Sound Of Silence In Fahrenheit 451

The song “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel has several connections to Farenheit 451. One example of the connection is the lines “because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains with the sound of silence” (Simon and Garfunkel). An educated yet peaceful society sounds so good to Montag, but when he tries to make a change he is only met with the sound of silence. Throughout the entire book, the society Montag lives in unfortunately seems to not change at all. An example of how this song connects to Fahrenheit 451 can be found in direct quotes from the book, such as this: “They say you retain knowledge even when you’re sleeping, if someone whispers in your ear” (Bradbury 92). The person who speaks this quote, Faber, plants seeds of knowledge in Montag’s brain. The vision of a better life creeps into Montag’s head while he sleeps. In conclusion, “The

Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel connect to Fahrenheit 451 because it talks about the vision of true freedom that is held in the minds of people who want an educated society.
The song “Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews Band has several connections to Fahrenheit 451. For example, the line “cut, cut on the fence not offend” (Dave Matthews Band) directly ties into the book. People in the Fahrenheit 451 society are so fastidious as to not offend people that they lose the power to change lives through knowledge. These citizens have cut off their ability to truly understand others and the world around them the minute they tossed the first book into the crackling orange-and-red blaze, sparking a nationwide holocaust of valuable lessons and ideas. Another example of this song’s correlation to Fahrenheit 451 would be none other than this quote in part one: “You ask why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl’s better off dead” (Bradbury 60). Beatty thought that Clarisse, a girl who is full of revolutionary dreams and concepts, is happier dead and cut out of the world than she could ever be with her nose in a book. Through the loss of her life, the fictional society in Fahrenheit 451 loses any hope for change- but it is okay because nobody’s feelings will be hurt. In conclusion, “Ants Marching” connects to Fahrenheit 451 because it represents how people are willing to cut off their freedoms to prevent sadness, which in turn prevents any change.
The song “Changes” by David Bowie has several connections to Fahrenheit 451.

An example of the connection includes the lines “Every time I thought I’d got it made it seemed the taste was not so sweet” (Bowie). Every time Montag thinks he has made it to the destination of happiness, he realizes he still has miles to walk. In the beginning when he thought he was happy with his job as a fireman, he realized how he wanted to read. Another example of when Montag realizes he is unhappy at the beginning of the book is stated in part one: “And he remembered thinking that if she died, he was certain he wouldn’t cry” (Bradbury 44). Montag discovers he is not in love with Mildred as much as he thought he was. This realization of his emptiness sparks the revolution inside of him which, opposite of the incandescent flames that firemen use to burn the books, ignites Montag’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge. In conclusion, Bowie’s song “Changes” connects to Fahrenheit 451 because it alludes how Montag is never truly happy in the book’s

society.