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Comparing Usher II And The Pedestrian, By Ray Bradbury

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Ray Bradbury is one of the most widely known science fiction authors of all time. Many of his works revolve around the central ideas of technology, dystopias, and censorship. Some of his most famous pieces, such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, were written and published in the 1950’s during the climax of Cold War hysteria. During this time, the United States government censored books and other literature to calm the public and eliminate pro-communist writings. This time period not only shaped who Bradbury was, but it also deeply influenced his stories. His bold stories during this time clearly and effectively fight the idea that censorship is necessary. In his works “Usher II,” “The Exiles,” and “The Pedestrian,” Ray Bradbury …show more content…

William Stendahl, the protagonist of the story, is a man who has felt the affect of censorship firsthand. While the government in this time period tries to establish normalcy through book burning, Stendahl chooses to resist by leaving Earth altogether. He leaves Earth to go to Mars, so that he can “get away from… Clean-Minded people.” The “Clean-Minded” people on Earth are unwilling or unable to stand up against government censorship of books, and are thus described as complacent or brainwashed. Bradbury uses this juxtaposition to show the sharp contrast between Stendhal and the rest of humanity. This characterizes Stendhal as isolated, yet brave for standing up for his beliefs. With his use of characterization, Bradbury creates Stendahl as a bitter and angry man; a man who has experienced loss. After a government censor has come to dismantle his house in Mars, Stendahl exclaims, “We had our libraries, a few private citizens, until you sent your men around with torches and incinerators and tore my fifty thousand books up and burned them!” In this single outburst, Bradbury establishes Stendahl’s backstory and reveals literary censorship as the main problem in the story. In this time, books are outlawed and burned to prevent people like Stendahl from reading them. This shocking reality is what Bradbury warns could happen if censorship goes too

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Bradbury condemns the authority of the government by restricting the use of books. For instance, the government or the “firemen” has a book that contains a regulation on what is required to do after the alarm is activated due to a complaint about books, “Rule 1. Answer the alarm swiftly. 2. Start the fire swiftly.

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Fahrenheit 451 Censorship Quotes

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Censorship; an integral part of any dystopian fiction. Whether part of the main plot or merely a background feature, its constant presence suggests something about where authors think society is heading. Books like Orwell’s 1984, inspired by Nazi Germany and the USSR, pit the protagonist against a tyrannical government that watches their every move and that has banned all kinds of subversive literature to keep the population obedient. But as societies around the world appear to be getting more and more democratic, this scenario looks more and more unlikely. Instead, life is becoming increasingly Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451-esque, as society finds different ways to censor itself.

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In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury interprets censorship in the futuristic world he created. People in this society do not think independently or have time to “smell the coffee.” “Bet I know something else you don’t. There’s dew on the grass in the morning. If you look there is also a man in the moon.”

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Censoring Knowledge Censorship, in a crumbling world, does not act as glue; but rather, as a hammer. All throughout Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, examples of censorship are seen. In his made-up dystopian society the “more powerful” characters use censorship to cover up anything that is seen as risky or “inappropriate”. In this novel the largest group of censored objects are the books. Books could change one’s view entirely.

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Examples Of Censorship In Fahrenheit 451

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Books and Censorship Have you ever wondered what life would be like with only technology and without books. In Ray Bradbury novel it gives his perspective on life would be without books. Life in the novel is very different from the one today. Books are made illegal and firemen don’t put out fires but start fires to burn books. Eventually a fireman named Montag gets curious on why they burn the books.

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A simple book written with the best intentions; Ray brings to the world Fahrenheit 451 in 1953 (Kipen). Having World War II influencing Ray’s ideas for the book. Fahrenheit 451 brings ideas and points that Ray Bradbury felt the need to write and open the public’s eyes to, as to how technology is changing people’s lives and they are leaving behind books and their critical thinking. Ray Bradbury brings a book about censorship and how banning or in this case burning books does not keep people from the curiosity of the message books have. A big irony arises and his book becomes banned and censored, exactly the same way as in his book.

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Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 And Harrison Bergeron

722 Words | 3 Pages

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As stated in America, the land of the free, however it is not always the case when it comes to some issues of censorship. After its first month of publication of Mark Twain’s novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, it has been banned at many high schools due the judgement that this novel promote racism with the excessive use of the N-word. This ties a knot to the utilize of censorship issue in the real world example. Ray Bradbury propose the idea about the problem of censorship in his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. In this novel, Bradbury depicted a futuristic society where books are forbidden, it is illegal to own any book, if found, the books would be immediately burn by the firemen.

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To support his claim, Weller adds that Bradbury’s article for The Nation in 1953 clearly shows that censorship was at the “forefront of his mind” when he wrote the novel. Thus, he successfully clarifies the controversial issue regarding the theme of censorship in Fahrenheit 451. A memorable saying I picked up from this article is, “Fahrenheit 451 is less about Big Brother and more about Little Sister” (Bradbury). By this, Weller explains that in Bradbury’s fictional universe, “Big Brother is less instrumental in the censorship of books than the citizens themselves who no longer care about the joy of reading.” Although Huxley’s Brave New World is similar to Fahrenheit 451, I prefer the latter, because it is simpler and easier to relate it to the world today.

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In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, society is consumed by the danger of censorship. The main character, Guy, explains how normal it is to start fires instead of extinguishing them which shows us how society has changed. All throughout the novel, the author explains how controlled society is by the government. Overtime, the government had brainwashed citizens in order to normalize the act of burning books. This is extremely dangerous because if there is too much censorship in society, the citizens would be restrained from their basic rights.

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If people can’t enjoy the real for what it is then how will they ever have an open mind to anything. Censorship has completely dehumanized and created a sense of fear within people. It has led people to have such conservative mindsets. The people presented in Bradbury’s novel all lack individualism, everyone’s used to the small world that they’re in. Which stirs back to our current present time, many individuals have been struck into conformity through our day to day media.

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Fahrenheit 451 Theme Essay

1517 Words | 7 Pages

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.

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The world gets crueler everyday. There are new crimes being committed daily, and sometimes it can be because of what people are subjected to. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, this topic is discussed. In order to create a more positive environment, the world needs censorship. Without it, kids would be surrounded by bad influences, people would always find topics to argue about, and lives can even be ruined without it.

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In the book, citizens have no idea about what is “truly” happening around them because of their censoring government. The author warns people not to allow the government to take full control. This ties up to the McCarthy censorship. US senator, Joseph McCarthy, made unfair allegations and Bradbury wanted to indict this with his book. He condemned about the investigations on communists in Hollywood by the House Un-American Activities Committee(Weller, 2013).

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