Fahrenheit 451: Foreshadowing American Government in 2015

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” Revolutionary Thomas Paine describes the government, which may seem evil at times, as a necessity for becoming a functioning society. A lot of responsibility is entrusted onto today’s government to create a safe, law based environment in which everyone can live and prosper. Although without the structure of a government to create laws and have the authority to enforce them, society itself would become chaotic. If a strong government ever became corrupt, it would have the ability to keep control on society by creating laws that limit people’s free-will. This creates a dystopian society for every person living under that government.

An example of a manipulative government that becomes over powerful occurs in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury’s novel takes place in a dystopian future where books and any form of literature are outlawed. The government in the story has issued fireman enforce the “anti-reading law” by doing things such as: raiding citizen’s homes while they are there, removing all their hidden books, and burning the books with a kerosene hose in front of their home while the whole neighborhood watches. Citizens in this dystopian society are limited to only certain rights. Things such as owning books, walking around, and reading are all made illegal. The novel Fahrenheit 451 draws awareness to the fact that if a government becomes too controlling, citizens are subjected to biased laws and inhumane living conditions.

Before I display how our modern government can become controlling, it’s important to first understand how the government was expressed in Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. The story begins with ...

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...ee how they relate. Today’s government is now displaying signs of somewhat corruption for creating certain laws that will limit our human rights. If our government continues on this path, then this may lead to a dystopian future for us all to dwell in. The novel Fahrenheit 451 draws awareness to the fact that if a government becomes too controlling, citizens are subjected to biased laws and inhumane living conditions. So we must use Ray Bradbury’s novel as a guideline to help us maintain limitations on our government, instead of our government enforcing limitations on us.

Works Cited

. N.p.. Web. 16 Jan 2014. .

"National Counterterrorism Center." www.huffingtonpost.com. N.p., 16 Jan 2014. Web. 16 Jan 2014.