspectives can change the present into a worse future. Although our modern society and the dystopian society described in Ray Bradbury’s science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 have conflicting perspectives, our modern society is reflected throughout Bradbury’s prediction of his future.

The book Fahrenheit 451 and the movie The Hunger Games both share some if not a lot of characteristics to a dystopian society. In the book Fahrenheit 451, Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. The people of this society will get in trouble if they think for themselves. The thing that is said throughout the entirety of the book is that people of this society are not allowed to read books.

Though the technologies and entertainment sources of a dystopian society and modern American society appear different, there impact on the human experience and the individual’s struggle within society remains the same. In the novels Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Matched by Allie Condie the governments have become corrupted and changed the way

As a result, he would be cursed with crippling depression because he could never do what he wanted. This brief story shows the true face of a dystopian society. Dystopias restrict freedoms and in the end leads to the breakdown of society. It is important to always be aware of the possible sign of a dystopia and stop them from happening, but sometimes no matter what people do their beloved world takes a turn for the worst. In the inspiring story of “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, the motif fear or lack thereof clearly illustrates the devastating impacts dystopia can have on society.