Fahrenheit 451 Critical Lens

What if humanity never recalled the past because books and literature were constantly destroyed? The main process of learning results from trial and error, in which one tries, fails, then tries again in order to find a successful procedure. Humans have made a myriad of mistakes in the past, and many authors and illustrators have taken these mistakes into account, creating art, novels, and other works of literature to ensure that the same mistakes will not be repeated. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, society is rid of all books by firemen that engulf the books in flames until they are merely ashes, thus also taking the lessons which were learned by the author. Society today finds pride and valuable lessons in literature, as the books live

The lessons Lee displays about racism make To Kill a Mockingbird relevant and extremely important to society. When Scout asks Jem, her adolescent brother, what the issue with a mixed race was, Jem replied, “Colored folks won’t have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere” (215). Lee put the level of racism in the 1960s on full display in this quote, and society has since become more accepting of both mixed races and other races, though without the important reminder of racism in the past, society could never become more accepting. Thus, To Kill a Mockingbird’s instruction of the issue of racism is highly important to society as a

Without moral education, society will not be able to distinguish the difference between right and wrong. Morality is a large theme throughout the book, as Calpurnia and Atticus teach Jem and Scout what is acceptable to say and do, as well as what is not. Atticus repeatedly said to the children, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). To Kill a Mockingbird faces the issue of prejudice and racism, without first knowing the actual person, causing major damage, and in Tom Robinson’s case, death. Society needs to learn the importance of moral education and without To Kill a Mockingbird, a tough, concrete example will be