Preview

Fahrenheit 451 Cold War Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1051 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fahrenheit 451 Cold War Analysis
Cold War In Fahrenheit 451

In writings, influences of history and culture appear before the reader, some are on purpose. Others bleed through the pages from the events that are taking place at the time the author writes. During the cold war many authors found inspiration from the unsettling atmosphere that plagued over the world. This inspiration was a sense of danger and insecurity that bled into many writings through the nineteen nineties. During this time many authors were writing great novels such as Ray Bradbury who wrote one of his best works Fahrenheit 451 during this time of unsettle and it shows through his novel. Fahrenheit 451 shows the world the atmosphere of the cold war by showing, a communist society, censorship, and propaganda.
…show more content…
Clarisse McClellan? We've a record on her family. We've watched them carefully...The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle”(P???) This quote reveals the control and grasp that the government has on the government. In this quote we as a reader find information that shows that the community that the citizens that Fahrenheit 451 live in. They livin in a society that has pushed out the control of the parents and the free spirit that comes with the independence. The government makes it so the citizens must rely on the government to get through life and to survive. This sense of of government reliances that plagues over the world of Fahrenheit 451, has also been seen from a communist society. In a communist society many have to enter the workforce or advanced educational system at a very young age. The reason that this happens is the same reason that Fahrenheit 451 has students enter school at a very young age. It is for a way to control the masses and take away the free spirit that many governments fear from their …show more content…
Throughout the book of Fahrenheit 451 censorship is shown, in some of the first pages of the book to the end of book. This is shown in Fahrenheit 451 when Betty exclaims, “'You know the law,' 'Where's your common sense? None of those books agree with each other. You've been locked up here for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel”(38). This is a very powerful quote that comes from a very respected and qualified individual. Betty being a fire chief for many years knows the laws of land and has been there long enough to see how it is done. When he tells that law is in place and you can not have incriminating items, it is shown that this censorship has been in place for a long time. Censorship is a large factor in the world of Fahrenheit 451, for many have and are affected by this for the government lays out very strictly what the can read and watch in their daily lives. This is also show in their society by the programs and television they watch as shown when Montag states, “ You play God to it. But who has ever torn himself from the claw that encloses you when you drop a seed in a TV parlour? It grows you any shape it wishes! It is an environment as real as the world”(138). In this quote it gives great insight into the propaganda and censorship that many face in the world of Fahrenheit 451. The television can be one of best ways to control the public and their views.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Fahrenheit 451 it is against the law to read a book because books are a source for ideas…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In summation, Montag personifies the Hero’s Journey monomyth, as manifested by the journey he embarks on and the insight he attains. Specifically, by the end of the novel, Montag molds into a courageous, passionate, and determined character. Montag’s threshold of adventure begins with his realization of the evils his previous society had been committing and the dire need for transformation in both the world and himself. After overcoming a multitude of complications, Montag is able to obtain a sense of fulfillment, and accordingly restore his society. All in all, Montag’s desire to change the world allowed for a transformation within him, and thus a hero was born. After all, in the end, it is a hero “who finds the strength to persevere and endure…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a book that should be taught in a high school student’s education because of the warnings and important messages it displays. In my opinion, the most important message in the book has to do with the misuse of technology. Bradbury even says himself that technology can be useful in some ways, but that it can’t and shouldn’t replace human connection and interaction. He uses the example of TV’s on all four walls to get his point across that people are paying more attention to TV, rather than actual people speaking to them. This repeatedly happens with Mildred throughout the book and it helps flip a switch in Montag’s head. He finally realizes that’s not how human interaction is supposed to work. It propels…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, revolves around the life of Guy Montag, who is living in a time when society not only bans books, but burns them. People in this society spend their life in front of a screen, disconnected from their true feelings and emotions. Clarisse, however, is a seventeen year old girl who is different from others in her society. Unlike teenagers her age, Clarisse spends most of the time observing the people and places around her, as she sometimes rides“…the subway and look at them [people] and listen to them.” In addition, while teenagers her age are busy killing each other, she takes great notice of nature like the “… dew on the grass in the morning.” Clarisse focuses on the little things that life brings…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a modern day allegory for censorship of the media shown through the prohibition of books in the novel, and the restriction of Internet use in China and North Korea. In modern times, the Internet is a huge source of information. Over one third of the population of the world uses the Internet and that number is growing rapidly. Books are another widely used source of information with over 129 million books printed per year. Owning books in Fahrenheit 451 is punished by imprisonment or death via the Mechanical Hound as well as the books being burned by the firemen. In China and Korea speaking out against the government through the Internet could result in death or imprisonment.…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    * Montag reads Dovers’s beach to Mildred and her friends after interrupting their TV time even though Faber insisted he not do it…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although many may strive to develop a utopian society, this ideal is only an unattainable dream that can never become reality; a wish that can never be brought to life. As many aim for this unrealistic ideal, many utopian societies first appear as is; a perfect society with a flawless government and harmonious people- at least on the surface. But when we are provided with a closer look at this supposed utopian society, it is revealed that, at some point in time, this society slowly began to spiral downwards. It would soon develop into a dystopian society where social values and standards have become greatly distorted and skewed. When applying the themes in this book to our current society, comparisons can be drawn in areas such as technology, social interactions and education in both societies.…

    • 1881 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 has been highly regarded and analyzed by a variety of critics through its monumental plot, haunting language, and frighteningly relevant themes. The dystopian backdrop and themes of the novel are deeply connected to the environment of which the novel was written and the events that transpired throughout Bradbury’s life fuelled his artistic response to the McCarthyism era. Through deep analyzation of Bradbury’s life, Garyn G. Roberts concludes that, “Fahrenheit 451 is the result of the keen observations and personal experiences of its author; it is also a cultural artifact, which reflects who we were, who we are, and who we might become” (36). Bradbury has indeed developed a strong connection to books at a very early stage in his life and this has been presented in his own storytelling of the types of book he writes. Bradbury’s life can also be said to be an antithesis to Montag’s world since the presence and feelings associated with literature contrasts very well in their respective realms. Furthermore, Bradbury encourages his audience to examine the culture of which society is evolving towards throughout time in order to understand the functions and needs of human relationships. To support this analyzation, Andrea Krafft…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jack Dee once said, “ I have a longing for ritual, something I could cling to, a routine to make me feel well and contented. I hoped that reading Bible commentaries and theological critiques would nudge me closer to some kind of absolute that I could hold up as a torch to light my way.” This quotation means that the yearning for reading a book such as the Bible is a good feeling. Reading the Bible helps one understand and learn more about the past, and have a better perspective in life. This quotation relates to the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury because it explains the importance books are towards society, and the meaning of life. The novel Fahrenheit 451 talks about American society where all types of books aren't allowed in…

    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not knowing things is sometimes an award, but it can also be a curse. The same idea is applied to the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury where the government often hides the truth from the people. They do this to keep everyone happy since they think if you do not know about something, you do not have to worry about it. Some people can accept this standard of living, but others feel as if they are missing something like the main character Guy Montag felt as he learned more about books. Montag developed throughout the story to overcome the statement Ignorance is Bliss by the help of many characters but mainly Beatty, Clarisse, and Faber.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a novel about a materialistic society that has forgotten social interaction with each other. This materialistic society is where Bradbury believed society today is headed. The materialistic society in Fahrenheit 451 created through Bradbury’s cynic views of society. His views of society are over-exaggerated in contrast with today’s events, especially in the areas of censorship and media mediocrity.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, life loses meaning from the impersonal and muted lifestyle that society offers. The annihilation of books provides the stable environment where ignorance can win over curiosity, leaving innocence in ones mind. When Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor with an essence of unusual quality, she introduces a new perspective of life into Montag’s eyes for the first time. From the way she looks at the trees, to the way she walks, something inside of her possess a ravenous urge to learn and explore. Clarisse fascinates Montag almost immediately for she communicates clearly, “Isn’t this a nice time of night to walk?…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the early 1950’s, the United States was involved in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. As a result of the fear of communism, which was the main party in the Soviet Union, McCarthyism began to target screen writers, authors, and artists who were thought to be a part of the communist party. If they did not comply with the committee, these people were blacklisted, the committee censoring their work. Ray Bradbury saw what censoring did for the public. During his time he also saw the influence of technology to the literary world. People began leaning toward television and radio to fill their time. In his novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses the symbols of mirrors and the battle between technologies and nature to display the importance of literacy.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Paper

    • 1747 Words
    • 5 Pages

    People start to think about rebellion when the government rules people tyrannically for a long time, trying to control people’s thoughts in a forceful way. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a dystopian society where no one is allowed to read books or think freely. The government’s strong control of people’s minds infuriated Montag so much that he even abandoned the job that his father and grandfather both did, which was being a fireman and burning books. With the help of Faber, an old English professor who also wanted to go back to the free-thinking and free-reading world, Montag managed to steal books and carry out a plan against the corrupt society and firemen. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses the theme of the relationship between conformity and rebellion to illustrate how books enlighten people and how an oppressive government can stimulate people to revolt.…

    • 1747 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was created during a time where the world was facing many problems. The novel describes the impact of how a law can affect a whole society. In the book, the main law was that the citizens were not allowed to own and read books. If someone owned any books, then the consequences were that their books and home will be burnt with fire. The purpose of a book is to transmit information which will bring knowledge to the brain and mind. The books are banned due to the knowledge and understanding people would obtain if they read. Ray Bradbury puts Montag, a fireman, as the main character because of the courage he has to fight for what he thinks is right for him and those in his society. In Fahrenheit 451, courage…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics