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Fahrenheit 451 Allusions

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Fahrenheit 451 is a classic dystopian novel written by Ray Bradbury, which explores the dangerous consequences of a society that values entertainment and conformity over knowledge and individuality. In this novel, the protagonist, Guy Montag, undergoes a transformative journey of self-discovery, where he realizes the oppressive nature of his society and the importance of free thought and critical thinking. To illustrate Montag's progression towards enlightenment, Bradbury uses various allusions to philosophical and literary works, including Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach, and the Book of Ecclesiastes. These three works serve as important representations of Montag's journey, highlighting the importance of knowledge, …show more content…

Through a close analysis of Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach, and the Book of Ecclesiastes, we can gain a deeper understanding of Montag’s journey to enlightenment. Plato's Allegory of the Cave is a metaphor for the journey of enlightenment. Montag, in the beginning, is like the prisoners in the cave, seeing only shadows and unaware of the true reality. When the prisoners leave the cave they will need to get used to their new world but, when they do they realize what their former life was, similar to Montag’s own realization. “when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive someone saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion” (Plato). The prisoners, after being released, now comprehend that their life was an illusion. Similarly, Montag also realizes he was living under an illusion his …show more content…

Arnold talks about how people once had faith in God but are now questioning him. People are doubting God, religion, and things that they have believed in for years. Montag's society has lost faith as well, but not in religion, they lost faith in books. Society has become consumed with entertainment and instant pleasure, leaving little room for contemplation or reflection. Montag, however, begins to question this way of life and sees the value of books as a source of wisdom and knowledge. “And one day he would look back upon the fool and know the fool. Even now he could feel the start of the long journey, the leave taking, the going away from the self he had been.” (Bradbury, 99). After reading a poem to Millie’s friends Montag thinks to himself how he once was the same as them. He was a fool who didn’t think for himself. Despite being just the beginning of his journey, reading the poem made him realize that he was a fool for not questioning what was happening in society. Montag’s new understanding of what he had been and is becoming leads to a new faith in books and literature for

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179 Words | 1 Pages

In part 3 of the novel Montag becomes an independent thinker. With an effort, Montag reminded himself again that this was no fictional episode to be watched on his run to the river:Citation: ( Bradbury 138) Part of Montag 's transformative epiphany has to do with finally accepting reality. He is forced to face the world as it truly exists. He really doesn’t know what 's truly going on but he’s trying to figure it out.

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This illustrates Montag’s strife in society. In some scenes, though we can see that Montag wishes to break this cycle of consonance he sees by bringing knowledge to the ignorant minds of the society he is so present. Page 94 is a great example of Montag's wish to spread the intelligence he has so far gained. Montag, in this scene, is faced with the ignorance of 3 women in his house, they talk about non-sensible things that anger Montag. His gained understanding and consciousness brings him to present a book of poems to the 3 women and read it to them.

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590 Words | 3 Pages

Steven Meza Ms.McLeish La2 Period 1 04 June 2017 Allusions of F-451 Fahrenheit 451 is a novel by author Ray Bradbury which tells the daring adventure of Guy Montag and his journey to find the truth. Bradbury’s reason behind writing the novel was to mirror society especially in the 50’-60’s, always under constant threat of communist Russia. Many allusions are made to show a link between the book and the time period.

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1282 Words | 6 Pages

His contact with a 17 year old girl named Clarisse McClellan, an elderly woman who was willing to die for her books, and an old professor named Faber, help Montag start to question things and begin a transformation that takes him from the rule following, book burner; to an idea challenging, book reader

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281 Words | 2 Pages

As Montag learns the truth about his fraudulent society, the theme reveals itself to be that knowledge is crucial to prevent an ignorant society. This theme is thrown all around the book and was hard to miss as it was hinted at throughout the whole story, even at the beginning when Montag notices “The whole world pouring down”. The fire gushing up in a volcano. All rushing down in a spouting roar and riveting stream toward morning. ‘I don’t know anything anymore,’ he said” (15).

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946 Words | 4 Pages

This quote connects the two stories, comparing the revelation Montag feels to the inquisitiveness of the man who discovered the outside world This allusion is used as an analogy to show how people in this society are being held away from reasonable thought like Antaeus was held above the ground. Without both feet on the ground, the society and Antaeus are powerless. This allusion highlights what books remind us, that we are human, we make mistakes, and we don’t know everything.

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779 Words | 4 Pages

Alongside this story, Montag has many moments of inner conflicts about his beliefs. This invokes depersonalization in his character and the world he lives

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565 Words | 3 Pages

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. The novel is about a society that is repressed by a dictatorship, which makes people can not think, thanks to education, culture, media of communication and the memory of history that the dictatorship is repressing and controlling and is creating an ignorant society that does not process all the information that is given to them: "People do not talk about anything. Oh they will talk about something! No, nothing. They cite a series of cars, clothes or swimming pools and they say it's great.

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1178 Words | 5 Pages

After a series of conversations with Clarisse, a girl he meets by pure happenstance, along with her simple question of “Are you happy?” (7), Montag begins to examine his definition of happiness and his very existence. He begins to realize that he is contributing to the destruction of knowledge, without thought of consequence. “He was a victim of concussion. When it was all over he felt like a man who had been thrown from a cliff, whirled in a centrifuge, and spat out over a waterfall that fell and fell into emptiness and emptiness and never--quite--touched--bottom--never--never--quite--no not quite--touched--bottom...and you fell so fast you didn’t touch the sides either... never...quite...touched...anything” (45).

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Throughout Montag’s self-realization journey, he began to recognize the flaws of his technology-driven society, and felt the need to repair the shattered ideals of a ethically stable civilization. As he burrowed himself deeper into his craving for knowledge, he not only realized the brokenness of the world around him, but even the brokenness of his relationship with his own wife. The more extroverted he became, the more he saw how devastating both Mildred’s mental and social states are. When Montag confronted her with his concerns, asking “does your ‘family’ love you...love you with all their heart and soul[?]” she disregards him completely and shifts to a different subject (73). Through books, even with his newly acquired trauma, Montag finally discovers himself and continues his journey as foreshadowed and shown at the end of the novel.

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747 Words | 3 Pages

One of the most obvious is the government’s ban on books, which is designed to prevent people from thinking deeply or critically about the world around them. Instead of reading books, people are encouraged to pursue hedonistic pleasures like watching television and participating in extreme sports. This is exemplified by the character of Mildred, Montag’s wife, who spends most of her time watching television and taking sleeping pills. Mildred is unable to engage with Montag on a deep level, and their conversations are often superficial and meaningless. This is in contrast to the character of Clarisse, a young woman who encourages Montag to think deeply and critically about the world around him.

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1695 Words | 7 Pages

Montag undergoes a massive transformation, transitioning from a conformist who eagerly wants to burn books, to yearning for the knowledge within them, gradually becoming more self-aware as he starts questioning the government’s morals, and eventually recognizes the importance of preserving knowledge. Dover Beach acts as a reflection of Montag’s journey to saving books and preserving knowledge as he begins to realize how empty his society is and the importance of critical thinking. Montag reflects on his past actions, paralleling the lines in Dover Beach, as mentioned in the poem, "The Sea of Faith / Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore / Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled” (Arnold 9-11). With the absence of books in society, people start to feel lost and lose faith in the existence of knowledge, emphasizing the importance of these things in an individual’s life and how it could improve their critical thinking.

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974 Words | 4 Pages

In this scene, he watches a criminal, in this society, decide to stay her books because of the value and importance they have for her. When Montag realizes the extent to which the personal desires and intuitions of the book woman influenced her decision, he understands the impact that self-guidance and personal intuition would have on his own life. Here is where Montag begins to understand the value and importance of listening to oneself, as the significance of the woman choosing to die for the happiness that she pursued shocks him into appreciating this new reality or truth. In fact, this scene is paramount of Montag’s ability to recognize the importance of himself as it shows him an example of the effects of giving value to oneself and how they ultimately lead to personal happiness. The burning of the book woman influences Montag to comprehend and understand the effects of following one’s goals and

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580 Words | 3 Pages

He starts to question his role and seeks out books and people who can help him understand the true meaning of life. Through that He discovers that books are not only sources of knowledge, but also expressions of human creativity and individuality. Eventually Montag learns that reality is not something to be feared or avoided, but rather embraced and explored. He becomes alienated from his society and his wife, who is content with her ignorance and conformity. Much later Montag joins a group of rebels who hope to restore the culture and values of the past by preserving books by memorizing them.

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515 Words | 3 Pages

(Bradbury 8). Montag is faced, for the first time, with having to examine his life and if he is actually happy. It destroys his “mask”, allowing him to see the problems of his life, and, more importantly, society. The new perspective “kills” a part of him, the part that was content with his perfect life (having a good,

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