Propaganda In Fahrenheit 451

A leading 19th century psychologist named William James stated this about propaganda: "There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it”. Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. This is evident in the televised premature ending of the Montag’s chase and in the symbolism of 451 by the government in Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. However, in our world propaganda has been used to unite a country through targeted mass persuasion. This is seen in two classic U.S propaganda posters that encourage U.S citizens to join the army: “I want you”(index 1) and “Remember Dec. 7th” (index 2). Though

The government televises a fabricated capture of Montag when in truth; he escaped the Hound after he killed Beatty. Granger says to Montag, “they're faking. You threw them off at the river. They can't admit it. They know they can hold their audience only so long. The show's got to have a snap ending, quick... So they're sniffing for a scapegoat to end things with a bang” (Bradbury 141). Showing a possible dangerous revolutionary figure escape could spark radical ideas against the government, which they are already trying to prevent by burning books. Manipulating the truth with a controlled chase would allow the government to demonstrate their dominance and efficiency. Another example of government propaganda is the symbol of 451 on the firemen’s hats. This number represents the temperature at which books are burned. Having an authoritative and respected member of society such as a fireman wear this number advertises (similar to a flag and patriotism) that burning books is good although it really just destroys information that might be against the government’s views. The government’s fictional pursuit of Montag and the ‘451’ logo is an example of propaganda trying to control the people of