Teenage Violence on Modern Society

The harmful perception of the modern society in Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451,hadn’t been a concern in his era. As time progressed, the violent happenings of his internationally known novel have been woven into the events that modern humans encounter in every day life. He shows that in the future, it is normal for a teen to commit that kind of violence. All of Clarisse's friends were involved in harmful behaviors, and to the society of that time, it came to them as normal. In the novel, Clarisse says, “I’m afraid of children my own age. They kill each other. Did it always used to be that way? My uncle says no”(Bradbury 27). Bradbury shows that there was a time before when violence among teens wasn’t as active. In modern society today, many people, mainly under the age of 20, are part of violent acts against each other and humanity. Usually, there would be no clear reason for the act of the teen. Possibly every week, the news unveils a story about teen drunk driving or school shooting, and even bombings. Bradbury explains to the readers that the teens of modern society are becoming more violent, and are turning into the youth he predicted.

First off, Bradbury shows that teens have an attraction towards many types of violence of the sort. Many teens today have a tendency to lean towards the more dangerous side of life. The reason for this type of action is described as a search to find the adequate thrill in life. "Or go out in the cars and race on the streets, trying to see how close you can get to lampposts, playing 'chicken' and 'knock hubcap'"(Bradbury 27). The people who Clarisse knows, that are her age, are trying to find ways to make their life as thrilling and exhilarating as possible. Society today come...

... middle of paper ...

...g in the novel and society are intense upon teens. The connections between his book and today's society are alarming due to the fact that the teens of the novel relate alarming to the children of today. Many people, who die due to the amount of teen centered violence, many not of the same age group. It hurts the individuals and the society in a whole.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.

Cabrera, Ana "Why? Sheriff wants to know reason for Colorado school shooting." CNN Wire 14 Dec. 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

Moore, Arya. "How School Bullying Affects Teen Violence." Everyday Life. Global Post, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2014

Tutton, Michael. "Teen girls sentenced for beating woman, 66." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 5 Feb. 2008: A5. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.