Throughout time Science Fiction writers have produced their work, using the concept of dystopia as a method to express their outlook and opinion on the issues within their existing societies, in which they are writing from. The writer delivers a message to the audience, educating them about the current contextual concerns and the possibility of the dystopias that are developed as a result. This is demonstrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury and the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol. Both of these composers illustrate their fears for the fate of their society through the structural and language features of their texts. Ray Bradbury explores the value of using knowledge and independent thinking rather than blindly …show more content…
Captain Beatty wants to use fire to cleanse the world of knowledge, a thing that he believes is evil. He wants to use fire to erase people's memories and problems. He believes that fire can destroy anything and make problems disappear. When he explains that cremation is important to make people forget the dead, he says that they should "Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean”. He thinks that the only way to have a peacefully and happy society is to make people forget the past and ignore or forget anything that they do not like. This reflects back to the society after WWII and the motives of the Nazis – removing thoughts and the past will result in peace and happiness. Bradbury also serves to warn us of the danger of ignorance in this futuristic dystopia. This again is reflective of the Nazi book burnings and the idea of people leaving behind knowledge and becoming ‘blissfully’ ignorant of the past. In Fahrenheit 451 the fireman's responsibility is to destroy knowledge and promote ignorance in order to ensure equality. Ignorance, however, promotes suicide, poor decisions, and empty lives. When Beatty discovers Montag's hidden collection of books, he explains that all firemen become curious of books, and may have time to explore them for a short time before disposing of them. He then tells Montag about the state of the world: people are made
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 portrays a group of men called “firemen.” Their title, however, is ironic because of what fireman usually do. Instead of putting out fires, the men in this novel deliberately set books and suspected criminal homes ablaze. Montag, the novel’s protagonist, finds “pleasure” (Bradbury 1) in his job at the beginning of the book. Further into the story, he realizes that burning books and homes destroys knowledge and is fatal to others. Montag now recognizes that depriving a generation of history, religion, and morals have desensitized his people to the point that original thoughts are nonexistent. Furthermore, cares and concerns for others have vanished, and having fun reigns supreme in society.
In Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s world banned books out of ignorance; the government felt that books were a threat because they contain ideas and knowledge. Montag was considered an ignorant citizen until his mindset about knowledge was turned upside down when he met Clarisse. Throughout the book Montag’s society believes that a fireman’s jobs is to burn books and destroy all knowledge to create equality and tranquility within the society. Firemen igniting fires is ironic because firemen in today’s society prevent fires. However, Montag finally realizes that life becomes more complete and full when knowledge is included. He did not look at the books as a negative threat towards society;
Of all literary works regarding dystopian societies, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is perhaps one of the most bluntly shocking, insightful, and relatable of them. Set in a United States of the future, this novel contains a government that has banned books and a society that constantly watches television. However, Guy Montag, a fireman (one who burns books as opposed to actually putting out fires) discovers books and a spark of desire for knowledge is ignited within him. Unfortunately his boss, the belligerent Captain Beatty, catches on to his newfound thirst for literature. A man of great duplicity, Beatty sets up Montag to ultimately have his home destroyed and to be expulsed from the city. On the other hand, Beatty is a much rounder
“’Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames’” (Bradbury 6). In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag is a fireman, someone that burns books for the government to keep a firm control on what knowledge society has. However, through a series of events populated by an attempted suicide, a young girl, and an old man, Montag is shown a life where books are treasured instead of feared and hated. Armed with a vision of what the world has been, and could be like again, Montag ultimately meets up in the aftermath of a war with others that share his vision, and they begin their mission to make fire something other than a source of fear: a healing power.
Knowledge is the driving force behind any society. Without knowledge, a society is bound to become corrupt and nonfunctioning. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a firefighter named Montag. In this futuristic and utopian society, firefighters do not put out fires, they start them. The job of a firefighter is to find and burn books, which have been banned by the government. Montag goes along with the firefighter lifestyle until he meets a young girl named Clarisse. She causes him to start wondering about books, and Montag decides to grab one from a woman's house before it is burned down. Montag reads it and realizes how important books are to humanity. He knows that what firefighters are doing is wrong, and sets out to change it. Bradbury uses this story to portray a corrupt society that he believes will come of the real world, and some of his ideas have already come true.
Finally, throughout the novel Bradbury presents a conflict between ignorance and understanding. The general society is being numbed into believing that knowledge makes people disagree with each other and unhappy. To prevent people from reading and gaining knowledge, the firemen burn all books. By committing these actions, they are promoting sameness and ignorance, to supposedly maintain happiness among society. Captain Beatty explains the history of firemen to Montag, speaking of their society’s view of equality. “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made equal . . . A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind.” (Bradbury, page 58) Captain Beatty is hinting that books encourage people to question authority and think about why things are done the way they are
Knowledge is power. A power that gives the people their right to have influence in society. Imagine a world where this power was taken away. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a fireman named Guy Montag lives in a society some time in the future where a fireman’s job is to burn all books in order to prevent people from trying to revolt against the government with knowledge, and the books are replaced by mindless technology. Montag is originally one of the majority of people who is brainwashed and conforms to this society. After meeting an unusual teenager named Clarisse who introduces him to books, Montag starts to wonder what books are really like. As he begins reading literature, Montag breaks away from the others and becomes one of these non-conformists himself, speaking out against the corrupt society. Many key aspects of the society set up by Bradbury show how technology has destroyed this fictional society and causes readers to notice similarities in today’s real society.
Furthermore, knowledge versus ignorance plays a role in Fahrenheit 451. The reason behind it is there is so much importance in technology than literature itself, society ignores the word. Most children grow up engaged in the TV, rather than reading and developing their minds efficiently. Bradbury expands on this topic by Guy Montag stating “School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually, gradually neglected” (53). Bradbury is trying to explain how children will grow up with a smaller English vocabulary and a lack of word choice without literature. David T Wright, an American writer, has his own thoughts on knowledge versus ignorance. Wright touches on this topic by saying that without reading, most of Montag’s society will lack mental exercise for the brain to retain information; resulting in memory loss (104). Continuing with Wright’s thoughts, he claims that not only do people completely forget that firemen are supposed to put out fires, but also neither Guy nor Mildred remember how they met (104). Rodney Smolla had a similar view, he stated “Bradbury seems to be insisting that while it may be possible to incinerate a book, killing the book will not kill its ideas” (110). Expanding of Smolla’s thought, getting rid of books will not change the words and its purpose will
Popular fictions texts expressing views of the future educate audiences about current issues and the dystopias that develop from them. Texts such as the film ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol and novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury explore futuristic societies and the implications that become of their innovation. Although entertaining, texts such as these are didactic and must be taken seriously, as they communicate messages to audiences regarding prevalent concerns and possible futures based on society’s choices.
The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction novel placed in the future. The plot of the story is about a firefighter named Montag in a futuristic city where firefighters start fires instead of extinguishing them. He starts to read books although it is illegal and realizes many truths in the society. Montag kills his fire chief and meets intellectuals by the railroads. They watch as the city is destroyed and go back to rebuild society. Beatty is Montag’s fire chief and boss. He is invested in getting rid of books, although he himself reads. Faber is a former english professor who maintains a low profile and also reads books. He helps Montag understand them. In Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was first published in 1933, and its story entails a futuristic world in the middle of a nuclear war. The totalitarian government of this future forbids its people from reading or taking a part in other acts that involve individual thinking. The law against reading is, presumably, fairly new, and the government is faced with the enormous task of destroying all of its citizens' books. This disposal of books is the profession of the main character, Guy Montag, who is officially titled a "fireman." He and his crew raid libraries and homes, burning any books they find before dozens of overjoyed onlookers. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Montag appears to be a
“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches”. This quote was put into words by the great author, Ray Bradbury, explaining his point of view that books are useless and could be burned in many ways, and lack of knowledge should occur. Fahrenheit 451 is one of Bradbury’s famous dystopian fictional novels that were published in 1953, which showed lack of knowledge as one of its concepts. Lack of knowledge exists throughout the novel because firemen burned books, people of the society had no time to think, and the society relied on technology more than anything else.
Montag forms a connection with anyone who receptive to true friendship. Professor Faber, a former English professor, confesses that the current state of society, is due to the cowardice. Faber still has some rare books but considers that could put him in danger. “Mr. Montag, you are looking at a coward. I saw the way things were going, a long time back.” (Bradbury, 78). Captain Beatty, chief of the firemen hates books, but previously had a passion for them. “Once, books appealed to a few people, here, there, everywhere. They could afford to be different. The world was roomy. But then the world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths.” (Bradbury, 51) Many tones of irony are set throughout Fahrenheit 451. An example of ironic style is where Montag is introduced as a fireman. As the reader, we naturally think of firemen putting out fires, however Bradbury generates Montag as a fireman who starts fires. As the novel goes on, we see that several characters go against the law. Without books, distinctiveness is lost in the characters. This happens to be relevant to today’s society because books are becoming less popular, while technology is taking over. Books can be used as a helping tool, however our society today has become very lazy. Through over usage of technology it is easy to forget the true value that books
In Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Fahrenheit 451”, he creates a futuristic society impacted by censorship, where citizens are forced to conform to the government’s manipulation. In this society, all forms of literature became a dangerous gateway to knowledge and are regarded as signs of controversy. Books have been outlawed, and thus the human mind, individuality and thought have all become a blurred existence. Society has become senseless. Merely a place where a fireman’s profession is burning books and any houses found with books kept inside. The novel’s protagonist, Montage, also a fireman, is the narrator of the given quote above. Through the repetitive word “burning”, Bradbury emphasizes Montage’s sense of revelation. Montage realizes he must
Sydney Mr. Soard English 16 November 2016 Guy Montag “He would not be Montag anymore…and one day he would look back upon the fool and know the fool. Even now he could feel the start of the long journey, the leave-taking, the going away from the self he had been.” In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, guy Montag is a fireman who I believe has changed throughout. Firemen in Fahrenheit 451 do not fight fires but start fires by burning books. Guy Montag goes through many optsticals during this story such as, becoming distant from everyone around him.