The Importance Of Language In 'Fahrenheit 451' By Ray Bradbury

The manner of how you look to something will determine its meaning and importance. Books are as such, because based on the manner you chose to analyze, it may become noticeable indirect thoughts hidden within the text. In Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, for example, these deeper and sometimes hidden connotations are evident in different passages throughout the story. One event that can be remarked by such analyzation is from page 58 to 61, when Beatty, an important character shares his point of view of life through an extensive and convincing speech to Montag, the protagonist. If looking meticulously through different perspectives and through critical lenses such as psychoanalysis and new criticism, it becomes evident the importance

Indeed, words dictate the story, the plot, the characters, their lives and the life of ourselves. Therefore, its importance can never be judged and its meaning misinterpreted. The use of figures of speeches may indulge our brains to realize the lesson the author wants to transmit. For example, "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it" (Bradbury, 58) and, "Forget them. Burn them all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean" (Bradbury, 59) are metaphors which emphasizes the threat a book is and the solution fire can be. However, each single word has its own definition and even though its function may seem as simple as to cohere the sentence, a hidden and meaningful meaning may suit the case. This method is called diction, also present inside this figure of speech, "Fire is bright and fire is clean", in which the definition of the words bright and clean are of great importance to the connotation meaning of the sentence. They exemplify that in Beatty's point of view fire is smart and hopeful, which is ironic, as it is no more than dull burning combined substances and a method of destructing rather than of prosperity. Through these words, it also shows Beatty's intention of using of fire as a weapon to keep his secrets and his knowledge intact. When observing through the new criticism lenses, it also becomes evident that the book's world can be related to ours, as their government can be compared to our modern media, because both serves as a filter of information delivered to the society. For example, information that is given to us, is first accepted and sometimes modified by media, because they only want to inform us and tell us what benefits them somehow. The society which the book encounters has their government act similarly, "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet,