Eric Nickerson Ms. Burton Honors Lit. P2 12 May 2024. Self Censorship in Fahrenheit 451 Nearly every night, thousands of people spend hours scrolling. Whether it be tick tock, YouTube, or Instagram, they mindlessly watch and swipe, rather than doing work, sleeping, or even thinking. Sometimes we may wonder, what future will this bring us to? Ray Bradybury's portrayal of future mindless entertainment in Fahrenheit 451 brings about the idea of self censorship and the degradation of truth and public knowledge. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is a conformist citizen who contributes to the censorship by spreading the popular agenda. This can be seen in the scene where Mildred invites her friends over to watch the parlor walls. “‘Oh, they come and go, come and go,’ said Mrs. Phelps. ‘In again, out …show more content…
He’ll be back next week. The Army said so, too. Quick War. Forty-eight hours, they said, and everyone home. That’s what the Army said. Quick War. Pete was called yesterday and they said he’d be back next week. Quick. I am a skeptic. . . .’” (Bradbury, 109). In this scene, one of Mildred's friends starts talking about her husband being drafted into the war, and she begins to repeat the message she was told over and over again, like a parrot trying to get attention. This shows that Mildred and her friends do not have much in their minds other than what they are told, and their conversations are just a feedback loop of slogans and phrases, with no real meaning. Later in that same scene, Mildred’s conformism is shown when Montag begins reading poetry to the group. “ Mrs. Bowles stood up and glared at Montag. You see the ‘You see? I knew it, that’s what I