Are yesterday’s fears today’s reality?

As I continue through Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 I still see the similarities between 2019 and his dystopian world that he created in the fifties. With the references of earbuds and large television screens. I am interested in learning more about the themes of censorship and ignorance that Bradbury presents. For example the way that Guy Montag’s job is not just simply burning books but destroying intelligence and knowledge as well. Part three of this novel is called “Burning Bright” which furthers the idea of burning knowledge.    On page -x-x- Guy states, “Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from making the same damn insane mistakes!”. This is especially important to what I’m focusing on with the themes of ignorance. Guy states that books can improve society and stop the negatives of history to repeat itself. My favorite subject is History which makes this quote even more fascinanting to me.

Going off of that I really enjoy how the author both subtly and directly conveys the issues in our society. On page 77 Guy is attempting to have a conversation with his wife however she does not listen and talks about superficial things instead. The author doesn’t explicitly explain that their lack of communication hinders their relationship but it is still clear to the audience. I think that accurately illustrates how Bradbury uses his novel to show society’s issues that we might not see or notice by ourselves.

 

Initial Thoughts on F451

   I have recently been rereading the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and I have learned more than just about Guy Montag and his dystopian universe. At 16, turning 17 next month, I have grown a lot as a reader and person since 2016. I can more easily understand Clareise and realize how intelligent she is for her age with this new perspective. Along with that, as a reader I learned every detail is important and now I understand the symbolism of the salamander on guy’s uniform being that salamanders are said to live in fire. I now put together that this book was written after World War ll where book burning in fact was utilized. Recently I had learned that some of my favorite childhood/young adult books like, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, “Bridge to Terabithia”, along with popular title “Looking for Alaska” and dozens more have been banned in many schools. Although this book is fiction it is terrifying to see some themes In Fahrenheit 451 become reality. A line that really stuck with me was when Clarisse asked Guy if he was happy.