Technology In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

Matthew Nodder ENG 3UC Mr. Hokstad May 2, 2017 Essay Rough Copy Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a dystopian society where knowledge and critical thinking is considered to be different. The novel revolves around the main character, Guy Montag, referred to as Montag throughout the novel. Montag is a firemen, which means that in his society he starts fires rather than puting them out. A ban was put on books by society the people because they were seen to create a form of inequality, and contained controversial content. This was replaced by modernized technologies such as wall televisions.

Technological advances in Fahrenheit 451 and in modern daily life affect communication skills. In the novel, technology has replaced their books, their imagination, and even their face-to-face conversations. It has taken away people’s thirst for knowledge and impacted the way individuals think. People have become comfortable with “the dependence of technology, the 24/7 availability of the Internet, and our constant use of devices makes us all behave as if we had ADHD” (Rosen). It has changed one’s behavior and has been adversely affected communication skills. The characters in Fahrenheit 451 are living in a community that “uses technology to control what they think and feel by controlling what they see and hear” (“Fahrenheit”). Technology

Our screens today can help us achieve tasks that would seem impossible. With just a few clicks, we can see relatives half way across the world, or we can entertain ourselves with downloaded movies or play games on the countless amount of applications their are available on the app store. However too much screen time can lead to a society described like the one in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Where they have too much technology so they just stare at their televisions all day long. In reality however, Bradbury 's feared society, is coming closer to a reality.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury gives a glimpse of a future dystopian society. Guy Montag is a fireman who lives in this isolated society, where books are banned due to the fear of free thinking. And Fireman’s job is to burn any books that come in sight. People in this society are emotionless, they don’t read books or question about what is going on around them. Instead, they spend most of their time watching TV and listening to the radio. Government aspires a perfect society where individuals are not allowed to read books, have cultivated conversations or complex thoughts. Whoever fails to follow the rules or goes against them, eventually gets killed. Bradbury depicts a society in which books are burned as means to destroy knowledge.

Technology has a major impact on society. With how integrated it is in the world today, it is hard to find something not affected by it. Everyday life is based around technology with cell phones, televisions, and cars being standard to most families in America. This makes some people think that it has a negative effect on society. In the book Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury presents his argument against technology by showing a corrupt society oversaturated with technology. While there are some negatives, overall, technology has a positive effect on society.

As technology advances exponentially, America and the world need to learn how to use this technology without abusing it. Ray Bradbury writes about a dystopian America with huge problems ignored by the public in his novel, Fahrenheit 451. Today, America already faces many problems that might cause disastrous effects in the future. Bradbury uses his novel to warn against certain aspects of modern society through a story about a society that became too dependent on television. Although the novel describes a fictional America set in the future, Fahrenheit 451 presents serious warnings about the dangers of conformity and technology in modern society that apply to America today.

Technology and Its Control Over Society In many of his pieces, writings, and novels, Ray Bradbury reflects the immense reliance and close connection that humanity has with technology. He also depicts the dangerous effects that could come from having this relationship, such as a loss of independency and self-control over one’s mind and actions. If humanity were to continue to allow technology to have this disastrous power and control, society’s downfall is certain and destined to come.

Historian Daniel J. Boorstin once said, “Technology is so much fun, but we can drown in our technology. The fog of information can drive out knowledge”. Boorstin believes that technology is fun and is helpful to society, but technology can be overused and can take over our knowledge, which can take over our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Nowadays most people prefer reading online rather than reading a print book, which has changed our society today in numerous helpful, yet hazardous ways. Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451 interprets what our society will be later on due to the overuse of technology, and the lack of reading print books.

In Nicholas Carr’s article, “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds” (November 10, 2017) Carr discusses the implications of allowing our smartphones to have such a huge effect on our lives. Smartphones serve many purposes, and have created massive societal effects throughout the world despite being introduced roughly only two decades ago. One can converse with anyone in the world at any given moment, they can watch any television show they want, and they can receive alerts so they no longer have to put effort into remembering things themselves. However, with so much control over people’s own lives, one begins to wonder about the negative consequences of the smartphones themselves.

As years pass by, scientists work tirelessly to make more advanced technology to make everyone's lives more comfortable and automated. In society, this is seen as a gift, since it allows the world to work less for the things wanted, but nothing can be perfect. Sadly, technology has lowered the intelligence level of humans, not only with knowledge, but also with social intelligence. This can be found in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, where it is normal in society to not be intelligent. Throughout the book, there are multiple examples where people in the 451 world become too attached to their technology that they no longer want intelligence nor do they want to interact with other humans.

People today are relying more and more on technology to get through school, work, and relationships. Some groups are seeing the issues with the increasingly amount of use with technology and they are trying to fix the problem humans have made. Lastly, mechanical improvements have caused people’s lives to become very dependable on technology. New inventions can cause people to forget and move on too quickly from their previous lives, causing a world that looks like Fahrenheit 451 and

Joseph Brodsky once said, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” In an interview concerning his science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury echoed these words because his novel displays such a crime. Although Fahrenheit 451 classifies as fiction, the book points out several problems that now take on the body of reality. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 exhibits how technology possesses the capability of affecting people negatively through the characters’ actions and the story’s made-up creations.

59% of people aged 18 to 29 say the internet is shaping who they are. “The Veldt” and “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury are two dystopian novels where technology has become a major factor in their life, destroying them by the day. “The veldt” is based in the future, where a family is given all the modern benefits of technology, claiming to make their lives easier and more efficient. For example, the kitchen makes dinner for all the family, allowing them to engage in other fun activities. However, with every good thing, comes bad.

Two pieces by Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 and The Veldt, both share the theme that society and technology shouldn’t affect the actions people take, however, this theme is portrayed differently in each novel. To start, The Veldt leads to the theme that society shouldn’t affect the actions people take, but it conveys this theme differently than in the novel Fahrenheit 451 because, in The Veldt, the mom and dad are very ignorant of the problem that is occurring. On page 27, the parents are told by a psychologist that the technology in their house is ruining their children. “In this case, however, the room has become a channel toward destructive thoughts, instead of a release away from them.”

A dystopian society is a dysfunctional society that is marketed to its citizens as a utopian society. It includes elements such as a lack/ downplay of religion or one government sanctioned religion that everyone must follow. The government either uses force and or fear to control its population. There is a suppression of freedom of speech and a suppression of intellectualism. In this society, there is a protagonist who rebels against the status quo. In Fahrenheit 451, this protagonist is Montag. Once an oppressor of freedom and intellectualism by burning books, Montag goes against the norms of his society and uncovers the truth about the society. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury elucidates that technology imprisons the human mind, limiting individual