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Knowledge In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

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Knowledge is the power of knowledge. A common phrase used throughout our society, and whether perceived positively or negatively, it is, without a doubt, true. This theme is especially prevalent in literature, used commonly in dystopian genres specifically to represent how a lack of knowledge can create disaster and even apocalypse. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, a story detailing a futuristic society where books are prohibited, reading illegal, and television reigning supreme, describes exceptionally the effects from a lack of knowledge. In a society where reading is not only outlawed, but socially unacceptable, it presents a case of what may truly result from the decision of a society to forego books entirely, to essentially outlaw knowledge …show more content…

Without books made available, this ability vanishes, washed away by waves of carelessness, ones that cause a person to no longer question the world around them and the society in which they live. This is the exact concept that Ray Bradbury sought to make the world aware of in his novel, what would truly happen if books were to fade away, what knowledge would be lost, and how this would change the very consciousness of society. Depriving a world of knowledge relinquishes a person’s ability to critically think, as Bradbury showcases through the character of Faber’s opinions on television, “It tells you what to think and blasts it in. It must be, right? It seems so right, too. It rushes you on so quickly to its own conclusions your mind hasn’t time to protest,” Despite the immense prevalence of television in the world of Fahrenheit 451, Faber still sees it for what it is worth, a force used to indoctrinate. An incredibly affective force, truth be told, since almost every character we see in the novel not only lives with technology, but is also addicted to it, the satisfaction it provides them with being told exactly what to do, think, buy, consume, etc. Consequently, the characters solely think what they are told to, to never wander outside of those parameters, to never critically engage with the ideas they are presented, instead only

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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.

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“Fahrenheit 451” and today’s society Although knowledge abandonment only existed in the fictional world of Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”, some signs have recently shown it might have emerged into the physical world. Ray Bradbury, the author of “Fahrenheit 451” has written what he believes to be the turning point in the history of mankind, a place of zero intelligence. For its less intellectual, entertainment seeking, and non-reading people, “Fahrenheit 451” is still a relevant commentary to the present society. The present generation has less intelligence.

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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.

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Bradbury displays ignorance vs. knowledge by revealing Beatty's true colors and having him describe how its better for the people to be happy and unknowing than unhappy and knowing. As the antagonist, Beatty, meets with Montag, he speaks about ignorance vs. knowledge to montag in a direct way. Beatty articulates about it in the following manner: “Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change” (Bradbury 60).

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(AGG) As Daniel J. Boorstin had clarified, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” (Goodreads) This relates to the government form Fahrenheit 451 trying to hide the truth from the society, and had eventually killed them. (BS-1) The government tries to control the amount of knowledge and take advantage of the lack of knowledge.

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How would people react without using the knowledge that they learn from books. Ray Bradbury explains the importance of knowledge and how it affects society. First, the quality of books and their value to why people read books. Next, leisure, why people ask questions and how that helps them grow. That not only that helps them grow, but they will feel like they know more and it will open their minds.

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What truths and knowledge does the government conceal and suppress from the world? Knowledge is portrayed as a sin and a crime in the novel Fahrenheit 451; however, our 21st century world values knowledge above all. The novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is a story following a firefighter named Guy Montag. He encounters numerous hardships as he slowly introduces himself and others to the concept of knowledge. Ray Bradbury depicts many perspectives of knowledge that can be seen through three major characters; Montag, who embraces knowledge and strives to understand it, Mildred, who rejects knowledge as she leaves her world behind–and Beatty, someone who simply cannot understand the truth due to his conformity to government ideologies.

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Fahrenheit 451 Theme Analysis Sir Francis Bacon once said, “ipsa scientia potestas est” or “knowledge is power” and we often say this to encourage education amongst others. However, the power and knowledge struggle in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a prevalent theme in the book. For example, books and other forms of entertainment of similar substance are banned and even burned regularly because of this. Also, many people (because they don’t know) are unwilling to learn and even go as deep as to fear them. The public fears knowledge of this capacity because the government makes them afraid, but the government is no different- they also fear an educated public that have opinions and to a large extent, free will.

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Fahrenheit 451 and the Dangers of Mindlessness Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, shows the danger of mindlessness through entertainment, a neutral society, and a lack of critical thinking. All three of these things combine to create the mindless society that we see in Ray Bradbury’s novel, and that these factors play on each other, which increases their effects. Entertainment is a major part of Fahrenheit 451 and shows how mindlessness is dangerous to society. There are many examples of this in the novel, but the TVs, known as parlor walls, are the biggest example of mindless entertainment in the novel. Not only do the parlor walls help create a mindless society, they also create a barrier between people that negatively affects their relationships.

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Additionally, in today's society, technology has led to distractions from reality, resulting in a lack of humanity and willful ignorance, just as Bradbury predicted. At Mildred's dinner party, Montag silently observes the superficial conversations between his wife and their neighbors. Feeling disturbed, he responds, “Did you hear them, did you hear these monsters talking about monsters? Oh God, the way they jabber about people and their own children and themselves and the way they talk about their husbands and the way they talk about war, dammit, I stand here and I can’t believe it!”

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In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the topic of knowledge is one of the main ideas. The main character, Guy Montag, lives in a society where books are banned, and knowledge is taken from people. By doing this, Bradbury shows just how important knowledge is to society. Reading and knowledge are important for society because if you do not know what happened in the past, you will be bound to make the same mistakes repeatedly, which can be dangerous. That said, people will have no sense of self-understanding and understanding of the world.

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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.

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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.

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The novel exploits human desire for the now and the easy, critiques human dependency on technology and the media, and shows the effects of extreme government control. This causes the reader to examine their actions from a different perspective. Fahrenheit 451 was also written to show the importance of knowledge. It causes the reader to think of valuable questions about the need for the information located in books. Ultimately, knowledge is power.

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Censoring Knowledge Censorship, in a crumbling world, does not act as glue; but rather, as a hammer. All throughout Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, examples of censorship are seen. In his made-up dystopian society the “more powerful” characters use censorship to cover up anything that is seen as risky or “inappropriate”. In this novel the largest group of censored objects are the books. Books could change one’s view entirely.

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