Reading In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

In the 21st century, society is lacking the ability to read causing them to lack various skills as well-- “twenty-one percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can’t read.” (The U.S. Illiteracy Rate Hasn’t Changed In 10 Years par.2). In the past, books were a primary source of entertainment, but with the invention of television, phones, computer games, and “electronic” books, it seems that reading books is no longer popular causing society to have a downfall in knowledge. Reading is a mandatory ability that the 21st century needs to inherit due to it contributing empathy and emotion, making people academically advanced and able to think critically, and by helping people understand

In the book Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury displays the consequences of not reading in the future-- this society is insensitive. The illiterate society bans books by burning them; an old lady, who is accused of having books, says to Montag: “ “You can stop counting,” she said. She opened the fingers of one hand slightly and in the palm of the hand was a single slender object.” (Bradbury 39). This quote shows how the firemen were counting to the number ten before they heartlessly burned the woman along with her books showing a lack of empathy, however, the older woman would rather die with her books and then independently lit a match

In the book Fahrenheit 451, Montag explains to his illiterate wife, Mildred: “I've heard rumours; the world is starving, but we're well-fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we're hated so much? I've heard the rumours about hate, too, once in a long while, over the years. Do you know why? I don't, that's sure! Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from making the same damn insane mistakes!” Not only does this outburst from Montag illustrate the war that the illiterate society is experiencing, it also shows how wealthy their country is compared to other