In the fall of this year, I took time to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and it was one of the most inspiring novels that I have read. To summarize, Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a dystopian future where books are illegal and people are entertained and their lives are empty existences in front of large screens with the people portrayed upon them being known as “family”. The main character is named Guy Montag. Montag finds himself smuggling books away from his job, which is to burn houses where books are found hidden. Upon reading the books, he begins to realize the emptiness of lives being constantly bombarded by screens and without reading. Montag’s boss discovers the hidden books and forces Montag to destroy his house. Montag concedes and then escapes the city. Upon his escape, he finds other people who have a similar mindset about books. They work toward rebuilding the city after a bomb falls from the sky and destroys what Montag had once known. …show more content…
Bradbury helped me to see and understand myself the emptiness that screens can bring to life. Often, I will find my eyes scanning the bus from K Lot to the main part of campus to see several young adults with their heads buried in screens, often silent and avoiding eye contact or conversation with the actual human beings around them. The introverted tendencies I can understand, being an introvert myself, but there becomes a point when it is no longer introversion but avoidance of human interaction. I myself have been working diligently to break this habit. Now, in the classroom where I normally would also keep to myself and my cellular phone, I have begun to talk to the people around me, make new friends, and build connections with my classmates. This experience has been very enjoyable and I have learned to appreciate the people around me instead of ignoring them while being absorbed by