One’s mind must be regularly engaged and strengthened, otherwise it will atrophy and dissolve like sand through a sieve. The term mind encompasses everything from measureable qualities such as intelligence, literacy, memory, and inquiry, as well as more abstract aspects such as one’s sense of self. In his futuristic—and nearly prophetic—dystopian novella, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, Ray Bradbury demonstrates his understanding of the universal truth identified above through the thoughts, dialogue, and behavior of Mildred, Clarisse, Montag, and Faber. What Bradbury was able to demonstrate through fiction, contemporary author and journalist Nicholas Carr, has proven through his examination of the impact of technology on our brains and
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Millie is a homemaker, “an expert at lip reading from ten years of apprenticeship at Seashell ear thimbles,” who longs for a fourth wall-TV to be installed in her living room, despite the fact that she just got the third two months ago and that the devices cost fully one-third of her husband’s annual salary (Bradbury 18), 20). Her modern counterpart would be a woman who works from home, has a Bluetooth headset clipped to her ear at all times when she’s not sleeping, who spends all day in front of her laptop or tablet, most evenings in front of her 60” flat screen HD television, and who would rather die than go a day without her iPhone or Blackberry. Lest we judge Mille or Modern Millie too harshly, we must acknowledge that “most Americans, no matter what their age, spend at least eight and a half hours a day looking at a television, a computer monitor, or the screen of their mobile phone. Frequently, they use two or even all three of these devices simultaneously. (Carr 87)” In Mildred’s world, books are dangerous objects to be avoided at all costs and burned if they are discovered in anyone’s possession. Unlike Millie and her friends, we have full access to print media, yet we still eschew this form of personal media in favor of television, computers, …show more content…
He also understood the potential damage that would be caused by the loss of print media and the ideas they contain. His novella is a cautionary tale to those who value intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking. Nicholas Carr’s work is also a cautionary tale for contemporary readers who understand that one’s mind must be regularly engaged and strengthened, otherwise it will atrophy and dissolve like sand through a sieve. Clearly, Carr’s work supports the theme developed by Bradbury nearly 60 years
Millie is a homemaker, “an expert at lip reading from ten years of apprenticeship at Seashell ear thimbles,” who longs for a fourth wall-TV to be installed in her living room, despite the fact that she just got the third two months ago and that the devices cost fully one-third of her husband’s annual salary (Bradbury 18), 20). Her modern counterpart would be a woman who works from home, has a Bluetooth headset clipped to her ear at all times when she’s not sleeping, who spends all day in front of her laptop or tablet, most evenings in front of her 60” flat screen HD television, and who would rather die than go a day without her iPhone or Blackberry. Lest we judge Mille or Modern Millie too harshly, we must acknowledge that “most Americans, no matter what their age, spend at least eight and a half hours a day looking at a television, a computer monitor, or the screen of their mobile phone. Frequently, they use two or even all three of these devices simultaneously. (Carr 87)” In Mildred’s world, books are dangerous objects to be avoided at all costs and burned if they are discovered in anyone’s possession. Unlike Millie and her friends, we have full access to print media, yet we still eschew this form of personal media in favor of television, computers, …show more content…
He also understood the potential damage that would be caused by the loss of print media and the ideas they contain. His novella is a cautionary tale to those who value intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking. Nicholas Carr’s work is also a cautionary tale for contemporary readers who understand that one’s mind must be regularly engaged and strengthened, otherwise it will atrophy and dissolve like sand through a sieve. Clearly, Carr’s work supports the theme developed by Bradbury nearly 60 years