Censorship and Oppression: A Recipe For Disaster
Throughout history, the advancement of humankind has slowed down when people choose to ignore the importance of philosophy and science. The Dark Ages were period in which the works of previous civilizations were forgotten and while the Dark Ages are history, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 depicts a very similar and bleak future. The society of Fahrenheit 451 is a revival of the Dark Ages, in which the government burns books of the past in order to prevent the population from learning about history thus making it easier for the government to control the people as they would not contradict any deceptive ideas imposed upon them. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury shows the reader a society …show more content…
Guy’s feeling of emptiness and sadness is caused by his realization that the society he lives in is full of mindless followers who refuse to think for themselves. Before Guy meets Clarisse, he is like all the other citizens but she opens his eyes to how unsatisfied he is with the world he lives in. Guy is not as happy as he thinks and this is shown when the reader is told that “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask” (9). The mask represents the fraudulence of Guy’s emotions and once those fake feelings are taken away he is able to view a deeper side to him, one that is unhappy with his censored way of life. Everyone in his society seems like an object controlled by upper powers but Clarisse is the first person he meets that seems like a real human. This is when Guy realizes that his feeling of emptiness stems from the fact that everyone in his society is mindless and void of individuality. When he starts to reflect on his relationship, Guy realizes that he no longer feels true love for Mildred and he blames this on the fact that Mildred chooses to consume herself with her television family rather than spend time with him. As well, his frustration with the system he lives in is further cemented when he witnesses a woman who …show more content…
Mildred needs to escape the depression she faces in reality, shown through her obsession with the parlour in order to deal with her unhappy feelings and suicide attempt. Mildred is a representation of how the general population behaves, showing the reader that although people seem to be happy on the outside, there is a more disturbed mindset lurking within. Guy’s unhappiness is caused by his realization that the people he lives with do not think for themselves and he finds their ignorance very disturbing. This leads to his rebellion against the government, which allows him to meet a new group of people who hide from the general population in fear of being persecuted. This division between intellectuals and normal people is directly related to the censorship the government imposes on citizens. In conclusion, Bradbury uses Fahrenheit 451 as a way to show the reader that government censorship is wrong as it will only create an unstable population that is ridden with depression and outcasts. This novel is merely literature, however there is a very distinct connection to be made with the dystopia of Fahrenheit 451 and current dictatorships such as North Korea. These countries choose not to provide their populations with freedom with hopes that there will be
Throughout history, the advancement of humankind has slowed down when people choose to ignore the importance of philosophy and science. The Dark Ages were period in which the works of previous civilizations were forgotten and while the Dark Ages are history, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 depicts a very similar and bleak future. The society of Fahrenheit 451 is a revival of the Dark Ages, in which the government burns books of the past in order to prevent the population from learning about history thus making it easier for the government to control the people as they would not contradict any deceptive ideas imposed upon them. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury shows the reader a society …show more content…
Guy’s feeling of emptiness and sadness is caused by his realization that the society he lives in is full of mindless followers who refuse to think for themselves. Before Guy meets Clarisse, he is like all the other citizens but she opens his eyes to how unsatisfied he is with the world he lives in. Guy is not as happy as he thinks and this is shown when the reader is told that “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask” (9). The mask represents the fraudulence of Guy’s emotions and once those fake feelings are taken away he is able to view a deeper side to him, one that is unhappy with his censored way of life. Everyone in his society seems like an object controlled by upper powers but Clarisse is the first person he meets that seems like a real human. This is when Guy realizes that his feeling of emptiness stems from the fact that everyone in his society is mindless and void of individuality. When he starts to reflect on his relationship, Guy realizes that he no longer feels true love for Mildred and he blames this on the fact that Mildred chooses to consume herself with her television family rather than spend time with him. As well, his frustration with the system he lives in is further cemented when he witnesses a woman who …show more content…
Mildred needs to escape the depression she faces in reality, shown through her obsession with the parlour in order to deal with her unhappy feelings and suicide attempt. Mildred is a representation of how the general population behaves, showing the reader that although people seem to be happy on the outside, there is a more disturbed mindset lurking within. Guy’s unhappiness is caused by his realization that the people he lives with do not think for themselves and he finds their ignorance very disturbing. This leads to his rebellion against the government, which allows him to meet a new group of people who hide from the general population in fear of being persecuted. This division between intellectuals and normal people is directly related to the censorship the government imposes on citizens. In conclusion, Bradbury uses Fahrenheit 451 as a way to show the reader that government censorship is wrong as it will only create an unstable population that is ridden with depression and outcasts. This novel is merely literature, however there is a very distinct connection to be made with the dystopia of Fahrenheit 451 and current dictatorships such as North Korea. These countries choose not to provide their populations with freedom with hopes that there will be