Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Fahrenheit 451 critical essays
Critical essay on fahrenheit 451
Dystopian literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
“We shall either find what we are seeking, or free ourselves from the persuasion that we know what we do not know.” ― Mary Renault. In many dystopian texts and films, there would always be a person who rebels and looks for change, like Jonas in the Giver,. In Pleasantville and Fahrenheit 451, the main characters are living in a dystopia and they rebel in diverse ways for a change. In both Pleasantville and Fahrenheit 451 shows us that when finding the truth, you must first obtain wisdom. For example, In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag gains knowledge from the books he read and learns the truth of fire. Montag burned books as a living and was proud of doing it. Until he starts to read the banned books. He gains knowledge and learns that burning
Dystopias in literature and other media serve as impactful warnings about the state of our current life and the possible future. Two examples of this are in the book Fahrenheit 451 and the movie The Truman Show. Both works show the harmful effects of advancing technology and the antisocial tendencies of a growing society. The protagonists of these stories are very similar also. Guy Montag and Truman Burbank are the only observant people in societies where it is the norm to turn a blind eye to the evils surrounding them. Fahrenheit 451 and The Truman Show present like messages in very unlike universes while giving a thought-provoking glimpse into the future of humanity.
One might ask himself, can a videogame affect myself? Or even the people around me? Well, as we’ve read in the novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Parzival had his life go upside down. He went from being nothing and having nothing, to being the best and having the most. While in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, we have our character Guy, who is a fireman and his job is to burn books. Guy wears a helmet with the number 451, which is what the temperature of the fire is. Technology does not do much to his life, he stays the person he is, and of course, he stays confused. Even though both novels are technology related, Ready Player One had more affect on the new generation that is reading this and that is because we can relate more.
Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the movie Pleasantville, and even in real life, a theme constant is the theme of protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye portrays the idea of protection of innocence through the main character of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a highly troubled boy, and is constantly getting kicked out of schools. However, there is one idea he is fiercely serious about. He explains this idea to his sister when she presses him about his life choices. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids...and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean, except me....What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). This quote spoken by Holden is him
Harrison Bergeron is missing some rights and although has equality, the society has many flaws. Fahrenheit 451 shows that basic rights that are lacking in the book, are also a problem in todays world. Harrison Bergeron and Fahrenheit 451 both present dystopian societies that have lack of freedom, similar to today's
In Fahrenheit 451, the residents were not happy in the society they were confined to. The government there made them believe they were happy because they had no sense of feelings and if they did they would have been killed, sent to the psychiatrist who would then prescribe them pills, and just thought of as a threat. The word “intellectual” was seen as a swear word, so from that you can see what type of society the people were living in. In general, the residents of Fahrenheit 451 were not happy at all and were the victims of media and entertainment.
In most stories we enjoy, may it be from childhood or something more recent there is many times a theme that shows a clear hero and a clear villain. But ordinarily this is not the case in real life, there are few times that this is quite that simple. There are many sides to each story, and sometimes people turn a blind eye to, or ignore the opposing side’s argument. But if we look at both sides of a situation in the stories we can more clearly understand what is going on, moreover the villains in the book or play would seem more real, instead of a horrible person being evil for no reason, these two people have their own agenda may it be a ruthless vengeance or misplaced trust.
Depending on what is between our legs, we are expected to act a certain way; whether it be submissive, dominant, empathetic, or stoic. On the contrary, personality traits are on a spectrum, and we, as three-dimensional people, can choose which traits we want to reflect. The best way to visualize how people exemplify these decisions and impact one another is through literature. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee; the book “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker; and the novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, all the characters move about their lives in ways that reflect this balance between rebellion and acceptance.
Thomas Gray, a poet from the eighteenth century, coined the phrase “Ignorance is bliss” in his poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College (1742), and three centuries later, this quote is commonly used to convey the message that sometimes, being ignorant of the truth can cause happiness, and knowledge can actually can be the source of pain or sadness. However, in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, this phrase is taken very literally, and knowledge is feared to the extent where books are considered illegal. Throughout The Hearth and the Salamander, Guy Montag, the main character, experiences a drastic change wherein he begins to realize that there is power in knowledge, and that this intelligence has the potential to be worth more than the so-called “bliss” that ignorance can bring.
The theme of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 can be viewed from several different angles. First and foremost, Bradbury's novel gives an anti-censorship message. Bradbury understood censorship to be a natural outcropping of an overly tolerant society. Once one group objects to something someone has written, that book is modified and censorship begins. Soon, another minority group objects to something else in the book, and it is again edited until eventually the book is banned altogether. In Bradbury's novel, society has evolved to such an extreme that all literature is illegal to possess. No longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions that often lead to revolutions and even anarchy. The intellectual thinking that arises from reading books can often be dangerous, and the government doesn't want to put up with this danger. Yet this philosophy, according to Bradbury, completely ignores the benefits of knowledge. Yes, knowledge can cause disharmony, but in many ways, knowledge of the past, which is recorded in books, can prevent man from making similar mistakes in the present and future.
“Revealing the truth is like lighting a match. It can bring light or it can set your world on fire” (Sydney Rogers). In other words revealing the truth hurts and it can either solve things or it can make them much worse. This quote relates to Fahrenheit 451 because Montag was hiding a huge book stash, and once he revealed it to his wife, Mildred everything went downhill. Our relationships are complete opposites. There are many differences between Fahrenheit 451 and our society, they just have a different way of seeing life.
If one doesn’t know that they’re sad, they’re always happy. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is set in a future where books are banned and conformity is pressured. Firemen burn books, and information is censored. Without an ability to question, one cannot question their own happiness. With censorship, anything that can cause you to is removed, and this effect is increased. With reliance on technology, one is so immersed that it becomes almost impossible to question anything, let alone think for oneself, and they can be made to think that they are happy, when in reality, they aren’t. Because the government in Fahrenheit 451 removed the ability to question, censors books and ideas, and creates a reliance on technology, the people in Fahrenheit 451 have deceived themselves into believing they are happy and content.
To fully understand the message of Fahrenheit 451, it is important to understand the social and political climate of the United States after World War II. One author suggests that this book “is discussed in terms of the world’s problems at large when it is essentially bound to the reality of the early 1950’s in America” (Zipes). During this time a major issue was the McCarthy trials that questioned citizens’ loyalty to the United States and censorship. There was also a preoccupation with the threat of war and the rise of military technology to wage war, the reliance on television for information, and finally anger and dissatisfaction of the younger generation. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 falls within a genre of literature that is considered dystopian in that it he “… wished warn readers against cultural changes that he feared would lead to ruin” (Brown). All dystopian literature is political (Zipes). In addition, Bradbury uses a scientific-fiction (sci-fi) format “…which allows him to exaggerate, intensify, and extend scientific, technological, and social conditions from a current real situation to the most extreme point while convincing the reader that everything which occurs in the fantasy world is feasible in the distant future (Zipes). Thus, the book is a harsh critique of the social and political context of the 1950s as well as a warning to future generations. It is set in a futuristic 24th century u...
Of all literary works regarding dystopian societies, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is perhaps one of the most bluntly shocking, insightful, and relatable of them. Set in a United States of the future, this novel contains a government that has banned books and a society that constantly watches television. However, Guy Montag, a fireman (one who burns books as opposed to actually putting out fires) discovers books and a spark of desire for knowledge is ignited within him. Unfortunately his boss, the belligerent Captain Beatty, catches on to his newfound thirst for literature. A man of great duplicity, Beatty sets up Montag to ultimately have his home destroyed and to be expulsed from the city. On the other hand, Beatty is a much rounder character than initially apparent. Beatty himself was once an ardent reader, and he even uses literature to his advantage against Montag. Moreover, Beatty is a critical character in Fahrenheit 451 because of his morbid cruelty, obscene hypocrisy, and overall regret for his life.
In dystopian literature, the future of society and humanity is presented in a negative standpoint. Utopian works frequently illustrate a future in which the everyday lives of human beings is often improved by technology to advance civilization, while dystopian works offer an opposite outlook. Examples of dystopian characteristics include an oppressive government, a protagonist, and character nature. Although the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and the film V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue display different perspectives of a dystopian society, both share similar dystopian characteristics, which include a government who asserts power over citizens, a protagonist who questions society, and characters who are isolated from the natural world.
Nature is constantly changing. Seasons change, leaves change color, things freeze for winter, but naturally, new life begins. While all around things are changing, humans seem to resist this natural process. Sometimes one is stuck in what can seem like an endless winter because he or she is too afraid to push forward and change what has been told and assumed to be right. Change is viewed as difficult, painful, and even dangerous. Without danger, life can be comfortable and familiar. Familiarity represents safety, something humans value greatly. If one can see a great need for change, they are willing to risk danger, and step out of their comfort zone to make that change. Whether a small or large change, the importance of change can be very great. In Fahrenheit 451, Pleasantville, and The Giver, the protagonists gain new perspective on their societies, leading them to see injustice. Jonas in The Giver finds it difficult to accept the truth about his society after he experiences the ways of society during its long past. He is frustrated that everyone is told only pieces of the truth, and from this he realizes his society must change, even if it is painful or unsafe. Montag from Fahrenheit 451 experiences a similar frustration when he reads books for the first time and meets Faber who gives him hope for the future. His realization of the society’s injustice allows him to overcome his resistance to change, and adapt the society in anyway he can. The society in Pleasantville learns of dangers such as fire, storms, and disagreement, as well as true love, reading, and color. They realize that they must change to experience the good things life has to offer like love, reading, and colors, even if it puts them in danger or makes them feel...