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.
“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.
Andrew Cullen Mrs. Kent 3-4 English H, Period 6 16 November 2022 Farenheit 451 Final In-Class Essay In Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, in this story he describes the decline of education. Guy Montag, the main character, grapples with a growing discontent with his life. Ray Bradbury described a decline in education and society due to censorship and lack of information.
In the book Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury relates several of the challenges and aspects of the book to even society today. Though some might think that the book is completely out of touch and unrealistic, I view the events in the book & movie as a disaster waiting to happen in a real world scenario. For example, to support the world Bradbury has thought up in his book, the Truman Show is also a dystopian novel in which they relate to the brainwashed and controlled society. Though The Truman Show is directed at only Truman, it shows how passive ignorance blindly accepts the information they were given and the dangerous implications of doing so. For example, the people around Truman.
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).
The Dark Side of Ignorance in Fahrenheit 451 The question, can a perfect world ever exist, arises innumerable times throughout Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. Along with being a degree at which paper burns, the number 451 also represents the stripping away of freedom and the loss of individuality. Portrayed in a society in which everything is the opposite of what we believe today, the symbolic devices water, fire, and the phoenix, are used to represent a seemingly perfect society that is in fact imperfect. This Utopian society, dressed up as Utopia, relies on the ignorance of its citizens and their unwillingness to seek knowledge.
You wake up in the middle of the night to a fireman who rather than putting out a fire, will be starting one instead. He takes every last hidden book you have, the only things you can use to escape and think, ignites them with complete ignorance of their importance. The title phase, “Fahrenheit 451” by author Ray Bradbury, we are taken into a place of the future where books have become illegal and human interaction is limited. This novel is seen through the eyes of a man named Guy Montag. Guy Montag is a firefighter employed to burn the possessions of those who read banished books.
People don’t want perfection, they want to be content with life. But ignoring the real troubles does not mean that society is content, it means society is oblivious. By society not taking action towards the problems in the world, that is no better than the people in the book Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury wrote a cautionary tale putting his prediction of the future into the book Fahrenheit 451. His prediction was that people would become so absorbed to their “barber shop families” and “seashell radios” (Bradbury) that they have no concept of world problems.
Bombs, guns, suicides, homicides, and murders won’t destroy a society, ignorance will. Guy Montag lives in a technology filled dystopian future where they burn books and knowledge. As one of the book burning fireman Montag starts to question his beliefs and how everyone act the same. He ends up stealing books and killing his old friend and runs away into the woods, just before his old world gets bombed. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury exposes the idea that ignorance and lack of knowledge lead to violence and destruction; this becomes clear when burning of books start a war and end up destroying the civilization without the people even realizing.
Ignorance is bliss has always been a controversial statement. Ignorance not only stops an understanding of certain elements of life, but allows one to overlook the harsh realities of the world, allowing room for more happiness. Over time, ignorance can be replaced with understanding and knowledge and a noticeable change in mood can be observed. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, depicts this change as Montag gains an understanding of the dystopian society and sees things his ignorance would have blocked, realizing he isn’t really happy. At the start of the book, Montag is like most others in his society, thinking he is happy when he does not understand how to truly be himself.
As Montag learns the truth about his society, the theme that without the ability to think freely, ignorance takes over is revealed. At the beginning of the story, Montag is speaking with Clarisse and she mentions the school system. Clarisse explains, “‘We never ask questions, or at least most don’t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing’” (27). Clarisse implies that the school system is bad due to the fact that kids do not ask questions. Without asking questions, kids are ignorant of other possibilities.
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.
As kids, we are made to believe that making mistakes is a heinous crime. We are taught that in the case of an error, we should go to every length necessary to conceal both our misstep and previous case of ignorance. For the longest time, I believed this lie and lived in a bubble terrified of making even the simplest mistake or showing the slightest bit of uncertainty. It wasn't until I read the novel, Fahrenheit 451, that I came to realize making mistakes is one of the best things any person can do. One specific quote from the novel highlights the importance of embracing ignorance and reads, "If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn."
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
Wayne Dyer once said, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don 't know anything about.” In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, ignorance is a common theme portrayed throughout the novel. It sets the impression of how all of the characters feel due to a society that has outlawed books. Guy Montag is a firefighter, whose job is to burn the books. Yet, he often steals them without the chief firefighter, or anyone else knowing.
