Fahrenheit 451 Book Report

Imagine a world in which our brains were not needed, books were forbidden, and in which passion was dismissed as odd. If it was real, you would probably run as far away as you could from that world, as portrayed in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I know I would. But what if I told you that our world is not so different from that world? I believe that Fahrenheit 451 tells us that our present world is well on the road of becoming like the dystopian world of the book because of similarities in both worlds, such as advancing technology, media, and changes in human interaction. Technology proceeds to progress at such a fast pace that the idea of our technology matching the novel's is not at all impossible. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes
inventions, such as ”seashell” or ”thimble” radios that bear a striking resemblance to the bluetooth-headsets and earphones today. Mildred is hooked to her television walls that are, in fact, not a far cry from the ever expanding flat-screen televisions. Bradbury also introduces the idea of having an entire city set up with surveillance cameras to keep an eye on everyone, which are now a staple of every civilized area. And even though we may not yet reach the point having everything fireproof, we are close. If technology keeps on proceeding at this pace, anything that was once thought of as impossible can come true. Media is portrayed in Fahrenheit 451 as a very fast-paced, invading, and stifling form of entertainment that sounds quite familiar to our media. In the book, Mildred is addicted to her television screens that show five-minute movies, a clown and a ”family”. Nowadays, television shows are also almost always available to us through day-time shows or the internet. In the novel, Montag's reality of being the target of a manhunt becomes exciting public entertainment shown to everyone. This may seem shocking, but reality-television in our world is quite close to being as extreme. After all, we have made entertainment of people finding love, getting married, surviving in the wilderness, and even of people revealing their biggest secrets to the camera. To me, our media and the media in Fahrenheit 451 sound very much alike. Mildred and her friends show an example of what human interaction could turn into.
Their interaction seems shallow and forced, laughing at dead bodies on television screens. The way they talk about their kids is frightening: ”You heave them into the parlor and turn the switch. It's like washing clothes: stuff laundry and slam the lid,” says Mrs. Bowles (page 96). But doesn't that, leaving the kids in the parlor for hours, sound a lot like giving a child an Ipad to play with to keep them busy? Mildred's friends also briefly talk politics, which to them means rating the looks of the presidential candidates. This once again sounds so shallow, but nowadays we hear people constantly criticising politicians and other popular people for their looks. The quality of human interaction in our world may be losing its depth and interest, just like it has in the world of Fahrenheit 451. So, the imaginary world of Fahrenheit 451 is not so different from ours. However, we are still a lot more fortunate than the people in the novel because we get to read books, think for ourselves and learn quality information without censorship. But what if those rights will be taken from us? Will we fight back for what is right, even if we are being offered an easy way of life? Will we set the boundaries between cleverness and laziness? Will
you?