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Purpose Of Government In Fahrenheit 451

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Unless you are an Anarchist or otherwise, you probably support the idea of having a government. Government has been an integral part of society for all of mankind, many have incessantly argued over why we have government and what the overall purpose of government is. People whose ideologies align with John Locke feel that the government’s purpose is to help all people and to not get too involved in the affairs of the people. However, those who identify with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes strongly believe that government’s purpose is to save the people from themselves because they are barbaric people that are liable to run amok, he felt by tightly restricting their rights this would be remedied. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, this argument is …show more content…

That’s 268 a day, 11 every hour.” (Pitts). Statistics like this speak volumes as to why it is the duty of the government to restrict people from the very same freedoms that will lead to their own demise. Though citizens might not agree with it at the moment, making an unpopular decision be in the best interest of the people is necessary and is what makes a government great. If the government is truly one that cares for their people, than they will show glimpses of ‘tough love’ and suppress freedoms for the well-being of the people. This was the case in Fahrenheit 451 as the people had their freedoms taken from them as the government thought it was in the best interest of the people. Bold actions were taken by the government in the name of helping society becoming a better place. Captain Beatty explained the motive when he told Guy, “Now let’s take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we? Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don’t step on the toes of the dog-lovers, the cat-lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico… Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time” (Bradbury 48-49). In order to improve the lives of the people and save them from running into future issues, the government had to take some of their rights. Whether you agree with them or not, you must agree that government made change that they felt was in the best interest of the people, even if it limited their rights. Life for the people was made more enjoyable and there were not many signs of people disgruntled by their life. The limits set by the government kept the people in check and were in the best interest of the

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There is government interference throughout history, and the government still interferes. The government censors what is able to be seen around the world. In Fahrenheit 451, there is censorship just as there is in society today and continues to be. The censorship for Fahrenheit 451 does not allow the people to be able to read and to educate themselves. The people are not to learn from the books, that are now to burn.

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One common criticism among United States citizens with a conservative viewpoint is how the government has too much control and limits what they do. In both the short story “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, and the essay “No One Died in Tiananmen Square,” by William Lutz, we see how too much government involvement through strict laws and propaganda often leads to fear from the public. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron,” the government has strict control over its citizens, attempting to ensure “equality” by limiting the freedoms of privileged individuals. We see how these harsh laws and limitations lead to fear among those in the public.

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Essay In the society of Fahrenheit 451, the government is controlling the citizens by burning all of the books and all of the past. The officials of the town state that the reason they are burning the books is because they are not appropriate and do not approve of the contents within that book. Some people like reading books for enjoyment and for amusement, but other people need it for learning and improving themselves. By burning the books the government could also have the ability to influence people's thoughts.

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As Harry Browne once said, “Since no one but you can know what 's best for you, government control can 't make your life better.” In Fahrenheit 451, a book by Ray Bradbury, he shows ways on how the government is controlling society with surveillance, technology, and censorship. The government gets to decide what is to be done and what comes in and out of that country. In the novel, it shows how the firefighter, Guy Montag, is different than the other people in that society. These aspects of government control are directly going towards Montag because the advance in technology put into the watchdogs that are in Bradbury’s novel is unbelievable.

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Everyone has their own opinion on government, but I have sided with Thomas Jefferson on this discussion on his claim that the government keeps the people safe. I will also add onto his claim by stating that the government is in place just to protect the rights that we possess. Also to make sure that the citizens don't abuse the rights and privileges they are given. Let's say that government didn't exist, and there was a forest. Well you have two different farmers wanting to take the forest for themselves.

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In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the reader is exposed to a society in which a class system creates a struggle for power. In the story, there are multiple prominent tiers, mainly consisting of the common people, the firemen, and the government. The reader sees the authority the fireman have and what an “important” role they play in society and can only assume the importance of the government is paramount to the survival of the current society. The different levels of people create power struggles where people want to have information, but the government won’t let them have knowledge that is not regulated, in an attempt to hold the power over the people.

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People should be able to go everywhere and whenever they want to. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, sets a great example of how the government restrict us from the right to freedom. In the book, the narrator said, “We aren't allowed to go there except in twos. This is supposed be for our protection, though the notion is absurd: we are well protected already” (Atwood 27). This quotation shows that they make rules and say that they will protect us.

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“Government is necessary to ensure the proper use of force... The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens” (importanceofphilosophy.com). And, just exactly what are our individual rights? “The freedom to act, work, think and behave without retribution bestowed upon members of an organization through legal, regulatory and societal standards” (businessdictionary.com). In other words, the government was only created as a means to protect our individual rights and ensure that we aren’t judged and are free to do as we choose as long as we do not interfere with the individual rights of others.

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Paraphrase: Government’s true function and work should be on human nature. The government should try to keep human nature in control. If humans were made perfect and only did good for society, then government would not need to exist since its only function is to work and protect humans from their own nature to do bad. If men are not perfect, as human nature suggests, then we will need a government to protect the people from each other. We cannot depend on the people to govern themselves.

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