Literary Analysis of Fahrenheit 451: the Danger of Suppressing Knowledge

Imagine living where people would get burned by firemen for having books. Somewhere where they would be more focused on athletics rather than core classes such as English, History, or Math. Fahrenheit 451 is based around this very thought and idea. In the novel, Ray Bradbury wrote about a world where they were not allowed to read without losing their life. In this book people are more focused on television and their headphones. They are too busy or lazy to read. Eventually they made a rule that if they read or own a book the firemen will come to their house and burn them, their books, and their house. Mildred, Montag's wife is way more interested in her television and headphones than her husband. She is so attached to technology she just reads people's lips rather than actually hearing what they are saying. She also considers the people on her television to be her family. Another character who shows examples of these ideas of a world like this would be Montag. He is a firemen who had a line of family members ahead of him who passed the responsibility of being a fireman down to him. He never really put too much thought into the fact of having the job and maybe did it just because he enjoyed the smell of the karosyne. This is the lives of people in this book. In the novel books are banned and they can't read or own any books because people get offended and depressed because books are blunt and won't sugar coat everything just for them. People in the novel put off books and say they are not important. Books are important!

The argument of books causing offence and depression could be right but people can take offence by from social media even worse than a book. This is because multiple people can see and comment on the idea. Also it can includes pictures and emojis plus photoshop to make them feel/look worse. People need to just accept themselves for who they are and deal with it; not be offended by every little thing that isn't exactly how they want it. If society can make it with all of the crap and racial sayings on social media then they darn sure better be able to handle a book. Books give less graphics and nobody can comment on the photos or scenes like a post or a movie scene. With a book people get to imagine the characters and how they talk or sound. That way they don't feel compared to them and don't have other people making comments on the post. In the book it states that books are burned because Colored people don't like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don't feel good about Uncle Tom's Cabin. Burn it. Someone's written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright fire is clean (57, Bradbury). This shows how easily the people are offended and how insecure they are with themselves. How they want everything said to fit perfect to their ears not always the truth. Also their solution to the problem. This goes in hand with the society in present day. People do not want to be offended or look lesser than another. With technology it is easy to read into ideas and feel picked on or laughed at. This is due to people making comments and movies making references. With a book people are not piping in and giving their unnecessary two cents.

Books are important and do serve a purpose, they help people's minds exercise and work to be able to get stronger and better at obtaining knowledge and good memory. When reading a book, they get to imagine what the characters look like and how they follow through with their actions and gestures. With a book they get to read the actual words rather than just hear people saying them and when they are stumped on a word, go to another book and look up the definition. While reading, they get to go to another place and time and imagine themselves in the setting. They get to imagine how the setting looks based on how they interpret what the books description says. While reading it works the brain cells and makes them stronger which then allows them to obtain knowledge quicker and easier with it sticking; memory that you get when reading whereas with a movie it is more just for entertainment. Books are not all about strengthening their brains cells but also are meant for entertainment, They get to design the character as they would like to rather than a director doing it for them which makes the book more fun for them. In the book it says If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet give him none (58 Bradbury). Saying take a man's ability to choose how he wants to interpret something or feel about it will make him more happy.

Knowledge is good for them and they think they have tons of knowledge but, they are really being held back from the potential of knowledge they could have. They have done this to themselves by planting stupid thoughts in their heads. A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon (58,Bradbury). Sudjusting that the books are the weapons and they are the weapons. So if they take away the knowledge (books) they will be safe and away from harm's way. They have limited themselves to what knowledge they allow themselves to learn or take in. They either learn what is presented to the on their television or by what they hear from friends or on the street. They do not have books or science blogs or dictionaries they pick up and start reading to obtain knowledge hens froth holding themselves back from their potential knowledge. All this because they all want to be treated fairly and not feel as a subordinate to another being or amongst their friends.

Luckily America is not like this and people get to make their own decision on weather or not they want to read or not without the threat of being burned for doing so. Imagine/picture how many people's lives would be ruined if society went to no books to keep their life. People who write books would be out on the streets looking for work and ways to stay out of trouble for making books.

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