Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag meets a girl who is different from the others in the city. The city is full of people who watch television almost all of the time rather than doing something with their life.While he doesn’t think very much, she thinks and observes often. Over the next few weeks of seeing her daily, his way of thinking completely changes. Being a fireman, the change in the way he thinks is so difficult to fathom so that he steals a book from one of the houses the firemen had to burn. Montag is figured out by his boss and has to burn down his own house. Soon afterwards, Montag must go on the run to avoid being arrested. The government is on guard trying to find him to show people what'd happen if they were to break laws. Getting help from an older man who had learned to handle the knowledge while Montag could not, Montag is able to make it out of the city quickly with little damage done to himself. Ray Bradbury is warning readers of the horrible impacts caused by laziness and how the government can take advantage of weak minded people.

People don't care about others and violence is accepted. The government allows all kinds of violence, from playing chicken to running over dogs and cats. After Montag asks her why she's never in school and she explains, Clarisse says, "Sometimes I'm ancient. I'm afraid of children my own age. They kill each other." .... "Six of my friends have been shot in the last year alone. Ten of them died in car wrecks. I'm afraid of them and they don't like me because I'm afraid." (Pg. 34). Here one can see that violence is accepted since children a...

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...the people go to their doors and windows through a television without them realizing it.
Aside from commercials and amateur mind control, the government does whatever they can to keep in control and keep the people scared of breaking the rules. After showing Montag their miniature television and turning on the news to watch the chase, Granger says, ""They're cracking, you threw them off at the river. They can't admit it."" .... "A voice cried, "there's Montag! The search is done." The innocent man stood bewildered, a cigarette burning in his hand." (Pg 150). This shows how desperate the government is to contain their control over the city by killing an innocent man to scare the population into following the laws instead of admitting defeat.

Works Cited

Good Reads. 2007-2014. http://www.goodreads.com. 24 February 2014.
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