Comparing Fahrenheit 451 And Dover Beach By Ray Bradbury

The Dangers of Curiosity The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and the poem “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold share a common theme of human curiosity is what ignites and extinguishes human suffering. A unique characteristic of humans is that they are very curious beings. They question everything in life and seek their answers. The answers to these questions can either bring us happiness or misery.
The poem “Dover Beach” was written by Matthew Arnold and published in 1867. Arnold’s belief in social change and the power of words led him to write ‘Dover Beach’. Arnold wrote this poem during a time when people were losing faith in the world due to recent scientific discoveries. In this poem, he aimed to show us that “The world is a difficult

But he transitions into saying that he no longer sees that: “The Sea of Faith/ Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore/ Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled./ But now I only hear/ Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” (Arnold 21-25). This quote shows how the world might seem so great and beautiful at first, but when you listen closely, you find the truth. This is an example of how the more you question and learn about the world, the less happy you are. Furthermore adding to this idea, Arnold writes: “Ah, love, let us be true/ To one another! for the world, which seems/ To lie before us like a land of dreams,/ So various, so beautiful, so new” (29-32). In this phrase, Matthew Arnold states that we should be truthful to one another about the world. He is describing how the world we see lies before us like a land full of dreams and beautiful things but in reality, if looked closely, it really

But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else” (Bradbury 28). This quote is describing how society has become so simple that people don’t really think anymore. People are not coming up with new ideas; they are just repeating what the government tells them. This is also good in a way because the less you know, the happier you would be. In this quote, Bradbury shows the readers how the lack of curiosity can lead to unhappiness.“Montag, falling flat, going down, saw or felt, or imagined he saw or felt the walls go dark in Millie's face, heard her screaming, because in the millionth part of time left, she saw her own face reflected there, in a mirror instead of a crystal ball” (Bradbury 152). Before this, Granger was talking about how everyone should leave something behind before they die. In this scene, Montag imagined Mildred having this slight moment of realization. I believe that the reflection represents a sudden return to reality when Mildred must have thought about what she truly accomplished in her life. Mildred was so engulfed in entertainment that she forgot what life is about. Relating back to the larger theme, Mildred was never really curious about anything and never experienced any emotions. But if you are not curious about anything, are you really