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Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

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Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example
FAHRENHEIT 451 This is the most interesting time we live in, filled with new technology and designs to help make our lives better. As wondrous and beautiful as it appears to be, there lies a certain amount of danger that can be nearly as seductive as it is deadly. The beauty often lies behind commercialism, materialism and capitalism. This seductiveness creeps in and brings anguish and chaos in our society, a place where popular culture flourishes. It is far easier to live a life of seclusion and illusion, a life where television is one’s reality. This is how life is represented in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, in which a society has changed into a pleasurable fantasy world by thinking censoring books is superior. Our world today coincides with Bradbury’s world because even though we do not realize it, technology, media and advertising all play a crucial role in our influence through our thoughts and judgment. Tom Shales and Jack Solomon also reinforce the idea that our lifestyle is being swallowed by the pop world. The illusion of the utopian society in Fahrenheit 451 and the media today illustrate how it really is a dystopian world.

With the media controlling the public as mere puppets, we tend to strive for an image that emulates what we see in our surroundings. Solomon claims that
“America is a nation of fantasizers” (164). He explains that we enjoy living the “Fantasy Island of commercial illusions” because we are aimed towards the many tactics of the market, creating new desires and clouded dreams. Advertisements are created because companies want to show why we should by that particular product and how it will be beneficial towards our lives. By having images of a young, beautiful woman laughing, surrounded by friends and with Absolut Vodka in hand, it portrays an image that we too can become popular and confident if we drink alcohol. Not only does it send off a bad message, it shows how advertisers
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