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Effects of censorship on society essay
Effects of censorship on society essay
Importance of censorship in society
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For someone to make a good decision they need to look at the choices from multiple objective positions. Therefore, if we are blinded by the government to relevant perspectives, we are in turn blinded to important options, which leads us to make bad decisions. This is portrayed very well in Fahrenheit 451 by George Orwell as one of the main plot points of the book is the destruction of books and other thought provoking medias. Through the systematic destruction of these medias many important perspectives have been removed from the American population turning a lot of them into thoughtless beings. With these perspectives removed the general populace of American have been making poor decisions, leading them to miserable almost meaningless lives.
“The bravest of individuals is one who obeys his or her conscience.” - J.F. Clark. This suggests, that someone who listens to their conscience, is considered to be a brave individual. In terms of agreeing, or disagreeing with this critical lens, I agree, because it often takes a great deal of courage to do what you truly believe is correct.
In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Montag, the main character, goes from loving his job to rethinking of his job. Montag came in mind that his job not only hurt him but also hurt society. He began to realize that he no longer enjoyed his job. Montag did not like the fact of knowing that his job was only hurting other people.
Ray Bradbury actually has “argued till the cows come home that Fahrenheit 451 is not about government censorship. In his mind, the novel is about the scary potential for TV to replace books, causing us to forget how to think for ourselves. ”(Shmoop Editorial Team) Fahrenheit 451 becomes a classic Anzaldua 3 and Ray Bradbury’s best-known work because of “its exploration of themes of censorship and conformity. In 2007, Bradbury himself disputed that censorship was the main theme of Fahrenheit 451, instead explaining the book as a story about how television drives away interest in reading: "Television gives you the dates of Napoleon, but not who he was.
To support his claim, Weller adds that Bradbury’s article for The Nation in 1953 clearly shows that censorship was at the “forefront of his mind” when he wrote the novel. Thus, he successfully clarifies the controversial issue regarding the theme of censorship in Fahrenheit 451. A memorable saying I picked up from this article is, “Fahrenheit 451 is less about Big Brother and more about Little Sister” (Bradbury). By this, Weller explains that in Bradbury’s fictional universe, “Big Brother is less instrumental in the censorship of books than the citizens themselves who no longer care about the joy of reading.” Although Huxley’s Brave New World is similar to Fahrenheit 451, I prefer the latter, because it is simpler and easier to relate it to the world today.
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.
The world gets crueler everyday. There are new crimes being committed daily, and sometimes it can be because of what people are subjected to. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, this topic is discussed. In order to create a more positive environment, the world needs censorship. Without it, kids would be surrounded by bad influences, people would always find topics to argue about, and lives can even be ruined without it.
In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury conceptualizes a society based on censorship. In the society depicted in the novel, books are burned when they are discovered in anyone 's possession. Montag’s job is to burn books and the houses containing them to ash. “‘Do you ever read any of the books you burn?’ ‘That’s against the law’”
There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploration, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time..." (pg 58). Censorship is arguably the biggest theme in Fahrenheit 451 and is one of the driving points.
In Fahrenheit 451, censorship plays an enormous role and is one of the most important themes. In this novel´s world, as ironic as it sounds, firemen started the fire instead of extinguishing it. The people of this society do not think independently and having a social life, a conversation with another human being, they had none. Even books were considered old-fashioned and people who read them, they were risking their lives because there was a group of people who wanted to erase all the old ideas and made the world, their society, a futuristic place. Their futuristic ideas were to watch an extreme amount of television and listen to the radio which was attached to their ears.
The use of censorship is significant in the novel, which is due to the government's role in people’s . As a way the government censors what they feel is not acceptable, they burn books which is illegal to own, to remove them, if any person such as the old lady that will not give their books, they are killed with the books that are burned. Uses of censorship in the novel prevented many people to have the different mindsets in that society, which reinforce the government's role in the way people perceive their information. To prove the concept, a character from “Fahrenheit 451”, Captain Beatty asserts, “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made, equal.
Books have been banned in this society due to the controversy over many topics and opinions. Rather than Fighting fires, firemen produce fires. The firemen burn the illegal books and the houses which shelter them. Throughout the story Fahrenheit 451, censorship has affected society by dehumanizing citizens, creating fear of individuality, and causing more rebellion, conflict, and crime. Dehumanization is one
Knowledge and Ignorance in Fahrenheit 451 Imagine a society where all books are banned from the public and if any are found they are burned into ashes. This is a reality in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which delves deep into problems a society becoming more and more dependant on technology may face. In Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury shows many problems which range from technology to violence, one important topic that is discussed is knowledge and the theme that a society cannot function without knowledge You can clearly see this idea starting to form within the first few pages of the novel, when the protagonist Guy Montag has an interaction with a girl named Clarisse. As they are talking Guy Montag says “You think too many things”(pg 9).
Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, presents a society in which humans suffer from depression, fear, and loss of empathy which are the result of censorship of free thought and knowledge. Humans suffer from loss of empathy due to their lack of human interaction. People live in fear of the government as the dystopian society deprives the people of knowledge. Depression is evidenced by suicidal tendencies caused by hollow lives. Bradbury uses the loss of empathy in order to demonstrate the effects that censorship of free thought and knowledge have upon the individual and society.
In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury uses Satire throughout the novel to satirize censorship. In Fahrenheit 451 the government burns books so that they can hide the history of the past and keep the citizens unknown of everything. The government wants the society to be kept clueless. The government controls its citizens through television and meaningless activities so it avoids the discussion of conflicts and issues.
