Preview

Fahrenheit 451 Dystopian Society Essay

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1989 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fahrenheit 451 Dystopian Society Essay
To what extent is the idea of dystopian society present in 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 and how does being part of it affect the protagonists?

The idea of a dystopian society is that of complete control, either through the use of a police state that has ultimate control over humanity and or the idea of man abusing technology to further gain control of its subjects. These ideas are very present in both novels. In 1984, the totalitarian state is technically and urbanely engineered to spy on and see people's very thoughts. In Fahrenheit 451 a similar idea is used in the outlawing of literature and the use of denunciations to capture and punish those deemed to have broken the law. This essay is going to explore the idea of Man’s struggle against
…show more content…
The water saves Montag, cleansing him of the scent of society, he is thus reborn. In addition, when Montag is trying to escape the helicopters and the mechanical hound, the tools of the totalitarian government, the stream hides and saves him until it is safe to return to land. Montag indulges himself in the water and "there was only the cold river and Montag floating in a sudden peacefulness, away from the city and the lights and the chase, away from everything" in this the water saves him, purifies him, the opposite of the dystopian symbol, fire. Water is portrayed as the flow of humanity. In 1984, the party uses contrasting ideas in their party slogans such as « War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength » these contrasting ideas represent perfectly the party’s ideals. The individual and the freedom that comes with it actually results in slavery in the dystopian society, ignorance of the truth of what the party is really about protects you from persecution of the thought police. The use of these contradicting words and the lack of opposition, mean that the party have succeeded in their indoctrination of the masses as no one has the ability to see past the words to see their true sense, even Winston and Julia remain troubled by

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a book set in a dystopian future. It revolves around Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books, which are forbidden. After talking with Clarisse, a weird girl who lives nearby, he begins to question his life’s work. Why are books so bad? One thing leads to another, and Guy is suddenly takes dangerous steps to save what he once burned.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian society compared to the modern society. The novels society and the modern day society have quite actually a lot in a common though. We just usually see the differences because there's a lot of them. The novels society is way different compared to our society today. In the novels society there laws are way different than the modern day laws.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 essay

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In my opinion, the ending of the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, blew the reader’s mind. The ending section Burning Bright, had so much detail and explained how the characters changed in the last few moments in the book, it was a very effective way to end this book.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 was a futuristic novel written by Ray Bradbury in the 1950s. In this new society the government rules and citizens are expected to obey the rules. Guy Montag, the main character, is your average man: a firefighter who is living happily, or so he thought, with his wife, Mildred, and follows the rules set in place by the government. He was average until a girl, Clarisse, helped him understand the value of knowledge therefore, allowing him to see the truth of society. The characters of Mildred and Clarisse serve as foils to one another in Bradbury’s novel thus symbolizing the dark and isolated aspects of the dystopian society, via Mildred, versus the light and incorporated aspects of society via Clarisse both sparking a sense of curiosity in Montag.…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How would you react if everything you knew wasn't right but wrong? The book Fahrenheit 451 by, Ray Bradbury is about a man name Guy Montag that is unhappy with his life being a firefighter that starts fires by burning books. This book is based on the future. When Montag finds out the truth his life changes. Montag meets Clarisse, Faber and, Beatty his world changes for better and worse.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “There are worse crimes than burning books, and one of them is not reading them” –Ray Bradbury. This quote is very relative to the book Fahrenheit 451. This is because in the book, it is illegal to even possess books, never less read them. But in our society today, books are encouraged but less and less people are reading books. This shows a huge difference in our society and the dystopian society in Fahrenheit. But it also show similarities because people are always being forced to change. This brings me to my claim which is that among the many differences between a dystopic world and our world, there are many similarities.…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory 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

    Usually the first thing that comes to someone’s mind when they think of dystopia is the opposite of Utopia which means happy. Many people live in a world of modern dystopian tradition in that their country may be under communism, some type of cruelty, forced to believe a specific way, or just live in a strict world in general. In a dystopian world, such as Anthem, people are raised and must live by extremely harsh rules with forced beliefs and a world of forced happiness but overall internal unhappiness. Social commentary and Dystopia relate to each other in that a lot of people advertise dystopian societies or universal issues by using social commentary. A billboard of corporate funding companies with devil wings shoveling stacks of dollar bills in a pit of fire next to a anorexic sick child, a true example of social commentary advertising a dystopian issue. Fahrenheit 451, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, and American Oxygen, are all examples of how people use social commentary and style within advertisement.…

    • 1661 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    It can be comforting to create a flawless society, but imagine a world where personality, affection, and perseverance are taken away from individuals just to achieve that. Societies like the ones in Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and The Giver try to perfect the land they rule into a utopia. Instead of creating a utopian environment, they consummate forced control instead. Regardless of implementation or motivation, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and The Giver are unsuccessful in establishing a utopia because the societies control their citizens with fear and ignorance.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Essay

    • 1473 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Technology is taking over the city, books are illegal and if they are found they will be burned. In Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451 technology has its upsides but it also poses many problems, if technology is going to continue being a main recourse in this country then it will seem more like a jail more than a city. Technology is restricting people from acting a certain way or preforming different tasks and if someone acts against the law or does something a different way they will be arrested. Technology is used to control people in so many ways. Citizens have become addicted to the technology that they have at their disposal, take the parlor wall for instance. The main character of Bradbury’s novel, Montag, is scared of the mechanical dog so in order to stay on the mechanical dogs good side he does not do anything rash or out of order. Some citizens do not let technology control them but then they are punished for what they do.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a society without books? Well if you have Farenheit 451 is the book for you. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a book about society and how you need to have individuality and books to have a full happy life. In Montag's society you can’t read, walk, or talk without being considered “weird”, If you are caught reading you are thrown in jail. And your books and all of your things in your home will be burned. “...while the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch” All of this adds to the ignorance of people and the people not thinking and adding to the dystopia.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I finished reading this book, I realized that it was nothing like I assumed it would be. To summarize it into one word, I would say it was fascinating. Now many might wonder, why would I use the word fascinating? When you think about the society that Montag lives in, obviously it seems a little extreme to us but is it really so farfetched? The author came up with the idea of this book because there was once a time that book burning was happening more frequently in America. The title of the book, Fahrenheit 451, refers to the temperature at which books ignite, which I did not realize before reading the book. “Burning books—and in the past, their authors as well—that espouse hated ideas is perhaps the oldest form of censorship” (2).…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine a world where firemen start fires instead of putting them out. Fahrenheit 451 is set in a utopian, or dystopian to us, society, where books are burned and people rarely have real social interaction. Although Fahrenheit 451 seems nowhere close to our society, we are both alike and different to their world.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In many futuristic novels, the protagonist lives in a society whose government is either a utopia or a dystopia. Often, a society that appears to be a utopia at the beginning of the novel transforms to a dystopia by the end. It is usually not the government itself that changes, but rather the protagonist's view of the government. As the novel progresses, the protagonist begins to realize that the peaceful illusion created by the government masks its true, dark nature. Once the protagonist clearly sees how awful the government is, they run away to achieve freedom. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells a similar story. When Montag is introduced, he is content with his life. He truly believes that there is nothing wrong with his society or his job. He burns book after book without wondering what could be in them. As the novel…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Society

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Society can change a person positively or negatively. In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Mildred is the wife of the main character Guy Montag. The society in the novel has made Mildred self-centered, robotic, and unfeeling.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays