Analysis by Devki Bhatt and Katherine Villar
In Amy E. Boyle Johnston's article "Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted", Bradbury reveals the true intent behind this sci-fi dystopian novel. Most readers typify this as a book that deals with censorship; however Bradbury sets the record straight by revealing his real fears about television and the media. He states that it has created a "hopscotching existence that makes it almost impossible for people, myself included, to sit down and get into a novel again". Bradbury was far more concerned about the dulling effect television has on the population than the heavy-handed role that the government plays in our lives.
http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/2/
In the following video clip titled Bradbury on Censorship/Television, the author reveals the fundamental basis of the work. He is not afraid of losing freedoms, but rather of people losing their intellectual thirst and becoming "morons". http://www.raybradbury.com/at_home_clips.html#
In the first half of this novel, we encounter a number of interesting characters. Most importantly is our protagonist, Guy Montag. By the end of the chapter we see see the start of his tran. Something has clicked in him. From the moment he met Clarisse McClellan, he begins to question the life he is "living" because at the core he realizes he is living a dead life that leaves him empty. Montag begins to learn how to question.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/281739/the_evolution_of_guy_montag_in_bradburys.html
In stark contrast to Guy Montag is his wife Mildred, a woman who is in an obvious state of depression and devoid of all emotional connection. She is completely cold and distant and Guy finds its very difficult to connect with her in any way. Her attempted suicide reveals that she is in great pain; her inability to confront her actions shows how shelled she is. Her only attachment and escape is life is the seashell that buzzes in her ear and the “family” in the soap opera she watches. She avoids confronting life through her obsession with television.
http://caroline-pphs-blog.blogspot.com/2010/08/fahrenheit-451-mildred-montag.html
Questions to consider:
• What makes Clarisse so different and threatening to the order of this time? What is her effect on Montag? Why and how does she change him?
• Describe Montag’s relationship with his wife, Mildred. Where does the disconnect arise from?
• When the firemen come to burn down Mrs. Blake's books she states "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." Light and fire is portrayed in a different way. What are the author’s different perspectives about fire and light? How else does he employ contrast to make his point?
http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20031013/fahrenheit.shtml
• Bradbury wrote this novel in 1950, but does it give eerie insight into today's American society?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/THOSE-WHO-DON-T-BUILD-MUST-by-Jim-Quinn-100920-95.html
Have Bradbury's worst fears have come alive?!
The protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, a fireman-Guy Montag is an oxymoron. He is a fireman, who instead of putting out fires, creates them by burning books. In this futuristic society firemen are sent to houses to burn down books because there is no longer any need for perspectives, ideas or thoughts. In this article two French firemen started a fire which caused the death of their boss, and all for a raise. The men now face a sentence of 15 years to life. There is a loss of logic and a greater push towards impulse and immediate gratification. Agree or disagree? Why?
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/03/firefighters-start-fires-to-get-extra-pay/
Not that many weeks ago the whole topic of the burning of the Quran was brought up. Many people where disturbed by the burning of books and bible. This article elaborates a little about that. While reading I thought of the novel. Guy mindlessly burns book and feels like he is doing society a service by ridding it of such “nonsense”, but then he realizes that there is more to them than what he has been told.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-12/world/afghanistan.quran.protests_1_quran-students-plan-dove-world-outreach-center?_s=PM:WORLD
In Amy E. Boyle Johnston's article "Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted", Bradbury reveals the true intent behind this sci-fi dystopian novel. Most readers typify this as a book that deals with censorship; however Bradbury sets the record straight by revealing his real fears about television and the media. He states that it has created a "hopscotching existence that makes it almost impossible for people, myself included, to sit down and get into a novel again". Bradbury was far more concerned about the dulling effect television has on the population than the heavy-handed role that the government plays in our lives.
http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/2/
In the following video clip titled Bradbury on Censorship/Television, the author reveals the fundamental basis of the work. He is not afraid of losing freedoms, but rather of people losing their intellectual thirst and becoming "morons". http://www.raybradbury.com/at_home_clips.html#
In the first half of this novel, we encounter a number of interesting characters. Most importantly is our protagonist, Guy Montag. By the end of the chapter we see see the start of his tran. Something has clicked in him. From the moment he met Clarisse McClellan, he begins to question the life he is "living" because at the core he realizes he is living a dead life that leaves him empty. Montag begins to learn how to question.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/281739/the_evolution_of_guy_montag_in_bradburys.html
In stark contrast to Guy Montag is his wife Mildred, a woman who is in an obvious state of depression and devoid of all emotional connection. She is completely cold and distant and Guy finds its very difficult to connect with her in any way. Her attempted suicide reveals that she is in great pain; her inability to confront her actions shows how shelled she is. Her only attachment and escape is life is the seashell that buzzes in her ear and the “family” in the soap opera she watches. She avoids confronting life through her obsession with television.
http://caroline-pphs-blog.blogspot.com/2010/08/fahrenheit-451-mildred-montag.html
Questions to consider:
• What makes Clarisse so different and threatening to the order of this time? What is her effect on Montag? Why and how does she change him?
• Describe Montag’s relationship with his wife, Mildred. Where does the disconnect arise from?
• When the firemen come to burn down Mrs. Blake's books she states "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." Light and fire is portrayed in a different way. What are the author’s different perspectives about fire and light? How else does he employ contrast to make his point?
http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20031013/fahrenheit.shtml
• Bradbury wrote this novel in 1950, but does it give eerie insight into today's American society?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/THOSE-WHO-DON-T-BUILD-MUST-by-Jim-Quinn-100920-95.html
Have Bradbury's worst fears have come alive?!
The protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, a fireman-Guy Montag is an oxymoron. He is a fireman, who instead of putting out fires, creates them by burning books. In this futuristic society firemen are sent to houses to burn down books because there is no longer any need for perspectives, ideas or thoughts. In this article two French firemen started a fire which caused the death of their boss, and all for a raise. The men now face a sentence of 15 years to life. There is a loss of logic and a greater push towards impulse and immediate gratification. Agree or disagree? Why?
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/03/firefighters-start-fires-to-get-extra-pay/
Not that many weeks ago the whole topic of the burning of the Quran was brought up. Many people where disturbed by the burning of books and bible. This article elaborates a little about that. While reading I thought of the novel. Guy mindlessly burns book and feels like he is doing society a service by ridding it of such “nonsense”, but then he realizes that there is more to them than what he has been told.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-12/world/afghanistan.quran.protests_1_quran-students-plan-dove-world-outreach-center?_s=PM:WORLD
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am posting this for Meyer. These are not my words but his:
ReplyDeleteAlthough it does not seem like our society seems to be censoring or destroying our literary legacy, but with the creation of digital readers and the publication of so much literature on the web we must consider the implications of a no paper or book era. What does it mean if the written word no longer exists and all we have are pixels and bytes? On the one hand literature may become more widespread than ever because it will eventually be cheaper to manufacture and the web will make it instantly shareable world wide. In such an event Intellectual property rights will have to be expanded greatly. Perhaps the cost of books would remain the same. On the other hand rooting literature permanently in the digital realm exposes our precious legacies to all of the frailties and vulnerabilities of digital storage and the malevolence of hackers.
We must consider that there are many societies world wide that do employ a frightening amount of censorship and are potential sowing grounds for literary destructive philosophy. The burdens literary censorship laden societies may not always be a long distance problem but may in fact spread and be a problem much closer to home.
What I appreciate the most about the novel is its rich ideas and insights into humanity far greater than my appreciation of its literary qualities. The revolutionary, abstract, and visionary ideas contained in Fahrenheit 451 are a testament to the power and sweep that a novel can possess even when it is plainly written.
Do i feel like Bradbury's worst fears has come to life? Yes Part of me feels like we are consume by reality t.v and dating showes and anything that gives us more insight on someones personal life.But i dont feel like literture is completly burning .I feel like now there is more of a chance to express urself and alot of people celebrating the fact that tey can share there opinion instead of being tamed by society. The idea of burning books is alittle disturbing to me for the simple fact we are getting rid of a sense of legacy.What would we teach our kids without the ability to flip pages.I feel like books has a bigger affect on ones thoughts.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I m impressed how Ray Bradbury could foresee some things that are part of our life right now, when there were no even a concept of them at the time when he was writing this book. For example, you can compare the seashell radio, that people clip to their ear to an IPod (or a similar digital music players) . If you look around majority of people have headphones in their ears or talk through hands free sets. It seems like we can not handle silence anymore. Also, even though we do not have wall TV, I think we are on the way there with plasma flat screen TVs that can take half of your living room wall. Another thing that attracted my attention is the pills that Milldred is taking: a lot of people nowadays are so overwhelmed with information and stress that the sleeping pills became necessary. A lot of people are depressed as well. Instead of trying to analyze their lives , or change something , people go to doctors to get a quick fix like Prozac or Zantax or something else to numb the feelings, or absence of those. Even kids are taking pills now. Somehow, so many of them are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Is it because they really have ADD? Or because it’s so much easier to give a kid a pill, instead of spending time with him and adjusting the school program?
ReplyDeleteAnd even though we are not burning books, the Mass Media pours on us so much unnecessary empty information that there is no need to burn books to stop people from reading and thinking.( and to keep them occupied with watching reality shows instead of reading books).
"Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."
ReplyDeleteThis quote, from "History of the British Empire" and originally paraphrased therein as the last words of Hugh Latimer to Nicholas Ridley before they were burned at the stake for heresy, is spoken by the nameless woman consumed by fire along with her books then echoed by Beatty after the fact. Bradbury does an excellent job setting up contrasting elements in this first part, both for the sake of suspense and to further parse out the seediness of his dystopian future, but the contrast of context in which said quote is used is of notable nuance.
Whereas the unknown woman's citing of the quotation lands closer to the original meaning of the quotation, Beatty's citing repels all idealistic optimism from the quotation. Stressed in his utterance are Imperialism ("...in England...") instead of a plea of confidence in change, fire as a cleansing force (...we shall...light...a candle...") rather than one of destruction, and an obligation to one's role in society ("Play the man..." or as Beatty says later, "...custodians of our peace of mind..." [59]) as opposed to the presence of martyrdom or counter-cultural undertones in the original quote.
What is at war here is a contrast of what constitutes peace, it seems. Is flame regarded as destructive or cleansing more peaceful?
I have always heard about this book but have never read it. I am glad that i now get a chance to read this book. On the issue of censorship,I know is exists. However I dont think the burning of books is just meant to symbolize the information given through text. I think it is meant to symbolize censorship in general. I do believe there is an attempt to censor a lot of information that is given towards us. I know that Fox News can be one sided and you can only wonder where it comes from. I believe that nowadays it is a lot harder to censor due to technology and how the world has evolved. Just like the oxymoron of Guy being a fireman yet starting fires, maybe that symbolizes the Government's job to tell us to truth yet telling us what they want to tell us. The Plan to burn the Koran wasn't to stop people from reading it or cencorship but as a spit in the face to Islam so I do see a difference there. I am only giving my opinion as of right now. I need to read the rest of the book and I am looking foward to it. Maybe the character is subconciously doing this because he fears the truth.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about Guy Montag, all I could think about was the society they were living in and how it reminded me of the Equilibrium. A movie where society has become like Montag's and people are a mere shell of what we are now, not thinking for themselves and living without the thing that makes us most human, our emotions. Here is a clip from the movie.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmG57WlIpEc&feature=related
In this clip we see Christian Bale, a high-ranking enforcement officer in this future dystopia in which all forms of emotional expression are illegal, and citizens are forced to take daily injections of drugs to suppress their emotions. After missing his dose one day he starts to realize that books and art and emotions are beautiful in nature and should be protect. He then joins the rebellion to fight against the regime.
I am intrigued by all the things Bradbury is this future that is actually here but I don’t think reality TV and dating shows and such consumes our lives in such a way that we could say his fears have came to past. With the economy and jobs and the everyday stresses of life, most people watch these things just to get away from their own meaningless lives and laugh at someone else’s. A futuristic utopia would be nice but in every movie or book about such civilization there often has to be a great sacrifice and it is usually happiness. Equilibrium is a great idea if you can guarantee peace and safely while keeping happiness but that is often not the case and people are always more like drones than humans.
First of all, I find it a bit ironic that though Bradbury's purpose in writing his famous work was that he was "concerned with the dulling effects of TV on people" and the subject matter of his book dealt with the removal of literature in its entirety, that he would go on to have his stories translated for television and then go on to having his own program called "The Ray Bradbury Theater," the HBO series that seemed pretty popular at the time. Furthermore, about his fear that people would soon lose their thirst for knowledge and books and society would become full of "morons," it makes me recall the movie, "Idiocracy," a (not-too-bad) comedy showing the United States in a few decades, where people stopped reading, and the thirst for knowledge disappeared. The scientists, scholars, and well cultured people were lost to the years, and the end result was a hilarious dystopia/utopia where Americans were the epitome of "morons."
ReplyDeleteThough I dont ever think American, or society in general, would ever make it that far as to completely throw away all forms of literature and adopt a society as extreme as Bradbury's telling, but I do believe we are well headed into an age where people are becoming more and more like morons. I personally feel that people are becoming less and less thoughtful, focusing on more technology than traditional means of learning like books, and rely too much on the "quick fix" to problems rather than deal with the pains of life like a wise man does. As a previous poster pointed out, children are constantly misdiagnosed with real conditions that can be applied to less than real "symptoms" of everyday life, like children being diagnosed with ADD when in reality all they need is proper parenting.
This is in direct comparison to Mildred, who is undergoing some terrible inward pain, that the part of her personality that deals with said emotion (or any emotion at all, really), Montag has distinguished it as another Mildred completely. Mildred has tried to commit suicide with sleeping pills (a quick, painless, and easy attempt at suicide) at night while Montag was at work, and constantly drowns out any chance of her having thoughts with the seashells in her ear and the screens with the "family." Its really quite sad really, as Mildred, who is perhaps a representation of the rest of that society (Mildred's friends share her interests of seashells and large screens), is already dead on the inside.
American society today is slowly advancing to a state of Bradbury-style utopia/dystopia. We plug up our ears with headphones and blast music to not have to think or deal with anything during commute; our idea of a fun night out is becoming so inebriated that one doesnt even possess the ability to think at all; there is medicine for being too hyper, for being too quiet and reserved, for depression, for ADD; and the list only goes on and on.
Clarisse is so much different from Mildred and the rest of that society. She is a free thinker, and her family is very old fashioned,l in where they actually talk, think, and feel. She's a threat to this type of living, where people are so void of feelings and thoughts that if one, or if many, were to start thinking, reading, and feeling, it would lead to a revolution that would uproot the "perfect society." Clarisse acheives just that though, in Montag. He is drawn to her, and her simple and few words spark large amounts of thinking that are "wrong" for this society.
In fact, Mildred and Montag, as a couple, are in such terrible shape because they dont converse and have a proper relationship. Montag even points out that the two cannot recall their own place of meeting, or how they know each other. Relationships in the U.S right now are becoming less and less stable, being based on little foundation with incompatible people. With the divorce rate being so high (and steadily climbing), perhaps we are approaching this type of world that Bradbury fears.
I had read Fahrenheit 451 before both only knew the basic parts of it which were that firemen burned books and that society wasn’t allowed to learn. If books are burned the society has a limited amount on knowledge and aren’t able to think of anything other than what they already know. In this society the burning of books is done in order to have peace because by not having people read disturbing or unpleasant things they would always be at peace. I found how for example smokers didn’t like books that told them about cancer they should burn them so they could stop thinking about it. If only things worked like that in the real world for example I have a test burn it, homework burn it but then I would learn from them and I won’t know my potential.
ReplyDeleteThere were several things that were different like cars minimum driving speed being fifty five miles per hour which is allowed because people like to go fast so they are able to do what they want. Now to something more disturbing was that children killed each other instead of playing with each other. There are several children who envy their smarter classmates which in this society beat them up or even kill them which is really shocking. If this were true in our society no one will do well in school because they won’t want to die but also because many children don’t like school there wouldn’t be any school in this society.
In some way we live in world similar to Fahrenheit 451 in how today more eBooks are replacing regular books and in the near future only eBooks will be available where from there could lead for the internet to be wiped out and no more knowledge being available to society.
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ReplyDeleteRay expresses one of his biggest fears in this frictional story .But One should really ask himself: how much of a friction is is present in this book? Now we live in an age where technology has taken over the way knowledge and entertainment is presented. Most of our times are spent infront of computers or tv which can be control by the touch of a button. This makes it much easier to censor these sources, how ever with books its much more difficult. The only way to censor or get rid of some thing that is already been printed to paper is by burning it.
ReplyDeleteTo me Ray is tring to say we have lost our selves on the quest to be happy. We in an era where we dont have to think no more. The fact is everything thing is given on to us and through that process we our ability to be free is challenge. When reading this book two movies came to mind:equilibrium and repomen.
Clarisse is much different from anyone that Montag had ever met in his life. No one had ever questioned him of whether he was happy or not. Her perspective towards things were beyond his imaginations. She is a threat because her free mind does not contain responsibility. Her strangeness had risen Montag’s curiosity. Unlike his wife, Clarissa seems to give Montag a spark of life. Their marriage seems to be lifeless and dull. Mildred’s thoughts are not connected with Montag at all. Her body is always besides him, but her soul is not present.
ReplyDeleteI found it a bit extreme of how Mrs. Blake was willing to sacrifice her life to save the books. In reality, 9 out of 10 people would never do that. Many would think her actions was foolish, but I think she was a brave and loyal woman. It was her strength to protect something that she loved and she wasn’t afraid of death. Not many individuals have the courage to face death for something they cherish.
No. I do not think Bradbury’s worse had came true. I don’t believe television and other technologies had made Americans mindless. Everyday I still see people reading books while they’re on the train or sitting at Starbucks. There are still a lot of people in this world who enjoys reading and owning books.
The burning of the books was an interesting way for society to be controlled. Today, whatever we know is closely controlled, we do not know whatever the people on top of us don't want us to know. I felt as though the book was a symbol as to who we are. We are controlled but we believe we are not. The entire theory o the book was an exaggeration of what we face in out everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteBooks always resembeled as a frrame work that we can always go back to and remember a date, an event anything worth writing down, and to take that away and censoring us, is like what the news does all the time from censoring which news they want to promote/ broadcast, or censor. So him writitng this before and it still hapening just shows everything repeats itself.
ReplyDeleteFahrenheit 451 gives readers a shocking vision of the future where brave firemen who risks their lives saving lives and putting out fires actually starting fires and destroying properties. The book tries to set a scene where readers feel the importance of having a book by our side. It is set in a time where possession of books is illegal and it is the duty of firemen to burn and destroy the books at any cost.
ReplyDeleteOne more aspect of the book to make readers realize how cruel and lifeless life is in the future is by replacing a loving, caring and loyal dog with a ‘mechanical hound' which can be programmed to hunt and kill any given scent .
Montag the fireman questions his purpose why he became a fireman, when in the old days it was the duty to stop fires rather than start them. He is faced with a life where he has an unhappy marriage and has to deal with her constant suicidal attempts.
He questions the purpose of life after an encounter with a young girl who makes him face with the reality of life.
I felt the book tried to relate to the changing world with a simple thing like enjoying a good book. Life is becoming more fast and commercialized and there is no time to sit and take life in. The development of technology and online access to books, like Kindle allow to read from a screen rather than hold and feel a real book.