Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

My Freshman year at William & Mary, I had a lot of friends on hall in another dormitory from...more

My Freshman year at William & Mary, I had a lot of friends on hall in another dormitory from mine and I would hang out there a lot. One of the guys on the hall, Paul, decided one day to set fire to various objects in the shower, just for fun. He was evicted from college housing for the rest of the year and had to live off campus (in a guest house which seems a lot cushier than dormitory living, but I digress). Being 18-19 year-old boys, Paul’s hall mates found this hilarious and his act of arson became the keystone event for the year. When it came time to make hall t-shirts they selected a logo of a flame with the motto “It was a pleasure to burn.” That quote of course is the first line of Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury, my first selection of reading for Banned Books Week. When we think of books being banned it’s usually by government and/or religious authorities. The events charted by ALA on their Banned and Challenged Books lists are not so much total banishment but the acts of parents, teachers, librarians, and concerned individuals that a book in school curriculum or on the library shelf will somehow harm children. Bradbury writes of a different kind of banning, one where the people of his dystopia willingly give up books to escape the fear, uncertainty, and discomfort prompted by the ideas contained in books. Sure, the government sponsors squads of firemen to destroy books, but in this society the firemen are heroes (and entertainment) for people who would rather pursue hedonism. Their lives are numbed by wall-sized televisions, in-ear radios, and riding in fast car. They’re happy to support their country going to war as long as it lasts 48 hours and no one they know gets hurt. In other words, it sounds startlingly similar to our country today, at least metaphorically. After all, how many people do you know who’ve willingly banned books from their lives? This is an excellent book, a bit melodramatic, but well-written. I can’t believe I never read it before now.    hide

This exploration of a society void of literary knowledge and incapable of intelligent conversation...more

This exploration of a society void of literary knowledge and incapable of intelligent conversation is both frightening and thought-provoking. Imagine a culture in which the people cannot think coherently and have no desire to really learn anything about philosophy, religion, or theory. A society stuck with useless, mundane facts spouted off to them in school as a tool to make them think that they are expanding their minds, when in reality they are merely filling their heads with useless information. A society where firemen don't stop fires, but rather start them in order to get rid of books. A society of a mindless mass of people who sit and watch television all day, lowering their attention spans with every moment and not able to focus on a plotline that lasts more than five minutes. What's scary is that this is what society seems to be turning into - most people would rather watch tv nowadays than sit down with a book. Television shows have begun to feed us useless facts instead of conveying ideas. People have become more interested in watching other people's lives played out before them instead of reading and thinking about any sort of intellectual or philosophical way of life. It's almost as though Bradbury predicted what television would do to society back in 1950, when he first came out with the short-story version of this book, "The Fireman." In my opinion, everyone should read this book. It's a social commentary and an almost 'what if?' scenario if things continue the way they are going now. For follow-up, I would suggest the book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman, which talks about the different ways that the media has begun to shape our lives.   hide

I guess the last time I read this I did not find it a little long on the metaphors. But, even...more

I guess the last time I read this I did not find it a little long on the metaphors. But, even considering this you cannot deny that this is a great novel. It is amazing how many details get lost in the recesses of your memories (which is probably a good reason to read the old classics over again. I recently read that Ray Bradbury was peeved that the general masses (and those that instruct them) consider this a book of censorship. He apparently wished to get a different meaning across (you can read it here). I have some apprehension in believing this article. One, is this a true interview stating exactly what was discussed? Two, is Ray Bradbury in his old age forgetting things? And three, if his intention was otherwise than he failed to get his message across since I only see censorship of knowledge and thought being portrayed throughout the novel. An artist creates and lets the audience decide what it means to them. In this case apparently the masses believe it is about censorship – and to this end they learned not to take the status quo and not to be blind. Whether you agree with me or not, you must agree that this is a great classic science fiction novel.   hide

~Perspective Changer~ I originally picked up Farenheit 451 for a summer reading book but in being...more

~Perspective Changer~ I originally picked up Farenheit 451 for a summer reading book but in being touched deeply by this book and the realization that the book wasn't on my summer reading list I realized it was much more than just a quick read. I love reading but this book really made me think about how some of my friends despise reading. Now, it doesn't seem like much, but in Guy Montag's society, the main character, reading and just owning books was a crime. I started thinking about how much knowledge can be attained through books, and this book made me think about what books offer. That is because this book offers so much to the reader. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it had no closing to the story. I personally like closings but some people like to imagine the end and it always works for teachers to have a finish the book kind of project. But anyway, this is a truly great book. (08/07/2002)   hide

An important statement against censorship, this book presents a prophetic vision of a world where...more

An important statement against censorship, this book presents a prophetic vision of a world where people are pre-occupied by 'popular entertainment' and distracted away from any serious thought or real knowledge (as represented by books). The disturbing similarity of this fictional world to the one we actually live in today, makes this a thought-provoking must-read. I must say, however, that I am not a big fan of the writing style. Points are driven home without much subtlety. It sounds a little preachy in places, and this diminishes the urgency of the message for me. Even the imagery of book-burning, though very provocative, ultimately makes the world of Fahrenheit 451 seem more un-real and distant than it actually is. The other problem is that the book never gets past the central premise to explore questions like why or how such a world might come to pass in any real detail. This is probably because it was originally written as a short novella. However, in this case, I would have liked to see a sequel!    hide