F451 Essay

I. A fireman named Guy Montag, lives in a society taught to burn books. Not only to burn books but burn the leisurely pleasure, and the desire for knowledge. In this society there is no such thing as individualism.
This is an example of ignorance versus knowledge, like many themes and symbols shown in a book called, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Ignorance versus knowledge, The “Hearth and salamander”, and mirrors and the number 451, are a few great examples of theme and symbolism in this book.

II. First off, In Fahrenheit 451, Ignorance is bliss, and has a lot of irony withheld in it, as for knowledge is power and key. People have been brainwashed to think a leisure, individual life is evil. This is the struggle and theme presented throughout this book. A. As far as ignorance and irony goes, Firemen are the biggest throughout the entire book. We think of firemen As people who have come to put out a fire, not start them. They instead burned away their problems. “The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time . . . Time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen and the sunburnt time, that meant that everything burnt!”, as Montag states in the last chapter, “Burning bright” the ignorance of society today and how wasted it is without individuality. B.Ignorance and irony can also be shown, as the chief of the firemen, Beatty puts it in the chapter “The hearth and the salamander, that everyone must be equal. “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made equal . . . A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind.” This shows the level of ignorance as society creates almost a communist type of world. C. For knowledge I’d say Montag toward the end of the book eventually wants to make an impact, to remold the zombies society has made, but it’s hard being one person in such a society and goes for other assistance, to people who feel the way he does. "Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read." montags tell Faber, a professor who still wants change as well. This makes
Montag very knowledgable and smart considering the world around him and wants to bring power to books.
This theme makes it clear that knowledge truly is power, but ignorance is a virtue.

III. Next, Fahrenheit 451 does not only suggest themes but also various symbols, some even chapter titles such as
“The hearth and the salamander”. A.As one of the bigger symbols in this book, the Hearth and salamander indicate fire. In which this society revolves around to create a new world of similarity. B.The hearth associates with fire and the warmth and comfort it brings most people. Instead in this book fire bring fear to any individuals eyes, and rather go down with it then be stuck in a world of contempt, like the old lady who burns herself along with her house and books. C. The salamander not only relates to fire in myths but is also referred to the fire trucks, as they are the fire starters. Also salamanders are also unaffected by flames which i relate to the firemen in the book who destroy with no grief and or moral.

IV. Lastly, to state two other symbols shown in Fahrenheit 451 becomes as simple as a mirror along with the number 451. A. A character name Granger, the “leader” of the hobo intellectuals in hiding. He suggests at the end of the book that they build a factory, not of book but of mirrors. So that those who have been blinded by this ignorance created can be seen within oneself. To release such a truth inside all of them. B. The number 451 was represented on the hats of firemen. Not as identification, but as as “sweet” reminder of the degree of which books burn. when which every book that is burn it is a loss of the intellectual individualism in this world. C.Another thing mirrors point toward is the reflection on the whole society. maybe they see a world they are living in and want to stand for a change. the impact of these symbols is more.
Mirrors and the number 451, these symbols show the reality to society in this book.

V. To Draw things to a close, Ignorance versus knowledge, the “Hearth and salamander”, and mirrors and the number 451, are only a few of the many themes and symbols expressed in a book called, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.