The societies of Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 prove to be a major obstacle in the lives of the main characters as they try to escape the strange lifestyles in order to discover new and unique knowledge. When compared to the societies of today, one can notice the significant differences primarily the restriction of free-thinking. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury describes a society where censorship is supported and in Anthem, Ayn Rand portrays a society where collectivism dominates and free will is opposed. In both novels, the author emphasizes the impact of rules, collectivism, and censorship that hinder free-thinking and affect the main characters both externally and internally.
In the books Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem, by Ray Bradbury and Ayn Rand, the societies displayed are very different from modern day societies. In Anthem the main character, Equality 7-2521, is a young man who lives in a society where there is absolutely no individuality personality wise and it is basically considered a sin to be different than others. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Guy Montag, lives in a society where no one thinks independently, it is illegal to read, and no one really cares about anything. Both societies restrict free thinking, but both do it in ways different than the other. In both books the main characters meet someone who changes their lives for the better.
In the futuristic book Fahrenheit 451 reality is turned upside down when heroes become villains. The world is blind to the evils that lay inside the government. The people who aren't are educated are hunted, and seen as insane. Morals will be put to the test, and although this book focuses on one man's journey through it all, it is very clear that the issues this fictional society faces could not be to far from issues what could happen in real life. Fahrenheit 451 is a direct representation of the theme man vs society and his journey to wake up the sleeping civilians of the United states.
Writers use dystopian literature to get the reader to avoid terrible events that could occur in the future. In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, and in Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, both novels share rebellious protagonists in order to show the corruption of society by control and education. Montag and Equality both rebel by taking items they should not have and then they both escape society. Their methods of rebelling were the beginning of a new age for their society.
Through the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand portrays a dystopian world similar to that of George Orwell’s 1984 or Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. There is an aspect that is prevalent in each of the books and it is the brainwashing of the general population and a government’s absolute power. Each realm uses its own unique way of controlling their citizens, and all of the people either live in fear or ignorance and apathy of the government’s unbridled control. The society in Anthem show no opposition to their captors because of the laws set by the leaders and the dreaded consequences followed by those who stand against it. To start off, the chapter begins with Equality 7-2521 writing and knowing that “It is a sin to think words no others think” (17).
Dystopia is a popular genre in which authors write about a fictional society that is perceived to be perfect and ideal by the vast majority of the people in it. Authors must intrigue the reader, and this is difficult because they have to somehow illustrate a future that is vaguely similar to ours. However, it has to be completely fictional, which makes it tough to formulate realistic storylines. Nevertheless, these authors use literary elements to counter these difficulties and produce realistic characters and you can see this when Ray Bradbury, Ayn Rand, and James Dashner use symbolism in their respected novels, Fahrenheit 451, Anthem, and The Maze Runner. This literary technique gives Dystopian Literature the uniqueness and adds the key elements to make the story flow.
Comparisons and Contrasts of Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem The novel Fahrenheit 451 is written with aspects of a society similar to that of Anthem in relation to their futuristic governments and dynamic characters. Montag in Fahrenheit 451 is faced with multiple challenges comparable to those of Prometheus in Anthem. Although each character plays a different role, they are both striving to achieve freedoms and happiness. The wellbeing of themselves and others is predominately the main concern for both Montag and Prometheus.
“Communism is the corruption of a dream of justice” said by Adlai E. Stevenson. Communist governments oppress and limit basic rights of their people. In cuba for instance, Cuban law limits freedom of expression, association, and has “tight control on religious institutions, affiliated groups, and individual believers.” These controlling communist nations are very similar to the world's found within the works of, Anthem by Ayn Rand, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Logans Run directed by Michael Anderson. Similarly these world, have oppressed individual with restricted freedoms.
Down goes society, falling to the ground. Destroyed because of the wisdom and curiosity of the crowd. Ray Bradbury writes Guy Montag as a man of curious and intelligent, but blundering nature. Montag is inquisitive about all things unanswered in the world and intends to find the answers. Author Ayn Rand composes main character Equality 7-2521 as strong, but vain .
Who would want to live in a world where there is no freedom? A world where people cannot learn on their own, or even use the pronoun “I” all in an effort for world peace and equality. No one would, except for those who do not know anything other than that lifestyle. Even then though, there is always a few outliers that strive to learn, feel, and stand out in society where people frown upon being different. In the stories Anthem and Fahrenheit 451, the authors Ayn Rand and Ray Bradbury, focus on explaining the future in a dystopian world to reveal that true world peace is miserable and not always what is best.
Fahrenheit 451 Theme Analysis Sir Francis Bacon once said, “ipsa scientia potestas est” or “knowledge is power” and we often say this to encourage education amongst others. However, the power and knowledge struggle in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a prevalent theme in the book. For example, books and other forms of entertainment of similar substance are banned and even burned regularly because of this. Also, many people (because they don’t know) are unwilling to learn and even go as deep as to fear them. The public fears knowledge of this capacity because the government makes them afraid, but the government is no different- they also fear an educated public that have opinions and to a large extent, free will.
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way” (Bradbury xvii). Juan Ramon Jimenez’s famous saying was used as an epigraph in Fahrenheit 451, setting the stage for Montag’s rebellion against his society. Through Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury highlights the role of experience, emotion, and intelligence for an individual to rebel against an authoritarian regime that controls information flow to the masses. Bradbury’s dystopia illustrates the dangers of restricting information flow to the masses to maintain conformity. In Fahrenheit 451, books are banned and it is firemen’s duty to burn books that are illegally kept by individuals (Bradbury 32).
On January 13, a 28-year-old Odessa woman was driving the wrong way down a one-way road while under the influence of an alcohol drink, and she ended up getting hit. Unfortunately, a six-year-old passenger in the woman’s vehicle suffered a skull fracture. The Odessa woman was charged with intoxication assault, a third-degree felony, which is even more serious than a typical DWI conviction. Here are some reasons you will want to avoid a DWI: Your first DWI offense will result in jail time of between three days and 180 days. You will face up to a $2,000 fine.
The “perfect” society that is created, comes at the cost of individuality. In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, the individuality of the citizens is threatened by the amount of government control in their lives, and can be seen through the Utopian goals, the government punishments, and the citizens’ conformity in response to this. The Utopian goals that the society holds limits the individuality of the citizens. Their attempt to create a controlled environment leads to more government control than necessary.
Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, presents a society in which humans suffer from depression, fear, and loss of empathy which are the result of censorship of free thought and knowledge. Humans suffer from loss of empathy due to their lack of human interaction. People live in fear of the government as the dystopian society deprives the people of knowledge. Depression is evidenced by suicidal tendencies caused by hollow lives. Bradbury uses the loss of empathy in order to demonstrate the effects that censorship of free thought and knowledge have upon the individual and society.
