Because the government has become so successful at capturing their attention in simple forms of entertainment, people lack the necessary motivation to take time away from those enjoyable pursuits to learn about any quality information that happens to come their way. Even if they were to hear intellectually stimulating ideas, they would probably not remember it, or they might remember it superficially but never actually use that information for anything important. The third element missing from society, according to Faber, are the rights...
Without basic rights, even if people were to accumulate meaningful information about the truth or learn to think critically and to question the actions and policies of the government, they would be powerless to use any of their knowledge or their critical reasoning skills to achieve any changes in society. The penalties of punishment or incineration would prevent people who knew the truth from doing anything about it because, much like Granger, they would be too afraid of the consequences of opposing the government authorities.
Fahrenheit 451' vs. '1984' Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books 1984, by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury have clear opposition to these subtle entrapments that was
1984 & Fahrenheit 451 The Pessimism of 1984 vs. The Optimism of Fahrenheit 451 Both 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are futuristic depictions of totalitarian societies that value conformity over individualism. The two novels present systems of institutionalized control. There are strict laws and rules governing behavior and thoughts, and both societies are based on a hierarchy. The protagonists in the novels, Winston Smith and Guy Montag,
Granger helps him reconsider the importance of his hands when he tells him it does not matter what you do "long a you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away" (170). This scene proves noteworthy for Montag because he realizes it is true. He even notes change will "come from our hands and our
Philosophy: Enlightenment and Fahrenheit 451 We are a society defined by technology and machines. At the speed of light, we gain knowledge via the Internet, our lives are made more convenient and the globe becomes a smaller place to live. As a result of machines and technology, we are a 24/7 society where time is scarce and a high commodity. Even with machines to make our lives and jobs easier, we
Inside he is changing but he continues with his life as much as he can. Beatty accuses Montag of being a hopeless romantic and does his best to convince Montag there is nothing in books that could benefit man. Beatty also blames a large part of Montag's "problem" on his encounters with Clarisse, who was "better of dead" (64). This attitude is a stark contrast with Faber and his
In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube. What can present-day people do to prevent technology from doing more harm than good? Bradbury feels that if people read books, they will learn about the history of the world and things they do not understand. Books will instruct people in new ways that do not rely on the use of technology. Bradbury insists that the
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