Effects Of Power In Fahrenheit 451

eThe Effects of Power Power. It is waved around carelessly because the people that have it want to use it. They believe they can control events or people just because they may be in a high position. Power can corrupt individuals and cause them to act differently. The novels Fahrenheit 451 and The Wave demonstrate how power can change people or communities. In The Wave by Todd Strasser, Mr. Ross created an “organization” called The Wave. The students looked up to him and at the beginning the intentions of it were harmless but the power then began to seize hold. Students began looking at Mr. Ross not as a teacher but as a leader. They followed his every command because he was in the position of power. Students began recruiting and getting people to join The Wave and anyone who did not were seen as lesser individuals. Wave members would turn their noses up at the mere sight of a nonmember. It began to get out of hand as students began harassing others to join. Students were getting beat up for not joining the Wave or for speaking out against it. This started to scare the students because they thought if they did not conform they would suffer the same fate as those who had not joined.

However the power was mainly in the hands of the government. They would enforce strict laws that prohibited literature and the citizens must abide by these laws otherwise they would be arrested. The government was able to keep their power over the people through fear and mass media. They mainly used the firefighters to enforce these laws and punish those who did not follow them. In the book, Fahrenheit 451, there are even instances where the firefighters burn houses that contain books with the people still inside