Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

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The novel “ relentlessly violent” by Ray Bradbury introduces a futuristic society where all books are banned. This society, however, is disrupted when Guy Montag, a fireman who burns books for a living, is drawn towards a book. Ray Bradbury argues that a society prioritizing gratification and suppression of critical thinking eventually has to pay a price. This is persuasive as the text stresses the consequences of sacrificing subjective meaning and responsibilities for dehumanizing entertainment. As we progress through the book. We realize that Captain Beatty has read books, but lacks appreciation for them. This is evident when Beatty confronts Montag about his views on books. He explains to Montag, “what traitor books can be! You think they're backing you up, and they turn you on. Others can use them, too, and there you are, lost in the middle of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives'' (Bradbury.PDF 110.). Bradbury’s portrayal of Beatty’s inability to engage with complex texts and literature, regarding verbs, nouns and adjectives as “traitors” provides us with an example of the consequences of what suppressing critical …show more content…

Focusing on technical proficiency over intellectual pursuit. Beatty shares with Guy at the start of the book that “Any man who can take a TV wall apart and put it back together again, and most men can nowadays, is happier than any man who tries to slide”. rule, measure, and equate the universe, which just won't be measured or equated without making man feel bestial and lonely” (PDF 63). Beatty, much like most of the people in the book, prioritizes menial skills such as taking TVs apart over meaningful skills like calculation which encourages critical thinking. This further aligns with Raybradbury’s claim that prioritization of pleasure leads individuals to think less

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