As said by John F. Kennedy, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”. This quote relates to the conformity issues in the film Pleasantville and the novel Fahrenheit 451. Within these pieces, there is a significant sense of conformity as the characters are scared to break the continuous chain. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag wants to change the world he’s been placed into, Mildred needs Montag to push her to do new things, and firemen are responsible for burning books. In the movie Pleasantville, David doesn’t like the world that he’s been misplaced into with his sister, the man working the ice cream shop needs David to show him that everything doesn’t need to be done in the same order every day and firemen save cats out of trees instead of putting out fires.
People who travel abroad seem to enjoy sending back reports on what people are like in various countries they visit. A variety of national stereotypes is part and parcel of popular knowledge. Italians are said to be "volatile," Germans "hard-working," the Dutch "clean," the Swiss "neat," the English "reserved," and so on. The habit of making generalizations about national groups is not a modern invention. Byzantine war manuals contain careful notes on the department of foreign populations, and Americans still recognize themselves in the brilliant national portrait drawn by Alexis de Tocqueville more than 100 years ago.
In visible similarity, Fahrenheit 451 and Divergent share the element of conformity. Montag, expresses distress for Clarisse. Montag suspects Clarisse was ran over. Montag insists that Mildred cares but she is unable to do so, “No. The same girl.
Books offer a type of knowledge to our world, that may not always be deemed as a “happy ending”. Therefore it is feared and people live a life, where they do not understand things in a much deeper
Obedience and Conformity "Without obedience to a relevant ruling authority there could not be a civil society" (Meyer 10). To have a successful nation or society, you need an authority or ruler. People don't always choose to obey or listen, but most do because they think that is what is best for them. When one chooses to go against their morals and what they believe it becomes that the government is taking advantage of them.
To comfort her friend into obediently listening to Montag’s book of poetry, Mrs. Phelps remarks that “‘if we listen nice, Mr. Montag will be happy and then maybe we can go on and do something else’” (95). Even though Mrs. Phelps isn’t agreeing to follow the majority in this circumstance, she still is promoting submission through conformity to a person in a position of power. She attempts to make listening to literature, a highly illegal crime in their society, seem like no big deal by using positive language like “nice” and “happy.” Those words put a positive spin on submission of self, all in hopes that “Mr. Montag will be happy.”
Don’t judge a book by its cover, which is the cliche saying. Reading a book and retaining the knowledge given is important for any society. When one reads, they retain knowledge from the book, newspaper, or article that can be crucial to a society’s success. There are many ways one can retain knowledge. The most crucial thing for a society’s survival is reading.
In fahrenheit 451 individuality and conformity are contrasted. This is shown by how society is and how it is outside of society. Conformity is depicted by how people follow a society that burns books. The firemen burn bucks because they allow curiosity and thoughts to form that the government doesn't want. One quote includes, "A time to keep silent and a time to speak," In part three page 158.
Tessa LaForge Mrs. Zvanut Honors English II 21 May, 2024 Conformity for comfort: Conformity in Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451, a novel written by Ray Bradbury, takes place in a future society where books are not allowed and if you are caught with them they are burnt by firemen. Firemen in this society do not save things from fire, they cause fires.
Conformity, ‘Behaviour in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards’. When one conforms completely, they go through losses. This topic is discussed heavily in the book Fahrenheit 451, a book where reading and being a thinker is widely discouraged and illegal. Showing the loss of innocence, trust in others, and of the attachments between people and their surroundings, the book gives great examples of how conformity affects not just a single person, but their entire community as a whole. A great loss is the innocence people once experienced.
"No one has time anymore for anyone else" (Bradbury 23). In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse complains about the neglect people have for others. The story is set in a future where critical thinking is suppressed and people are expected to only worry about themselves. These expectations have created the foundation of this civilization. A disconnection from reality has been fostered through the repression of literature and the shallowness of relationships due to attention spans directed to technology.
The nature of conformity and individualism in Fahrenheit 451 is different compared to each other. Conformity is how everyone is in the novel while individualism is only shown outside of society. The true nature of conformity is that everyone is created equally while individualism shows what a real person is. In the novel, Montag was a character that was affected by conformity and individualism since he was once conformed in society, but then soon became an individual himself. Conformity and Individualism are polar opposites and that everyone should be unique in their own way.
In the society of Fahrenheit 451, people would stick to desires of others, so that they are not left alone by society. They would look for answers in books of what was the purpose for their life. In Fahrenheit 451 people who express their individuality find themselves as social outcasts, and are at worst in real danger. There are a lot of quotes in Fahrenheit 451 that are about conformity and individuality. " Are you happy?"
“A time to keep silent and a time to speak,” (158) is a quote from the book Fahrenheit 451. This novel is all about how people conform to a society that burns books. They do so because they make people “think” thoughts that the government doesn’t want them to. Though there are some who are not conformed and read books to enlighten themselves to the ways of the past, that changes the way they see the present. Mildred, Faber, and Clarisse are characters that represent different aspects of conformity or nonconformity in the Fahrenheit 451 society.
Do you choose to conform? or is it something you do without even thinking about it? Conformity is a theme consistently found throughout Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury illustrates how conformity is not always a choice and not conforming is a choice through the characters Montag, Faber and Mildred. Some people spend their entire life conforming to society, and can not imagine what being an independant thinker is.
