Books are one of humanity’s greatest creations. They are treasures of precious thought. Whenever I hold such beauty in my hands I am amazed by a human being’s ability to write and transform simple letters into words, into stories, into ideas. Throughout my young life so far I have had the pleasure and honour of reading a myriad of novels from many different genres. In the future I hope to further expand my library of knowledge.
Books have a history of impacting the views of the masses, influencing thought and bringing about the most spectacular inventions; the Bible, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Republic, and so many more. With books playing such a role in society, it is hard to imagine a world without literature. This is the goal of Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451: to explore a world where reading is outlawed, and to show how books, or the lack of, change the way people feel and connect. The general people who do not read, including the protagonist, Guy Montag, seem discontent with their lives and derive no real joy. Conversely, the readers and the thinkers are kinder, bolder, and humorous; Faber and Clarise, for example, leave powerful impacts on Montag with their thinking.
While Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s society, differs from current day society, they both are similar. To start, emotion lacks in Montag’s world. In Fahrenheit, no one shows any sympathy toward others. The novel states, “The operator stood smoking a cigarette… ‘Got to clean ‘em out both ways’”(Bradbury 12). This quote shows that the “M.D” does not care that Millie just attempted to kill herself. In Fahrenheit no one grieves, but people kill themselves everyday because they are not happy with the dystopian society their world has created. On the other hand, people in modern society mourn when someone passes; Present-day has funerals for their loved ones. Suicide is not as normal as it in Fahrenheit 451. There is emotion in present-day society because
Guy Montag from fahrenheit 451 and Truman Burbank from from the Truman Show have similarities and differences. Guy and Truman both wanted changes in their society. Truman did not know that everyone was watching him. Guy Montag was a fireman who destroyed people's houses and the problem was he had no choice because his boss ordered him to burn the houses because of owning books.
Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury 1953. This book was written to highlight the dangers of control and technology. 45 years later, The Truman show, directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol in 1998, was released and highlighted the same issues and more. The environment in both are to be interpreted as the future if we don’t head these warnings. Montag and Truman are similar in their ways of thinking and rejecting their constructed “happiness.” In both the Truman Show and Fahrenheit 451 we can see both characters growing feeling of discontentment which leads to the future actions they take.These two characters are similar in their quest for knowledge in their “non-thinking” environments. The purpose of both stories is to critique current society and provide a warning for the future and Truman and Montag serve as examples.
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.
In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag experiences a paradigm shift as he transforms from a disoriented fireman to a learner who wants to gain knowledge through literature. Montag struggles with his newfound fascination with what was once trivial items because of his inability to ask questions under the bonds of conformity. However, the society prohibits people from reading for fear that they would express individuality and perhaps even rebel once they gain knowledge. Through the use of characterization and diction, the Bradbury demonstrates Montag’s desire for individuality and the society’s command of conformity in order to build a suspenseful mood, which keeps the reader’s interest. First, through the use of characterization,
However, there are elements that are better understood by adults, such as the innocence of the children. Through the use of diction, other stylistic elements, and syntax, the authors Lewis Carroll and J.M. Barrie show that the characters in the books as well as the content are complex
Meghan Cox Gurdon claims in “Darkness Too Visible” that fiction for teens these days expose a high level of violence, abuse and obscenity that disturbs teenagers, causing them to learn or adopt these behaviors. The author starts of by presenting a mother’s perspective of such themes in the young-adult section of a bookstore and how there was nothing she could image giving her daughter, because of the topics these revealed. Her argument is developed by using examples of different books that have a large amount of violent content. For example, one of the books she mentions is “Rage” which uncovers the depressed life of a teenager that self harms secretly. With this said, Gurdon at the end establishes the fact that some adolescents do not read
She stated “I hate exercise…I work out and want to die…I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill” (138). Her involvement with the text helped Gay to overlook the negative aspect being at the gym, making her a creditable source to encourage the audiences to realize literature can be used as a tool to surpass obstacles. Although Cox Gurdon, a young children book reviewer stated: “Young Adult Fiction has taken too dark a turn,” but Gay appeals to ethos by claiming, teens read book to escape dark aspect of reality (qtd Gay145). She quoted Sherman Alexie an American poet, who is a passionate writer who believes that, “There are millions of teens who read because they are sad and lonely and enraged,” to prove her argument against Gurdon (145). She successfully shapes her argument about kids reading book to escape reality, by telling the reader the reason she read The Hunger Game was because she likes the way the author placed people in their world.
A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it” (Bradbury 55). In the fictional universe Bradbury has created, books have become a weapon and are seen as dangerous. Why? Because the well-read man has more knowledge and is smarter about the way the world works.
A dystopian society is dehumanizing, unpleasant, and completely unlike modern American society. Or is it? There are many similarities and differences between dystopian societies and modern American society. Three examples are in the book Fahrenheit 451, the film “2081”/”Harrison Bergeron”, and the novel The Selection. These similarities and differences can be represented in first responders, handicaps, and jobs.
Similarities and differences between 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 Individualism and the realization of one’s inner thoughts are the most important things someone can possess. In 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 there are a lot of similarities and differences. The biggest similarity between the books is that they both take place in a dystopian society where the government has total control of the people. However there are many other similarities such as the main characters, desensitized natures, and no privacy. The biggest difference between the books are the endings and how the government regulates the ideas and thoughts of their people.
A novel such as How to Read Literature like a Professor brings joy to the reader because it awakens the senses he or she has become numb to in reading. This novel brings fun and irony back into reading literature and makes the reader remember why literature is important. In the eyes of non-professors, books are just a way to keep records and entertain the few. This is true, however, in reality, books serve the eternal purpose to expand communication between humans and bring
6. In daily life happily ever afters are hard to come by, and this is reflected in many famous literary works such as “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. Both texts tell of the protagonists, Guy Montag and Blanche DuBois, and their struggle to resolve their personal goals. But throughout the texts they are met by complications time and time again as they handle problems badly and are dependent on others to overcome their problems.