conformity vs. individuality
freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it
the importance of remembering and understanding history
machines as helpers or hindrances/enemies to mankind
the individual versus society
the importance of thinking independently
Also please answer the poll about the books in the column at the right. (The deadline to post a reply to this question is midnight, Tuesday, December 11, 2012. )
8 comments:
Machines are important and helpful in society, but if they do everything for us, we do not attain the valuable knowledge that comes from the experience of doing things for ourselves. For example, in the novel is a scene where the Montags are sitting down for breakfast, and their food is mechanically delivered to them. Bradbury also reveals how technology consumes much of our time. The parlor walls are just like our TVs, and the Seashell radios are much like our iPods in today's world. Although these things are entertaining, more personally beneficial activities are replaced with technology; reading a book or spending time with family are only a couple of more wholesome activities to participate in. Machines are convenient and necessary, but they must be used with modesty.
It is very important for a person to think independently. By thinking independently he or she is seperated from everyone else in society. I beleive that Bradbury focuses on this as on of his themes because in the story everyone lives almost the same lives. No person does what they want to do, but the task that has been layed out for them. Also with everyone thinking the same no problems are ever solved because they are not questioned.
It is mandatory for a person to think solely for themselves sometimes. If everyone did the same thing and let something else for an opinion for them then where is the joy in life. without self knowledge or opinions there would be no debates, no deep discussions, no differences just the same old thing everywhere a person looks. Bradbury proves this in the novel by showing how Captain Beaty tried to tell Montag that books were worthless and that he should not read them. Montag would have never opened a new world of excitement if he would have took Beaty's word for it and never broke the seal on the books. It is sometimes good to take advice from someone, but if it is a heavy situation you need to research and get your own hands dirty before you draw a conclusion.
It is extremely important that people remember and understand history. That is what history is, to be looked back upon and learned from, so no one makes the same mistakes again. In this book, history is forgotten and burned with the books. The society has no idea what has happened in their past and I do not think they want to know. Like Mildred, they seclude into their own words and sugar-coat everything to make it easier to take on (ex. when Faber describes Christ in the Parlor Walls). This society has no grasp on history at all and they seriously lack in the knowledge to fix the serious faults in their surroundings.
Freedom of speeck is very important. It allows people to say what they mean and get their point across. If society ever lost freedom of speech, I would be the first one in trouble. The society would not be able to change anything because they would not have the freedom to say otherwise. I could not live without my freedom of speech. The government would be over us like dogs, listening to everything we said.
One of the themes in Bradbury's novel was conformity vs. individuality. In his future society, it is extremely hard for anyone to be individual, if they are they are shunned or punished. Clarisse is one example. She was disliked because she wondered, and because she liked nature. No one in the society was able to keep books, and if someone tried to be an individual and enjoy books, his/her house was burned as his/her punishment. However, when Montag chooses his own path and becomes an individual, he becomes a intellectual hobo, one that could very soon help change society. This book teaches that conformity is not always good, that sometimes, a person has to step out onto their own path, and it could turn out to be a great beneficial change.
Thinking independently, one of Ray Bradbury’s themes in Fahrenheit 451, is crucial to the advancement of society. Too often, people wish to be told what to do instead of making decisions on their own because they are lazy. Bradbury teaches people that flowing along with the status quo is detrimental to society. Because everyone automatically accepts that books are “evil”, the books are burnt, and thus, the knowledge is lost. However, when Montag breaks from society and begins to think for himself, he is able to see the good in books. Bradbury suggests that the intellectual hobos can rebuild the city with the knowledge they have obtained from the books, and possibly prevent the same thing from happening. Then, the society can move forward. If these intellectuals would have had the mindset of the rest of society, the city would continue in the exact same cycle.
Ray Bradbury, in his novel Fahrenheit 451, portrays the theme of machines as helpers or enemies to society. The book teaches us that while technology can help a great deal, it can also destroy. When Mildred commits suicide, the machines save her life, which is a good thing, but the men do not provide any form of mental or emotional help. The machines have taken over their way of thinking and they simply care about doing thier jobs and leaving.
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