Fahrenheit 451

Has anyone ever heard of Fahrenheit 451? Well it's the temperature at which paper burns. In a novel by Ray Bradbury title Fahrenheit 451, he writes about a dystopian American world where books are illegal. No one can have books. I thought it would be appropriate considering we had a debate about books in class on Wednesday.

In Fahrenheit 451, firemen don't put out fires, they start fires to burn books because they have been outlawed. In this futuristic American society, the masses are hedonistic and the critical thought through reading is not allowed. This society strives to have the most pleasure by minimizing the amount of suffering that can be caused, which to them are books. This book is a representation of the government censorship in the United States, especially during the Cold War. Another interpretation of the book is that the effect of mass media and television on literature in the future.


He also explores the topic of how mass media alienates us from ourselves and others around us. In an increasing mass media world, many people become connected virtually but disconnected in the real world. Now a days you see us connecting with friends on facebook, twitter, email, and sometimes by phone, but why not in person if most of them are close by? This weekend I tried to see what percentage of my time I spent talking to friends online rather than in person. I was stunned to realize that over 50% of my time I spend chatting with friends online... the unfortunate thing is that most of them are on campus so I can easily go visit them. This alienation of people by media is a big topic in the book. Not to forget the censorship of government on media. Click here for a link to a 4 minute video of the movie adaption, it's a great way to see how this dystopia functions with censorship, alienation and influence of mass media.


Do you think we'll ever get to live in a dystopian world where books will no longer be needed and possibly outlawed because of the atrocities and suffering caused by books like the "Hit Man"?