Fahrenheit 451 the Firemen - 851 Words

The 1950’s, an era that plagued the minds of Americans with fears of atomic war and Cold War conspiracies, provides an appropriate setting for the foundation of novels protesting government policies. Animal Farm, 1984, and other similar satires of the time period demand government reform. But Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 staunchly contrasts these other writings; rather than presenting some omniscient tale admonishing its audience of the dangers of government hierarchy, Bradbury uses satire to criticize primarily emerging trends in society, providing an account that deems them equally as harrowing and dangerous as some authoritarian government, although he does include a limited number of strands involving an anti-government theme. This†¦show more content†¦Yet in Fahrenheit 451, they set fire to what is good, knowledge and people alike. â€Å"On the front porch where she had come to weigh them quietly with her eyes, her quietness a condemnation, the woman sto od motionless. Beatty flicked the switch to spark the kerosene.† (Fahrenheit 451) The firemen burned her. This intense contrast between what is expected of firemen in the real world and how the firemen act in Bradbury’s fabricated world emphasizes the importance of their role in the book. The television installers still install televisions, and people still drive too fast, but the firemen no longer extinguish fires, they ignite them, and that is something notable. Equally as notable, the firemen do not set the fires because they are forced to do so; they set fires because they believe it is right. They are the enforcement of censorship. They are the hands of the government. They are the embodiment of evil. Yet the firemen are willing. As spectators to the atrocious society that Bradbury depicts, we cannot help but cringe as the old woman is burned to death, or as the city is finally destroyed. We cannot understand why the firemen are so eager to commit such heinous crimes until we understand what Bradbury’s futuristic society really depicts. It depicts a society composed of puppets that cannot think but only comprehend. The firemen believe it is right to destroy books because that is whatShow MoreRelatedEssay On Fahrenheit 451833 Words   |  4 PagesWhy shouldn’t Fahrenheit 451 be banned? Ban books or burn them? Ray Bradbury wrote his famous novel Fahrenheit 451 in 1953 fantasizing about a world in which books were banned, and when a book was found it was burnt and destroyed. Little did he know that his thought of books being banned could actually happen and that it would be one of his own. Today Fahrenheit 451 is being banned and challenged in schools all across America. How ironic that a book about books being banned is now being banned aroundRead MoreIrony In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1002 Words   |  5 Pagesopposite of the literal meaning.† Throughout Fahrenheit 451, there are strategic examples of irony that Ray Bradbury has placed to make the reader take a second look at what they are reading and think about what makes the piece of writing ironic. It also makes them look at the novel through a second perspective, that of Bradbury himself. There are many examples of irony in the novel, some blatant, and some well hidden. Someone reading Fahrenheit 451 for pleasure will most likely recognize someRead MoreComparing 1984 And Fahrenheit 451928 Words   |  4 Pages1984 and Fahrenheit 451 1984, written by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, are similar to each other, however they also have several distinct differences. 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In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag’s view on life reverses. Two characters the influence the main character Guy Montag are the old lady whose house and books were burnt down and Mildred. The old lady was caught preserving books in her home. Firemen including Montag were ordered to burn the books. The old lady refused to leave her books, so she too was burned. She bravely gave an allusion as her last words, â€Å"Play the man,’ she said, ‘Master Ridley.’ Something, somethingRead MoreEssay on Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury972 Words   |  4 Pa gesIn Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is used to convey information and it contributes to the overall theme of the novel. Written during the era of McCarthyism, Fahrenheit 451 is about a society where books are illegal. This society believes that being intellectual is bad and that a lot of things that are easily accessible today should be censored. The overall message of the book is that censorship is not beneficial to society, and that it could cause great harm to one’s intelligence and socialRead MoreDystopia Depicted in Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesIn Fahrenheit 451, the reader gets a very vivid description of the deplorable dystopian society by reading only the first few pages. Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. A dystopia is an imaginary place where everything is as miserable and horrific as it could possibly be for the citizens. Guy Montag is the central character and a fireman, under the command of his superior fireman, Captain Beatty. Montag walks home with seventeen year old Clarisse, who asks him manyRead MoreFahrenheit 451 And V For Vendetta, By Ray Bradbury1457 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and the film V for Vendetta by James McTeigue, there are a different range of features of their text type which explore the common theme of individuality against oppression. A fascist government occupies London after a world war in V for Vendetta. Where V uses terrorist tactics to fight the dictators, after saving Evey from the secret police, he now discovers an ally in the battle against England’s corrupt government. Fahrenheit 451, set in the futuristicRead MoreEssay on Censoring the Pages of Knowledge1688 Words   |  7 Pagesbooks. How would you feel if you had someone burn your house because you have books hidden within the walls? One of the most prevalent themes in Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451 is the idea of censorship. In Bradburys fictional world, owning books is illegal. A firemans job is not putti ng out fires like one may assume. In Fahrenheit 451, a fireman has the job of starting fires. Firefighters start fires in homes containing books. If this were reality, there would be no homes to live in. Books haveRead MoreFigurative Language In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury702 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Don’t face a problem, burn it.† (Bradbury 115). This is a quote from the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 follows Montag’s journey after he begins to realize the truth about books. The overall theme is censorship and more importantly the result of it. In the beginning of the novel, Ray Bradbury focuses on figurative language to convey his theme. Throughout the first part, Bradbury uses many forms of figurative language such similes, metaphors, and irony. One example of