How Is Propaganda Used In Fahrenheit 451

Dystopian Elements

Dystopian literature can be summarized, as a genre of exaggerated writing, that is used to ridicule and criticize societal trends, or a political system, through sarcastic and fictional scenarios. The word used to describe dystopian society however, is totalitarianism, which means a government’s total supervision over its state. The genre of dystopian literature can most prominently be seen in novels such as Animal Farm by George Orwell, which sets up a society ruled by animals, and as time progresses, turns into a dictatorship. This genre is also used in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which follows along the life of Montag, a fireman whose job is to destroy books, on the premise that nothing good ever comes out of books,

It’s basically used to highlight all the greater parts of society, to help boost the government’s image. The biggest type of propaganda used in Minority Report is through technological advertisement. Specifically, propaganda is used in the forms of commercials, which advertise the entire idea of the precrime system. It advertises the objective, which is that there will never be any more crimes, specifically murders in society. By using this propaganda, it conveys the message that the government is responsible for, and should be thanked for their creation of the system, which makes society safe and sound, for the people. By advertising this to the public, it boosts the general support of the government, it makes it seem like the system is perfect. While shuts down questions that could be asked, and connects back to the idea of dystopian society, because it gives people no reason to try and find flaws in society. With propaganda in dystopian literature, there needs to be justifications for what is being advertised. In Fahrenheit 451, there is a clear justification to the burning of books, and why the government condones this. “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 none” (Bradbury 58). Essentially, the justification about the burning of books given to the fireman, is that with them, no one can be happy, because all it does is cause chaos. Now the reason for this is because with books, it can lead to political controversy, as people have access to opinions and free thoughts. In this novel, the idea being pushed on to the public, is that the burning of the books is for the citizen’s own good, to try and keep the peace. Adding on to this, another type of way that propaganda can be used, is by choosing a target, to pinpoint anger, and fear towards.