Fahrenheit 451 Intelligence Quotes

Through information and literature, individuals will be competent to comprehend quickly and intelligently under any circumstances. The following character known as Beatty demonstrates the traits of intelligence by using small amounts of information to plan malicious ideas against Montag and using his position as captain to order around his mechanical hound to make Montag’s life a living hell. “... Give a man a few lines of verse and he thinks he’s the Lord of all Creation. You think you can walk on water with your books. Well, the world can get by just fine without them. Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you’ll drown!” ( Bradbury ) page 118. This quote reflects the traits of intelligence

because Beatty refers to The Bible when he states “ You think you can walk on water with your books …” but what is strange about this is that The Bible is a banned book within this society, so how can Beatty possibly create or know such a complex idea as walking on water. As the story progresses a very intelligent character known as Faber is introduced as an English professor that aids the protagonist,Montag, in the course of his death defying expedition to unravel his conflicting existence in this despair inducing society. “It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were it books … The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through radios and televisions, but are not”. ( Bradbury ) page 82. This quote expresses Faber as a man of high intellectual concepts that can relate and refer to the many dilemmas of today’s society. With this kind of knowledge that Faber bares he can effortlessly aid Montag through his journey by supplying Montag with an earpiece to communicate several quick and helpful tips and ideas when Montag is in desperate need of Faber’s help. Although this following individual, Granger, did not act on instinct he is still able to provide an idea that can potentially fix this on going cycle of destruction in this jaded society. “We’re going to build a mirror factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them” ( Bradbury ) page 164. This quote truly reveals how knowledge can grant ideas to those who are willing to think and live. Granger wants to put mirrors around because he believes if people look and carefully evaluate the way they look physically, they’ll be able to dig deeper and possibly figure out their identity and their purpose in life and so that they can reflect on the mistakes they’ve made in the past, Through these characters it is now possible to view the importance of knowledge.
For any individual to abide within a society, knowledge must be present to combat the ideals that does not benefit humanity.

The story goes on to introduce the audience to a new perspective of a ‘ fireman’ in this blind, corrupted society. “ With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame … he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black” ( Bradbury ) page 3. This quote shows that these fireman do not allow anything “bad” to get in the way of society. The firemen eradicate any trace of books to avoid the cost of having people feel conflicted while reading because of the natural necessity to think while reading. While it is quite possible to understand what one is trying to get across, in the end people will not have the knowledge they need to survive in life. This society has surprisingly advanced technology that is similar to that of today’s society that has similar negative effects on humanity. “Will you turn the parlor off?” he asked. “That’s my family”. ( Bradbury ) Page 48-49. The negative effect that this has among the citizens of this society is the sad replacement of family. It isn’t far off to call the television their family because the people are as equally dull and ignorant as that of the T.V characters. The last idea that does not benefit humanity is the removal of books, this is the most crucial factor to ruining the lives of many by censoring knowledge

in its prime. “With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be.” ( Bradbury ) page 58. This ruined the way people can live, it removed many ways for people to become successful thus killing off a majority of important citizens because they had no place in society thus ending their existence. Technology, Firemen, and the removal of books all lead to the endangerment of humanity by threatening their mentality, physicality, and existence by burning books, ending important careers and changing the definition of family.
Through the power of knowledge people will be competent enough to exhibit full control of emotions, ambitions, and creativity and potentially become an idiosyncratic individual along the way.

Clarisse is a young 17 year old girl that has emotions, ambitions, and creativity because of the knowledge that comes from old traditions. “I'm seventeen and I'm crazy. My uncle says the two always go together. When people ask your age, he said, always say seventeen and insane.” ( Bradbury ) page 7. Clarisse is the only character to successfully exhibit all of these traits because she always talks to her grandfather that tells stories from the past. She can show emotion by always smiling when Montag encounters her. She also has the ambition of just trying to be accepted in society and trying to get through her treatments. Her creativity comes in two forms. The way she asks questions and the way she expresses her feelings towards simplistic objects such as flowers or even rain. Montag found his ambition to seek out the secrets of his society by receiving insight from Clarisse’s perspective of life. “Are you happy?” ( Bradbury ) page 10. With this one question Montag finally took the time to think if he was really happy. From there he continued to ask more questions which all turns into the events of the book. To recreate people who can feel, think and imagine knowledge must be actively present to create a unique individual.Bradbury asserts that man must retain knowledge in order to think

which will lead their ability to abide in a dystopian society. For people to achieve this goal, knowledge must be present for people to think fast and intelligently under any situation. Knowledge must be present so that individuals can abide in a society that has ideas that threatens the human race. And finally through the dominance of knowledge people will be able to demonstrate authority over emotion, ambitions, and creativity to become their own idiosyncratic individual. Can it truly be possible that Ray Bradbury predicted events of the future?