" After effectively damning her to a life as a vampire, Ibrahim, himself abused by the man who made him one of the undead, tries to 'make good' on his promise to himself to help Lina: "Despite the many shortcoming of Ibrahim's moral probity, he had known from the start that he would live his life as a vampire much the same way he had lived his life as a normal human -- trying to be good, even if he failed miserably most of the time." This is, Taylor suggests, not unlike that of a terrorist who rationalizes his conversion of another man (or woman) to the cause, that he is at least trying, and saving the new convert from a worse fate. Taylor's extended metaphor of Islamic terrorism and fundamentalism and vampirism, of one life as an outsider in...
Taylor makes terrorism emotionally, if not intellectually comprehensible. This shows the great power of science fiction -- to take readers outside of their current ways of thinking and conceptualizing the world and humanity, and to give them greater clarity, balance, and perspective.
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
The second crucial element missing from society, in Faber's explanation, is the leisure time among citizens to critically analyze or even think at all about any meaningful information they should come across in their lives. 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
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
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