Depiction of Censorship in Fahrenheit 451
In this modern-day, imagine being in control over what you are allowed to read, watch, and do. This is a topic broadly discussed in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The dystopian novel portrays censorship as limiting or denying people freedom of information, knowledge, and truth. The strict government suppressed almost all forms of creativity and accessible communication. The government gains control over the citizens by burning books, restricting education and using technology. So let's discuss some examples of censorship in Fahrenheit 451.
Firstly, technology is one of Fahrenheit 451's most significant themes. The government uses technology to censor and exploit their citizens' TV, distracting people. It prevents them from having their own opinions; it pushes them to connect with gadgets instead of others. Individuals. Genuine human connection is substituted with fabricated ones like Mildred's TV family. 'Will you turn the parlour off?' he asked. 'That is my family'. She also enhances the television-watching experience; she has a special remote that makes it sound like the characters in her favourite tv showsmovies are speaking to her directly. This allows viewers to participate in the presentation by interacting with it. People use technology every day to check email, compute taxes, and communicate with one another. Today and in Fahrenheit 451, technology has significantly impacted the societal structure. 'If you can, you'll win your way, Montag. In any event, you are a fool'. This quote shows how much time is spent on technology, and it cannot even be enjoyable to be around. Bradbury describes two critical pieces of technology: the 'Seashell' and the television. The readers first discover the Seashells when Guy Montag arrives home from work one evening. Montag finds his wife, Mildred, in not so sleeping state. 'And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in...'. Like Bradbury's 'Seashells,' something in our society that' are headphones or earbuds. In the community, too much TV can lead to 'the Mean World Syndrome'. The Mean World Syndrome refers to those who have seen so much television. Adding to that, 'Every hour spent watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces life expectancy by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests'. Implying that individuals will squander years of their life by doing nothing. An example is when Mildred says, 'It's really fun'. In society, too much TV leads to 'the Mean World Syndrome.' The Mean World Syndrome represents people who have watched so much TV that they think that the world is a dangerous place more than it is. Also, 'Every hour spent watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces life expectancy by almost 22 minutes'. This states that people will lose years of doing nothing. The TV in Fahrenheit 451 is also a powerful habit. It is effortless to say that technology has evolved into a big part of real-world society.
Second, Bradbury addresses the issue of restricted education. Censorship in Fahrenheit 451, the government does not want the people to become more intelligent than they are, so they implement censorship to prevent them from reading literature. If they do, the firefighters will end up burning their houses. The government, society, the adversary, and Captain Beatty want to prevent people from getting an education. Despite these numbers saying it was because reading makes people anxious and unruly, it was just because the government needed to maintain control. Clarisse thinks education is critical, she states 'but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don't; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher'. However, she does not go to school since people in her society are not taught to think for themselves.'School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored. Life is in the moment, the task is essential, and joy is found after work. Why learn anything saves pressing buttons, pulling switches, fitting nuts and bolts?' Captain Beatty says this. He's conversing with Montag. He's attempting to persuade him that books have no value and that reading them is pointless. In the real world, Sara Zehnaker stated, 'The word 'Education' comes from the Latin word 'Educe' which means, from the dictionary, 'bring out,' but how exactly can we bring out any child's true potential if a school is just shoving more facts inside of us?' People who speak like this don't know that individuals are taught how to make decisions by developing critical and logical thinking abilities in the educational system. Yes, education is being forced, but it's better to learn than not know anything; this is the character in Fahrenheit 451. Citizens had electronic distractions as an alternative to learning, just like we have now.'We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing'. Everyone has their definition of happiness. The novel Fahrenheit 451 has a reputation for being a depressing read. The characters aren't content, even if they believe they are. The characters are not entirely happy, although they think they are. The society depicted in the novel defines happiness as staring at the television in a thick fog and being free of disputes.
Thirdly, people go through life fast, never stalling to think and feel at any point. They want it this way, and they enjoy it that way. Even though their civilization is somewhat extravagant, our society similarly defines happiness. Guy Montag, the main character in Fahrenheit 451, attempts to discover the meaning of life, particularly his own. He began as a firefighter who performs his job well, believes in it, and wishes to be happy. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury goes inside everyone's heads. Montag says that he is happy but that he hadn't considered it before.' Of course, I'm so glad.' What does she think? I'm not?' he thinks. He suddenly realizes, 'He was not happy as he walks through his home. He was not pleased. This, he said, was the current situation. Restrictions take happiness away and push people into a life of worthlessness. Montag's self-model is a figure named Faber, who helps him grow by exhibiting the power of sensation and cognition. Happiness, according to Faber, is the quality of knowledge consumed and the application of what you've learnt from literature. Faber had an eye for the future and an open mind. In the real world, the government prohibits books from the public, turning the public's attention to amusement instead of knowledge for pleasure. COVID 19 is a massive example of being controlled in our natural world. From lockdowns to vaccination mandates, many people are not happy. Being in quarantine for travelling has made people bored but mainly rely on technology. The World Health Organization states that 'As the coronavirus pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world, it induces a considerable degree of fear and worry'.
Finally, censorship has increased misery, conflict, and diversions by instilling a fear of individualism. It has been shown that the world has often negatively affected technology, education, and society. Censorship is demonstrated many times throughout the whole book. This novel imparts a more critical lesson that sets it unique from other stories. Fahrenheit 451 teaches us that we must put down our phones and learn more. Censorship has a negative impact in our modern times.
