Natural Imagery In Fahrenheit 451
Gen Sakura
Ms. Baker
English 101 (Period 7)
23 October 2017
Natural Imagery in Fahrenheit 451 Technology is a common motif in the dystopian/science fiction genre. From mental handicap radios in the short story Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut in the mid 20th century to neurological implants in the modern bestseller Feed, by M.T. Anderson, they are a vital key to the identity of this genre. In novels such as these there usually is a negative connotation to technology. However, Ray Bradbury adds a unique twist to this by adding in natural imagery to describe this futuristic technology in his famous novel, Fahrenheit 451. [He critiques an emotionally dead society overruled by technology.] In the dystopian society of Fahrenheit, the protagonist …show more content…
The Mechanical Hound, for example, is a murderous robotic horror that is programmed to hunt down (victims). The narrator describes the mechanism as: “[it] slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live … [the hound] was like a great bee come home from the field where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that overrich nectar, and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself” (24). Bradbury first contrasts the technological beast with the dog; a naturally emotive creature that is man’s best friend. However, this creature is a vicious machine designed to kill not love. Bradbury also compares it to a worker bee, but the way he describes the fields, where the bee works is insane and artificial hints to the corruption in society (possibly because of technology). The description of the hound and the hound itself shows that society has evolved in a negative way to a point where the artificiality is so unnatural that the society has become unstable. [closing connecting transition] The comparison of nature and technology is clearly evident in the ironically named “seashell radios” that Mildred always listens to. The sounds of this earbud-like gadget is described as“little
Ms. Baker
English 101 (Period 7)
23 October 2017
Natural Imagery in Fahrenheit 451 Technology is a common motif in the dystopian/science fiction genre. From mental handicap radios in the short story Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut in the mid 20th century to neurological implants in the modern bestseller Feed, by M.T. Anderson, they are a vital key to the identity of this genre. In novels such as these there usually is a negative connotation to technology. However, Ray Bradbury adds a unique twist to this by adding in natural imagery to describe this futuristic technology in his famous novel, Fahrenheit 451. [He critiques an emotionally dead society overruled by technology.] In the dystopian society of Fahrenheit, the protagonist …show more content…
The Mechanical Hound, for example, is a murderous robotic horror that is programmed to hunt down (victims). The narrator describes the mechanism as: “[it] slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live … [the hound] was like a great bee come home from the field where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that overrich nectar, and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself” (24). Bradbury first contrasts the technological beast with the dog; a naturally emotive creature that is man’s best friend. However, this creature is a vicious machine designed to kill not love. Bradbury also compares it to a worker bee, but the way he describes the fields, where the bee works is insane and artificial hints to the corruption in society (possibly because of technology). The description of the hound and the hound itself shows that society has evolved in a negative way to a point where the artificiality is so unnatural that the society has become unstable. [closing connecting transition] The comparison of nature and technology is clearly evident in the ironically named “seashell radios” that Mildred always listens to. The sounds of this earbud-like gadget is described as“little