The Importance Of Independent Thought In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 brings forth many critical messages about the importance of independent thought that are valuable to any reader. Currently, Fahrenheit 451 is, on average, read in high school freshmen or sophomore English classes. The messages it presents have the capability to completely change a person 's outlook on how they construct their opinions and make decisions about the world around them. However, in order for the book 's underlying messages to be understood and applied to a student 's life it must be read in early college or late high school english classes.

The main focus of the book is the importance of independent thought, how various things in the dystopian world of Fahrenheit 451 limit it, and the effect it has

The most prominent limiter of independent thought is, contrary to popular belief, the omnipresent mass media. The media in Fahrenheit 451 is so prominent and intertwined in the lives of every citizen that you could make the argument that it serves as societies queen bee, relaying appropriate thoughts to her drones through their buzzing radios and televisions, without which they couldn’t function. According to Ray Bradbury himself, The media literally “bombards people with sensation, which substitutes for thinking." They drown out the real sound of the world through a constant broadcast of news, music, and advertisement right into people 's ears. The symptoms displayed by society’s lack of independent thought serve as a warning to readers, desperately attempting to show them how censorship can affect various aspects of society. People are unable to have their own thoughts let alone opinions. Readers are conversely shown how important independent thought is through the display of how a lack of it can be detrimental to their sense of individuality, happiness, and sense of

Both Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four main conflicts end with no overall change. The main character John in Brave New World changes nothing in the overall scheme of society, his actions directly result in himself dying and that 's it. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston Smith’s actions are all for nothing after he betrays his lover Julia and is re-educated to align with Big Brother and going back to work as though nothing had happened. Fahrenheit 451 is the only one in these three whose climax brings about enormous change in society. It is because of the self perpetuating conformity that everyone denies their losing status in the “war” and leads to their imminent