Official Start Time: 11:00 p.m.
Date: 11/13/08
Official End Time: 11:30 p.m.
Theme of Fahrenheit 451: Censorship
All humans have a calling in their life. The person must decide how to accept the calling and what they are willing to do to fight for it. Will that person be the one to make the difference or will they just accept their ignorance as a blissful escape from the cold truth they are living? What that person allows to happen is all up to him or her, but no one can be controlled indefinitely for eventually people perceive a solution to the problem. This kind of censorship is the theme of Fahrenheit 451, and with it the characters have to face why censorship exists, the ignorance that consumes people, and how one chooses to be indifferent.
Censorship plays a vital role in Fahrenheit 451. In the community that persists in this novel, things that can cause a disturbance in the community are censored. Books are one of the things on this list and the reason for this is to avoid the conflict that knowledge can bring. The authority figures control the community by burning books and trying to make everyone the same because they blame knowledge for people’s internal and external conflicts. A bar is then set for people to understand what is normal and what is not. This bar also prevents the people from questioning their authority and one day rebelling to reveal the truth that they seek. Man should do like Guy did and “just start walking today and see the world and the way the world walks around and talks, the way it really looks,” (Bradbury, pg161). Without censorship, man would be able to live his life without regrets for even today we question things, but hold back on our actions in fear that they might be wrong and a conflict may rise.
The phrase “ignorance is bliss” shows that if one does not know of something and just ignores it then it cannot cause him or her harm. Ignorance can destroy a person because humans have to be aware of the things that concern them, for if not their ignorance could destroy them. In Fahrenheit 451, the people are ignorant to knowledge and individuality because books are considered illegal and anyone who owns a book is arrested and taken away to avoid a disturbance in a community where what’s normal is the law and anything else is considered bizarre. Books provide knowledge and individuality, but if books are never to be read then life becomes predictable since the bar is never raised and everything stays the same. This kind of ignorance is derived from fear, fear from the consequences of an authority figure, or even fear that if one were to take the chance they could fail. Beatty derived his ignorance against books when his life went south and the one place he thought he could get an answer from did not give him one. Beatty says in this quote, “Oh, the words were there, alright, but they ran over my eyes like hot oil, signifying nothing. Offering no help, no solace, no peace, no harbor, no true love, no bed, no light,” (Bradbury, pg171). Man uses ignorance to protect himself. How long this ignorance can protect man is the question.
Humans are indifferent to things that can have consequence. Man fears actions that may lead to conflict even if the action could make a vital difference. However, there is only a certain amount of time man has until what he is ignoring approaches him face to face. In Fahrenheit 451, the people are indifferent to the burning of books and the control that has been put over the community. However, a select few see a future where knowledge is understood and individuality is not questioned or feared. These people are Montag and Granger who read books and memorize them in the belief that it’d be, “Better to keep it in the old heads, where no one can see it or suspect it,” (Bradbury, pg152). Only that person can make that difference and Montag is the man to do it. If Montag never got interested in books and decide to release himself from the ignorance, censorship, and indifference he had been living his entire life, then who would make the revolution he had? People can never ignore what affects them and only until they stand and fight for what’s right will a solution be made.
In conclusion, one always has control over his life and only he can make the difference necessary. Censorship plays a key role in Fahrenheit 451, and it still exists today and how humans challenge it is how we grow as people. How one fights for the righteous cause is what makes him accept his calling in life. Fear and ignorance are only there to hold man back from further pursuing the actions that can lead to the revolution people need. It is up to people to decide when they will break away from being indifferent to their surrounding and accept that only they can do what needs to be done to create a better tomorrow for everyone.
Sincerely, Hector Guzman
Will man ever come to the point where technology has abolished reading? I hope not. Fahrenheit 451 was a great book but one that you could only understand after you read it. Ray Bradbury's view of reading in the future at that time wouldn't be too far off as reading today is falling in popularity and many students have issue meeting proficiency in the reading section of standardized test. The only solution I can think of is to emphasize the importance of reading to new students and to make sure that good reading habits follow them throughout high school and their later years.
Date: 11/13/08
Official End Time: 11:30 p.m.
Theme of Fahrenheit 451: Censorship
All humans have a calling in their life. The person must decide how to accept the calling and what they are willing to do to fight for it. Will that person be the one to make the difference or will they just accept their ignorance as a blissful escape from the cold truth they are living? What that person allows to happen is all up to him or her, but no one can be controlled indefinitely for eventually people perceive a solution to the problem. This kind of censorship is the theme of Fahrenheit 451, and with it the characters have to face why censorship exists, the ignorance that consumes people, and how one chooses to be indifferent.
Censorship plays a vital role in Fahrenheit 451. In the community that persists in this novel, things that can cause a disturbance in the community are censored. Books are one of the things on this list and the reason for this is to avoid the conflict that knowledge can bring. The authority figures control the community by burning books and trying to make everyone the same because they blame knowledge for people’s internal and external conflicts. A bar is then set for people to understand what is normal and what is not. This bar also prevents the people from questioning their authority and one day rebelling to reveal the truth that they seek. Man should do like Guy did and “just start walking today and see the world and the way the world walks around and talks, the way it really looks,” (Bradbury, pg161). Without censorship, man would be able to live his life without regrets for even today we question things, but hold back on our actions in fear that they might be wrong and a conflict may rise.
The phrase “ignorance is bliss” shows that if one does not know of something and just ignores it then it cannot cause him or her harm. Ignorance can destroy a person because humans have to be aware of the things that concern them, for if not their ignorance could destroy them. In Fahrenheit 451, the people are ignorant to knowledge and individuality because books are considered illegal and anyone who owns a book is arrested and taken away to avoid a disturbance in a community where what’s normal is the law and anything else is considered bizarre. Books provide knowledge and individuality, but if books are never to be read then life becomes predictable since the bar is never raised and everything stays the same. This kind of ignorance is derived from fear, fear from the consequences of an authority figure, or even fear that if one were to take the chance they could fail. Beatty derived his ignorance against books when his life went south and the one place he thought he could get an answer from did not give him one. Beatty says in this quote, “Oh, the words were there, alright, but they ran over my eyes like hot oil, signifying nothing. Offering no help, no solace, no peace, no harbor, no true love, no bed, no light,” (Bradbury, pg171). Man uses ignorance to protect himself. How long this ignorance can protect man is the question.
Humans are indifferent to things that can have consequence. Man fears actions that may lead to conflict even if the action could make a vital difference. However, there is only a certain amount of time man has until what he is ignoring approaches him face to face. In Fahrenheit 451, the people are indifferent to the burning of books and the control that has been put over the community. However, a select few see a future where knowledge is understood and individuality is not questioned or feared. These people are Montag and Granger who read books and memorize them in the belief that it’d be, “Better to keep it in the old heads, where no one can see it or suspect it,” (Bradbury, pg152). Only that person can make that difference and Montag is the man to do it. If Montag never got interested in books and decide to release himself from the ignorance, censorship, and indifference he had been living his entire life, then who would make the revolution he had? People can never ignore what affects them and only until they stand and fight for what’s right will a solution be made.
In conclusion, one always has control over his life and only he can make the difference necessary. Censorship plays a key role in Fahrenheit 451, and it still exists today and how humans challenge it is how we grow as people. How one fights for the righteous cause is what makes him accept his calling in life. Fear and ignorance are only there to hold man back from further pursuing the actions that can lead to the revolution people need. It is up to people to decide when they will break away from being indifferent to their surrounding and accept that only they can do what needs to be done to create a better tomorrow for everyone.
Sincerely, Hector Guzman
Will man ever come to the point where technology has abolished reading? I hope not. Fahrenheit 451 was a great book but one that you could only understand after you read it. Ray Bradbury's view of reading in the future at that time wouldn't be too far off as reading today is falling in popularity and many students have issue meeting proficiency in the reading section of standardized test. The only solution I can think of is to emphasize the importance of reading to new students and to make sure that good reading habits follow them throughout high school and their later years.
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