Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petitioning are all guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. However, imagine what life would be like without it. Without these liberties, how would American society be different? One of the most direct ways to limit these fundamental rights is through the contentious practice of censorship. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury depicts a society that relies solely on censorship for civil obedience. Also, in the article “Heinrich Heine on book burning: Connecting the Holocaust to book burning,” writer Austin Cline describes how Jewish author Heinrich Heine connected censorship to the massacre of Jews. Censorship is harmful to human beings because it is mostly subjective, …show more content…
Montag says “Did you hear them, did you hear these monsters talking about monsters?... the way they jabber about people.their children.themselves.their husbands.about war, dammit, I stand here and I can’t believe it!”(Bradbury 94). Due to censorship, the society in Fahrenheit 451 does not have deep discussions or ask intricate questions. People won’t be able to see different viewpoints if not for questions, debates, and discussions. This causes people to stay with the same mindset and only agree with what is widely accepted by society. Without the individuals who voiced their opinions to bring about change, laws against child labor, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the abolishment of slavery would not exist in American culture. This demonstrates how censorship is harmful because changes in American society wouldn't be possible if everything was censored. Therefore, censorship is harmful because it does not allow society to progress. Some may argue that censorship is beneficial because it keeps people happy and maintains peace within