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Themes of fahrenheit 451 essay
Dystopian novel entittle: Fahrenhiet 451 by Ray bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 Symbolism & Themes
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In Fahrenheit 451, the characters are ruled by a totalitarian government who control all aspects of their lives. The government promotes TV and technology in the society, so that people won’t have time to think about the faults in the government. In order to convert the people into mindless robots, the government burns books due to its controversial ideas which provoke thoughts. Many people are clueless about the harsh world they live in, yet they desire to remain ignorant and live in a fantasy world away from the cold reality. Ignorance may be blissful for a short period of time, but without acknowledging the problems, the solutions will never occur.
Knowledge is Important Could the world, as it is known today, still exist without knowledge? In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, the society that Montag lives in is shielded from knowledge. In Montag’s world reading books is illegal to read books because the people are afraid that the books might offend people. However, instead of helping the society, the absence of knowledge has made the people in their society ignorant and unaccepting of change. Knowledge is important because it provides power, educates ignorant people, and helps express individuality.
A key to understanding Fahrenheit 451 is the history behind book burnings. The firemen in the book are fire starters instead of (like today) fire extinguishers. This is the only purpose they have; they are trying to destroy all literature of the past. Although this book is set in a dystopian society, these sorts of mass book burnings are not a myth created by Ray Bradbury. He was influenced by the actual burnings happening around the world and those that have happened in the past.
In these idealistic societies the government tries their best to ensure happiness by whatever means necessary. But satisfaction is not the same for every individual. By examining The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Standing Women by Yasutaka Tsutsui, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury it's become clear that mankind cannot dictate happiness across their nation and that they fail in making utopian civilizations. In Fahrenheit 451, knowledge and new ideas in the form of books are prohibited and burned because it threatens the government. It makes it easier to control civilians when they are ignorant.
The Dark Side of Ignorance in Fahrenheit 451 The question, can a perfect world ever exist, arises innumerable times throughout Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. Along with being a degree at which paper burns, the number 451 also represents the stripping away of freedom and the loss of individuality. Portrayed in a society in which everything is the opposite of what we believe today, the symbolic devices water, fire, and the phoenix, are used to represent a seemingly perfect society that is in fact imperfect. This Utopian society, dressed up as Utopia, relies on the ignorance of its citizens and their unwillingness to seek knowledge.
In a society where citizens see knowledge as useless, books spill out information and are burned to ashes. The unknown knowledge makes citizens have violent actions with their anger. The fact that nobody can have a free thought of their own makes them clueless, which explains their thoughts and actions: violent or not. This book is a society where books are banned. If you owned one it was burned.
Statistics show that roughly ⅓ of americans vote which is roughly 100 million citizens. Approximately ¼ of those voters are voting blindly, meaning that they are uneducated. These ignorant voters can easily swing an election and counter other votes. This problem leads to corruption and danger in america because they are giving a lot of power to a single man or woman away without knowing the consequences of their actions. Ignorance is the primary dilemma throughout the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and creates an illusion of safety for the citizens.
The two main themes in Fahrenheit 451 are censorship and knowledge versus ignorance. The government limits the amount of information that the public receives by burning all books that are found and jailing the people who have kept them. Two big reasons for the censorship of books was the general lack of interest in reading and the hostility towards books and the material they hold. The growth of technology provided many more methods of knowledge and entertainment that resulted in the majority of people no longer being interested in reading. These new ways also shortened the attention span of the people.
Bombs, guns, suicides, homicides, and murders won’t destroy a society, ignorance will. Guy Montag lives in a technology filled dystopian future where they burn books and knowledge. As one of the book burning fireman Montag starts to question his beliefs and how everyone act the same. He ends up stealing books and killing his old friend and runs away into the woods, just before his old world gets bombed. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury exposes the idea that ignorance and lack of knowledge lead to violence and destruction; this becomes clear when burning of books start a war and end up destroying the civilization without the people even realizing.
Wayne Dyer once said, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don 't know anything about.” In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, ignorance is a common theme portrayed throughout the novel. It sets the impression of how all of the characters feel due to a society that has outlawed books. Guy Montag is a firefighter, whose job is to burn the books. Yet, he often steals them without the chief firefighter, or anyone else knowing.
The Power Of Knowledge People can rely on literacy and social awareness to help them be better aware and more thoughtful. But when people have neither of these skills it can harm the view they have on their surroundings. Fahrenheit 451 is an example of what would happen if social awareness and literacy were looked down on. In the society where the story takes place in not many are socially aware or can read. This lack of awareness and literacy drives people to take great lengths for their beliefs and wants, this is a problem because they don't think about the consequences their actions will have.
How Powerful is Knowledge? As once said by Francis Bacon, “knowledge is power”. In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Montag finds out the power that comes with knowledge. Montag receives knowledge, which causes him to question everything he knows, from his happiness to everyone around him. He realizes that virtually the entire population is ignorant and just think that books are a kind of poison.
Cheerleading is one of those things that people say isnt a sport without even knowing everything that goes into being a cheerleader. Do you think you would be able to throw people in the air and do flips everyday? In order to be a cheerleader theres a lot of priorities needed. For instance, you need to be very strong but also have the right mindset when it comes to competitions. Cheerleading also takes time and dedication to get to where your happy with your accomplishments.
Is ignorance bliss, or do knowledge and learning provide true happiness? The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury depicts a dystopian society, the main character in the novel Guy Montag is a fireman, in his society books have been banned by the government in fear of independent-thinking by their citizen. Montag starts to question the government and whether the government 's motives behind books are just. In the story Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Montag is constantly questioning his decisions, ideas, and what is wrong and what is right. In Fahrenheit 451 Montag 's encounters, the parlor walls, books, and people whom he meets reveal the idea that knowledge leads to happiness and that, with ignorance, you only wear a mask of happiness.
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).
