Corrupt Government In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

The first president of the United States of America declared, “In a free … government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude” (AZ Quotes). George Washington is referring to the five freedoms of expression outlined in the United States Constitution: the freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. On the political spectrum, government authority ranges from absolute control (no freedoms whatsoever) to no control (men left to own desires). Various governing bodies around the globe employ diverse types of government regimes. In 1951, Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 as a cautionary tale about the threat of a government obsessed with control. He forewarns the potential for corrupt governments to censor information and suppress

In fact, the mere control of information is a characteristic of debauchery. All along the political spectrum different types of governments utilize different levels of control and “even democratic governments tend to use this kind of power to silence opponents and shut down speech they don’t like” (Rose and Mchangama 1). Democratic governments are founded on the idea of popular sovereignty - that the power of the government comes from the consent of the governed. However, Flemming Rose and Jacob Mchangama illustrate that this type of government does not outcast the possibility of a crooked government. By shutting down speech the government does not like, these political superiors are not leading a country toward prosperity, but toward unquestionable collapse. As proven by history time and time again, tyrannic regimes do not survive. On a more radical note, the French Revolution cascaded down the road of corruption resulting in the unfortunate occurrence of mass … decapitation. Anyone critical of the Reign of Terror would be subject to the big-headed kingdom of the guillotine. In fact, the kingdom was only heads: “Policing the truth resulted in the execution of those who were accused of disseminating false news” (Rose and Mchangama 1). The French authorities outmatched expectations with the level of depravity in their government. Their absurd (but effective) solution to information

Ray Bradbury creates a character who is passionate about government control. Captain Beatty preaches about his devotion to the government to Montag, who is struggling with the idea of government censorship. Beatty lectures about the hazards of books and how if “[you] read a few lines … you’re ready to blow up the world” (Bradbury 102). If Captain Beatty is right that government censorship protects citizens, then Americans need to reassess the popular assumption that strong government control is unconstitutional. Indeed, books, news, media, and other sources of information are inspirations and sometimes, not always good inspirations. There are plenty of false truths and inaccurate information available. However, if the government were to take away these expressions of opinion, then where would the excitement of life be? Life would be nothing but dull and gray with the bright spectrum of thoughts taken from the now mindless citizens. There will always be good and bad consequences to news but the government will not be able to stop reactions by controlling information. Take historic or current examples, which tyrannic-information-controlling ruler had a happy ending? The answer is none. Corrupt governments never win because the people are tired of living in the dark. Likewise, through assertive government control, inaccurate information will