An Envisioned Dystopia: How Our Society Bears Resemblance to Fahrenheit 451

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In today’s society, everyone seems to be looking down. No, it is not because they are in mourning or have seen a particularly interesting blade of grass. Instead, everyone has their necks craned downward towards their cell phones, Ipads, laptops, or other type of technology in their possession. Today technology is no longer just a tool, but a necessity to the average day citizen. People use it for everything, from finding directions to talking to their closest friends. In 1953, a man named Ray Bradbury wrote a novel that closely resembles this modern day society. He wrote of a world where everyone is obsessed with technology, and those who are not get pegged as insane. Is this the possible future that society is heading for? With our dependence on technology, the absence of literature, and our lack of human communication, our world is slowly inching towards Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Soon, society will be plunged into chaos, and the only thing we have will have to grasp is the machinery that we obsess over.
Our excessive use of technology will surely be the downfall of humanity. Electronics are the twenty-first century’s backbone, and without it, we would crumble. Building a robotic based world is not such a bad idea, but it is the obsession of the average, everyday civilian that is ruining us. People can not seem to leave their houses without their phone or some other electronic device that they so desperately need. This closely relates to the society of Fahrenheit 451, where citizens rely on technology for their news, entertainment, and just about everything else. In the book, the maincharacter's wife , Mildred, even goes as far to call the actors on the screen “my family” (Bradbury 49) when Montag asks her to turn off the TV....

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“Common Core State STANDARDS FOR English Language Arts of Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.” 2010 Common Standards Initiative. http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Kluger, Jeffrey. “We Never Talk Anymore: The Problem with Text Messaging.” Time. www.cnn.com
6, Sep 2012. Web.
Malone, Michael S. "Young People Cop to It: Technology Is Bad for Us." www.abc.go.com. ABC,
15 May 2009. Web. 17 May 2014.
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