Use Of Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Words: 835
Pages: 4
Open Document
Why are there many arguments about the use of censorships? In this democratic world that encourages free thoughts, censorship would seem to some people to be positively outdated. Looking at it closely, though, one can easily tell that it is a very complex topic. By looking at both personal and literary examples, one will find that censorships are like tightropes, and that societies that walk on them will have the danger of falling if they are not properly balanced on them. In my school, there happens to be one policy that shows this delicate balance.
Every start of the school year, students in my school--a Catholic high school--get a lecture from the staff about the dress code. Students are told that "immodest" types of clothing are considered …show more content…
In this dystopian novel, not only books are censored, but front porches and even being a pedestrian are considered unacceptable as well. As can be seen in this example, the most critical problem of censoring others is that one does not know where to stop. When books are first censored, front porches are probably still considered acceptable. After some time passes, however, more and more things become immoral in the eyes of the society. As a result, more and more things are removed by censorship. By the time Montag meets Clarisse, the people have lost much of what they originally believe in without realizing what is lost. In other words, the censorship in this story keeps expanding to the extent that it cannot tell right from wrong. Such expansions are tempting to censors everywhere. Another danger for the people under censorship is the neglect or even punishments of those who oppose the majority by having a belief of their own. For example, in Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse holds a different belief from what is generally accepted--the belief that the public should be more aware of their own world. As a result, she is considered an outcast by schoolmates and a “time bomb” by censors. Captain Beatty’s unemotional speech on her death further shows the tendency of censorships to neglect values and rights of individuals. Additionally, excess censorship can be very harmful to the society as a whole. A society can easily fall apart due to the lack of knowledge needed to make informed decisions. In Fahrenheit 451, censorship in the society is to be blamed for the death of Mildred and thousands of others, as it prevents them from learning about wars when there is a war coming. In this case, the censorship that is originally designed to help the society blinds the public instead. Fahrenheit 451 provides readers with a clear example of how a
Show More

Related Documents: Use Of Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 Quote Analysis

The author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, uses literary devices and overlying theme to portray the treacherous path that censorship can take us. The literary devices Ray Bradbury uses to depict censorship are imagery and conflict. These two literary elements play off each other to create a truly censored world that can allow us to look into where the world may be headed. The overlying theme of censorship is to take what the two literary elements do and drive it home. All these pieces combined together…

Words 705 - Pages 3

Fahrenheit 451 Argumentative Essay

are censoring books for their language, sexuality, violence (etc.). Censorship being the, "suppression of writing or speech that is considered harmful to the common good or a threat to national security" ("Censorship"). This evokes a series of questions from the uninformed. "Who considers a book? What is considered 'harmful'? What is considered a 'threat' or the 'common good'?" Ironically, the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—which concerns banned books—has become banned from some school curriculums…

Words 1483 - Pages 6

Technology Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury’s description of the dystopia in Fahrenheit 451 portrays the downfall of society through censorship of technology, importance of education, and misuse of power. In 1953 Ray Bradbury had a vision on the disappearance of books and on the way this disappearance would happen. Bradbury thought if books are banned in the future there would be lots of danger. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 books are not read anymore they are not allowed, the society is trying to stop publishing…

Words 837 - Pages 4

Effects Of Censorship In Fahrenheit 451

As said by Charles Bukowski “Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can't vent any anger against them; I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence”. Censorship is used to control the views of society by those in higher positions that find it acceptable to alter the information people receive…

Words 813 - Pages 4

Mr. Justin Baken Essay

Justin Baken English 10 Mrs. Wilke 9 December 2013 Themes in Fahrenheit 541 In the dystopian science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, Bradbury envisioned a world full of censorship, happiness, and technology. He sees this world obsessed with technology and people that aren’t truly happy with what they have. Censorship, happiness, and technology all relate to one another in the book. Technology is not a main part of the book but it is an important idea. No one reads in…

Words 837 - Pages 4

Symbols In Fahrenheit 451

things in life can be very important. In many novels the author shows this through the symbols of the book. Ray Bradbury in his novel Fahrenheit 451 uses symbols to talk about the themes that are related to importance of everyday things. The themes are learning from your mistakes, censorship, and communication with other people; which are all important in everyday life. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury wants to tell his readers that people make mistakes. Two symbols he does this through are the phoenix and…

Words 1054 - Pages 5

Similarities Between 1984 And Fahrenheit 451

speculative fiction novel ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ written by author Ray Bradbury (1951) and the speculative fiction novel ‘1984,’ written by author George Orwell (1949) have many thematic similarities; with both texts containing the theme of a totalitarian government, the warping of technology as to facilitate evil rather than to work towards good, and the dangers of censorship. Totalitarian governments are seen to wreak havoc in every way possible within both Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ and Orwell’s ‘1984…

Words 548 - Pages 3

Fahrenheit 451 Character Analysis

Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a book read by English classes nationwide. Also known as “The Classic Bestseller about Censorship”. Guy Montag, a firefighter who ironically endorses the use of fire to eradicate books, struggles to find his place in life. He lives in a world of self-destruction where everyone is brainwashed by fast-paced technology, and anything controversial is obliterated. A war in the community doesn’t exist to the zombie-like citizens. In the midst of all the…

Words 852 - Pages 4

Fahrenheit 451 Final Copy Essay

Jack Mears Fahrenheit 451 Conclusion Paper 4/27/2015 What We Don’t Know Roughly 55 countries in our world today are oppressed or without rights, such as freedom of press, freedom of speech, and equality. Several of these rights are taken away in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451. In this book the citizens voted that books should be banned, so the government took action and banned them. Replacing firemans jobs with saving people and putting out fires to starting them so all books would be rid of…

Words 1175 - Pages 5

Harrison Bergeron And Fahrenheit 451 Comparison

adduction by aliens, Bradbury and Vonnegut wrote about a more realistic vision for the future which condemns anti-intellectualism of Nazi Germany and McCarthyism in America. These visionaries depicted an unbelievable realism of a viable future as they wrote Fahrenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron. Both the novel and short story has set incredulous, but credible implications for our future and predicted things that have come to fruition. Ray Bradbury, the author of the novel Fahrenheit 451, and Kurt Vonnegut…

Words 795 - Pages 4