The Power of Propaganda in Fahrenheit 451
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the government uses many strategies to control its civilians. A dystopian world has been created where the government has complete control over civilians. They tell people what to think, rather than letting them think for themselves. They control them through fear and intimidation. Inside of this fictional nation, existent in the 24th Century, books have been banned, firemen start fires, instead of fighting them, and people don’t casually converse. One man, Guy Montag, who is the story’s main character, is a fireman who burns not only illicit books, but the buildings he finds them in. He and other firemen all burn books because the government tells them to. By banning books, and telling them what to think, the government obtains and maintains control over the populous, and they use brutal punishments to enforce that standard.
The government bans books to maintain control of citizens. Books are illegal because the totalitarian government wants total control of all civilians. All literature contains emotion, which causes people to become contrasting. Montag states, "We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy.
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Society would respect what the government may tell them to say because of the fact that it comes from a higher authority. In the novel, there is a tremendous amount of oppression present in the society. This fear instilled in the minds of the people allows them to be afraid of the government so the laws would be obeyed. Bradbury portends humanity's condition due to the extensive suppression and control by governments over its people, through the use of technology and various means. The government uses suppression, propaganda, conformity, and dehumanization to control the