Censorship In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

Imagine living in a dystopian society where reading is punishable by death, thinking is shunned, interacting with other humans is unusual, and technology is at its best. This is the setting the reader is put into by Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury does this by telling the tale from the main character, Guy Montag’s, point of view and shows the dangers of a society where normal day-to-day activities are outlawed alongside the problems that arise due to the society’s lifestyle. Guy Montag’s job in the book is as a fireman, but instead of putting fires out, he starts fires by lighting books up. In the story, after Guy meets a strange neighbor called Clarisse, he begins to wonder about the contents of said books and begins stealing

Various books have been censored within the American education system due to their controversial subjects or the use of profane language, examples of this could include “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee being banned in certain school districts [Pen America]. Many people see this book as being a significant portrayal of how growing up and understanding other points of view can benefit one and make them into a better person later in life, which is an important life lesson this book teaches despite its language and controversy. To Kill a Mockingbird not only considers racial issues, but also gender norms and the importance of getting to know someone, so why ban the book? Lisa Fink who authored an article for the National Council of Teachers of English argues that we should stop acting as though To Kill a Mockingbird is progressive regarding racial indifferences, she states “...the messages about race and the status quo are so very outdated.” (Fink) when that could not be further from the truth. In the year 2023, people of color are still facing discrimination and being ridiculed, and in 2021 the Black Lives Matter movement was created due to an innocent black man, George Floyd, being brutally beaten and murdered by white police officers who assumed he was doing wrong just because of the color of his

Continuing down the current path with historical and book censorship may result in the repetition of historical events due to the lack of knowledge possessed. Technology not only within Fahrenheit 451 but also in the real world is quickly evolving and becoming more of a foe than a friend and resulting in less people having the desire to do anything but stare at computer or phone screens all day. Both censorship and technological obsession result in mass amounts of people possessing little knowledge and not maturing enough to understand how to deal with their complicated emotions which can later lead to acts of violence due to stress. Violence is a common theme throughout Fahrenheit 451 that carries all throughout the book showing the societies lust for violence that depicts modern-day America’s violent habits such as children killing children. If America does not cease to continue down the corrupt path it is following, its actions may morph into an outcome similar to the apocalyptic society shown in Fahrenheit