Fahrenheit 451 Analysis Nykella Lloyd Department of English, Central Ohio Technical College ENGL: Composition II Scott Karr April 28, 2023 Fahrenheit 451 Analysis The book Fahrenheit 451 is a mundane novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. Bradbury was known for a wide variety of genres including science fiction, fantasy, mystery and some horror. Within this novel, there is a dystopian society set in the future where books are banned and the government has control over the people. The government in this book uses various forms of propaganda such as censorship, influence of the media, and entertainment. The author Bradbury uses this novel to show the dangers of propaganda and censorship within this dystopian society. …show more content…
The firemen in the book, Fahrenheit 451 use propaganda to portray themselves as heroes protecting society from dangerous ideas. The government burning books is showing the government’s power of manipulating society: As Bradbury (1953) included, “‘It’s fine work. Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ‘em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That’s our official slogan’” (p. 8). In this quote it is showing that the books by Whitman, Millay, and Faulkner were being burned because the authors were seen as inappropriate by the government. The government chooses the firemen to destroy and burn all books. Rather than putting out fires, these firemen use fires to destroy and censor the population of books. By burning these books the government believed they could control what people were thinking and could control what the people were reading. In the book, the firemen are seen as mighty people protecting society through the …show more content…
When Bradbury (1953) expresses, “‘We’re nothing more than dust jackets for books, of no significance otherwise’” (p.153). In this part of the novel it’s explaining that without the knowledge of books people have no purpose and they are uneducated. Because people within this society have been without books and literature for so long, they feel like they have no purpose. With the advancements of technology it was easier for the government to ban books. People are distracted with entertainment like television. The people within society are constantly spending their time watching ongoing entertainment streaming. These things included mindless entertainment talk shows, soap operas, and game shows. The television was used to take the focus away from the idea of using books for knowledge. Because the ongoing television streaming was so addictive people would spend no time away from their TV’s. The government created this technique and used further technology to their own advantage because they wanted to keep a distraction so people did not question their authority or use their own critical thoughts. This could be related to modern day technology. In society today, people are often too occupied with smartphones, televisions, or any smart device to pick up a paper copy book and read it. These new technologies become a distraction