Fahrenheit 451: Present Day Versus Predicted Future

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When predictions for the future are mentioned, images of war-torn plains and demolished cities often come to mind. While the present-day seems stable enough, the future is entirely unpredictable and could throw the planet into deep trouble rapidly. One novel that offers a projection of the world some years ahead is Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. In this book, Earth is shown as being plunged into a strange state where the citizens need not think for themselves, and books are burned daily rather than preserved. While this book may be displaying a more extreme future, the overall message is widely applicable. As such, the present day is a better rendition of the world than the future due to having advantageous social environments, knowledge …show more content…

In the contemporary world, people are free to access thousands of different resources on an impossibly wide spectrum of topics, and are able to do so at their own leisure. This allows for people to educate themselves and learn about the world around them, which is definitely positive. On the other hand, in Fahrenheit 451, all people are forced to remain intellectually stupid. Books are destroyed in the realm of Fahrenheit 451, as they are deemed controversial and harmful to the happiness of people. Since people are not allowed to read in this world, their minds essentially turn to mush as they are force-fed programs and other mental propaganda. An example of this would be Montag’s wife, Mildred, who gets fed up with Montag’s plan to understand books. “Why should I read? What for?” (Bradbury 69), Mildred inquires, wondering how the cheerful and ignorant media she’s been receiving her whole life could been less valuable than books. As Mildred’s example shows, the people in the world of Fahrenheit 451 are not able to become enlightened because they are not allowed to absorb anything but what the government is putting out. Hence, the lack of an ability to gain intellect is crippling to the human brain, showing again how the present world outdoes the future. While not being able to have the chance for education is appalling, being forced into …show more content…

In the present world, people can choose whether to utilize or ignore certain parts of the general culture. For example, a person could live a completely technology-free life, while another could go all out and own every device possible. However, in Fahrenheit 451, people are subjected to a technology-infested life by force. In the world of Guy Montag, every person owns a seashell radio and has a device in their home known as a parlor wall. These devices and more are so distracting to the human mind that individuals in this future world no longer think about the implications of their actions or their lives. When Guy Montag tries to get his wife on board with the plan of understanding the secret behind books, Mildred does not see the value behind this as a result of the brainwashing she has experienced, exclaiming that “‘books aren’t people. You read and I look all around, but there isn’t anybody! Now, my family is people. They tell me things; I laugh, they laugh’” (Bradbury 69). Here, it is clear that Mildred is no longer capable of thinking the whole situation through, due to all the technology that had been shoved in her face and the faces of every other citizen in Fahrenheit 451. Obviously, this shows that the choice of lifestyle and technology being taken away leads to

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