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Government Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

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In Fahrenheit 451, the novel reflects on many important events that occur in history, and Ray Bradbury, the author, revolves his book around government censorship. The protagonist, Guy Montag faces many obstacles as a fireman whose job not only relies on saving people, but their minds and peace as well. However, the only way to restore their faith in humanity is by the destruction of all literature and education to prevent any influences. The conflict rises when Montag begins to see the beauty in education and literature which affects his view on the world and his job. Throughout the novel, he goes through many traumatic moments to show others the real view of it even if it means having his boss burn his house because of it. These moments do not only occur in the book, but in history as well. To add, Fahrenheit 451 and history share the motif of government limitation which is either privacy or a prevention. The ways in which government censorship is used in …show more content…

Montag wonders what the explanation is behind of burning all the books, and begins to find out through Faber and Beatty, two other characters. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury states that Beatty believes him and Montag are “against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought” (62). Beatty believes that the information in books brings conflicting thoughts up, and the world is peaceful without the books anyways. To continue, it is not only Beatty who believes it brings conflicts but the Soviet Union does as well. Gale Student Resources states the Soviet Union bans books that would misinterpret or bring a negative view to the Soviet State (1). Books have opinions and thoughts from others that are not always uplifting or positive. The novel and the event with the Soviet Union both ban books to keep their own world together without

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The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman but he begins to wonder about the books and this leads him into trouble. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury pinpoints the idea that the government’s censorship leads to the people's ignorance; this becomes clear to readers when Montag became interested in books

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The book is about censorship just like how the Germans wanted to be a more unified country. They tried to achieve this by burning non-German books. In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty says to Montag, “Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean.” This shows how Beatty feels about the world and about censorship.

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In the book “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, the book shows that people are brainwashed into burning books as censorship. The main character Montag burns books for a living at the fire department. After an encounter with a woman who sacrificed her life for books, he began to wonder about books and if they are essential. After this, he stole books and studied them. He then joined a rebel alliance that read books.

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No matter what book you read whether it is a child’s story or a long novel, there is always a theme to it. Some topics like living life, the truth or looking at the world for what it is are common themes that were found in most books. All though those are the main few issues reach deeper into the reader giving them a bigger idea of the world. For example, the theme of censorship which was seen as a central thematic theme in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury that shows what effect censoring could have on a society that is very similar to our own. From the beginning of the book, it is clear that there is censorship when Clarisse states “Do you ever read any of the books you bum?”(pg. 3).

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Governments like to be in command and supervise its citizens. With that, there are always some citizens that will rebel over the people in charge. People will rebel because they gain much knowledge from literature, news media, entertainment, and presently, the internet that contradicts the government. The government is intelligent because it has the power to change what the people look at to make them dense and without an opinion of what the government says. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury shows an accurate representation of what the government does to its people.

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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.

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During World War II Hitler and the Nazis burned over 25,000 volumes of controversial and “non-German” books, and now it is happening in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. Montag loved every part of his job as a fireman. At the beginning of the novel, Montag conforms to society and is a law abiding citizen, until he meets Clarisse, a girl who asks why instead of how. After he meets her, Montag starts to question things. As the story progresses, he starts to becomes an individual after he sees how a woman protects her books and ends up setting herself on fire.

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In the novel Fahrenheit 451, media and books are controlled by the government. “If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none”(page 58). This quote is a good example of how censorship is shown. Captain Beatty said this to Montag to give him an idea of how censorship is provoking society.

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Throughout Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, he makes various predictions regarding the negative impacts of censorship on society, however, some believe that censorship can withhold positive impacts on one’s self-perception. One advocate for this belief was Captain Beatty, and he presented his support for this ideology amidst trying to reassure Montag into returning to his job. Beatty said, “Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journals” (Bradbury 58). With this expression presented by Beatty, it’s evident that he believes, by the addition of censorship in society they are protecting and sheltering the feelings of minorities. He also explains that censorship

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Fahrenheit 451 is a book about Guy Montag; a fireman living with his wife in a dystopian future where books are illegal. Firemen are responsible for burning houses that have books in them and arresting people who have books. This all changes when Guy starts collecting books as well. This leads him to go on a perilous adventure that could get him killed. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses allegories, motifs, and symbols to show that censorship is a danger to society and it will lead us to our doom because it results in us being desensitized, depressed and violent.

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The novel is really close on how the government would censor everything in the future. In history and in the present the government from America to North Korea would censor anything. In Fahrenheit 451 the government censorships all forms of literature. They go on to say that people did not chose to stop reading, but the

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Books are an essential way to gain knowledge whether they are controversial or not. Thousands of books have been banned from public libraries and schools due to being deemed ‘inappropriate’ by parents, administrators, or religious leaders. Whether Americans should ban books in public libraries and schools is an often debated topic. This censorship of books is dangerous, as it restricts the American people's’ ability to access information, leaving Americans ignorant. Historically, banning books is not a new practice.

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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.

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In the novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury utilizes themes related to censorship, intellectual freedom, and the power of knowledge to delve into the consequences of a society that suppresses free thought and critical inquiry. The exploration of cultural surroundings serves to illuminate a character’s rebellion against his society due to censorship. The importance of preserving one’s knowledge and individuality is the solution to overpowering governmental control, where suppression of power leads to corruption in a society, and ignorance leads to a loss of individualism and lack of development in a civilization. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is influenced directly by his cultural surroundings; the piece is set in a dystopian society where

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I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren’t they? Don’t we keep them moving, don’t we give them fun?” (Bradbury, 1953, p. 56).

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