Does Fiction Build the Morality of Individuals and Societies, or Does It Break It Down?
analytical Essay
941 words
In this day and age we spend an extensive amount of time engrossed in literary works, films, television shows and other forms of fiction. Some see this in a positive light, contending that fictitious stories cultivate our mental and moral development. Others however have argued that fiction is mentally and ethically obstructive. Posing the age old question: Does fiction build the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down? “The goal, I suppose, any fiction writer has, no matter what your subject, is to hit the human heart and the tear ducts and the nape of the neck and to make a person feel something about the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human.” -Tim O'Brien It is undeniable that fiction has had the power to influence society in the past. History tells, for if you were to go back far enough, you would be able to find evidence of many book burnings having taken place. Consider the book burnings which took place under Hitler’s reign. These books being written commonly by Jews, were usually regarded as being pacifist or against the war and concerned with new educational methods and intellectual opinion. Such destruction would never have taken place if fictitious literary works, weren’t viewed as dissident material which undermined the ideologies of the national socialist administration. This in itself is historical recognition and proof of the influential and distinct power that literature possesses. Why else would it have scared, arguably the most powerful and simultaneously ruthless leader our world has seen yet? “So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life” (Faber from Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury... ... middle of paper ... ...burn.htm [Accessed: 21 March 2014]. Literary Review of Canada. 2011. Why Fiction is Good for You | Literary Review of Canada. [online] Available at: http://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2011/07/why-fiction-is-good-for-you/ [Accessed: 9 March 2014]. Mcknight, S. 2014. Fiction: Is it good for you?. [online] Available at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/04/29/fiction-is-it-good-for-you/ [Accessed: 13 Apr 2014]. Chiaet, J. (2014). Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy. [online] Scientificamerican.com. Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/novel-finding-reading-literary-fiction-improves-empathy/ [Accessed 5 May. 2014]. Pacific Standard, (2013). Study: Reading Fiction Makes People Comfortable With Ambiguity. [online] Available at: http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/reading-literature-opens-minds-60021/ [Accessed 5 May. 2014].
In this essay, the author
- Argues that fictitious stories cultivate mental and moral development, while others argue that fiction is mentally and ethically obstructive.
- Argues that fiction has the power to influence society in the past. they cite oscar wilde's quote, "man is least himself when he talks in his own person."
- Explains that fiction builds the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down.
- Explains how fiction impacts fact: the social impact of books, and historyplace - triumph of hitler: burning of books.
Related
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- Sociological Criticism of William Blake’s Poetryanalytical essayKennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Print.
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- Describes the works of aristotle, poetics, belfiore, elizabeth, and leon golden.
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1286 wordsRead More - Ambiguity of The Minister’s Black Veilanalytical essayI frankly confess that I have, as a general thing, but little enjoyment of it, and that it has never seemed to me to be, as it were, a first-rate literary form. . . . But it is apt to spoil two good things – a story and a moral, a meaning and a form; and the taste for it is responsible for a large part of the forcible-feeding writing that has been inflicted upon the world. The only cases in whi...
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- Opines that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the hospital.
- Analyzes how the ambiguity in nathaniel hawthorne's "the minister’s black veil" is an asset in this contemporary era when readers like such a quality in fiction.
- Analyzes how hawthorne develops the protagonist through a description of his less exotic and curious characteristics.
- Explains abrams, m. h., conn, peter, and swisher's readings on nathaniel hawthorne.
- Analyzes lang, h.j., and sullivan, wilson. "nathaniel hawthorne" in the norton anthology: american literature.
3124 wordsRead More - Fahrenheit 451, A Dystopian Book: A World Without Booksanalytical essayWith his novel, Bradbury warns that a world of censorship leads to the unhappiness of individuals, the constant occurrence of violence in everyday lives, and having to live in fear of the government. In their society, everyone’s happiness is simply artificial and those who know of the wisdom books bring do not wish to live in their world. Also, the constant presence of disorder in their everyday lives does nothing but arouse even more violence. Children are not safe from each other and people prefer destruction and immorality over education. Finally, the government has a large impact on the people, and it uses that to its advantage to discourage the population from acting upon their curiosity of books and speaking against its censorship. Books and the knowledge within them do not appear to pose a threat to the world today. After reading Fahrenheit 451, appreciation for such things does not sound like a bad
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ray bradbury's fahrenheit 451 is an anti-censorship piece warning society of the dangers that come with the government.
- Analyzes how montag's conversation about happiness begins when clarisse asks him if he is happy. beatty lectures montag with his knowledge on books and the history of their censorship.
- Analyzes how bradbury's fictional society shows that violence is so common that it is nothing to bat an eye about. montag connects the lack of knowledge to the violent behaviours of her peers.
- Explains why books are banned in fahrenheit 451 because they are subjective and discuss debateable topics, aiding the reader to formulate their own opinions.
- Analyzes how the government instils fear within each individual, such as the mechanical hound, a robot made to track down and poison anyone hiding illegal objects.
1681 wordsRead More - Fahrenheit 451: Censorshipanalytical essayCensorship throughout time has been precisely depicted in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The actions of the book arsons done by the “firemen” took away any way to gain knowledge, information and the right to think for yourself has been shown as an everlasting cycle inside the book. Examples of such restriction include banning, and the disposing of offending literature, and in some cases, violence, or the possibly of persecution to the authors of the violated pieces. In Fahrenheit 451, censorship consist of book arsons, unscrupulous parlor families, and the narrow-mindedness for those who try to be individuals.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how censorship is depicted in fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury. book arsons, unscrupulous parlor families, and the narrow-mindedness for those who try to be individuals are examples.
- Analyzes how bradbury's fahrenheit 451 censorship is something the characters deal with on a daily basis and, don't even think twice about it.
- Opines that the extreme regime of censorship depicted in fahrenheit 451 does not come from the top, but from bottom.
- Analyzes how the extreme regime of censorship depicted in fahrenheit 451 does not come from the top but the bottom.
- Explains that the "firemen" burn books and kill the people who own the books. they have no idea that their killing people for such foolish reasons.
- Narrates how guy montag, a third-generation fireman, was taught to think outside the box by clarisse mcclellan. even though censorship controlled his life, montag fought for his right to learn.
- Cites keira brown's "classic read: fahrenheit 451" socialist reveiw (2012): mon.10 mar. 2014.harrison, nicholas.
528 wordsRead More - Fahrenheit 451 Bannedanalytical essayImagine a world of uniformity. All people look the same, act the same, and love the same things. There are no original thoughts and no opposing viewpoints. This sort of world is not far from reality. Uniformity in modern day society is caused by the banning of books. The novel "Fahrenheit 451" illustrates a future in which the banning of books has risen to the extent that no books are allowed. The novel follows the social and moral implications of an over censored society. Even though the plot may seem far-fetched, themes from this book are still relevant today. Although some people believe that banning a book is necessary to defend their religion, the negative effects caused by censorship and the redaction of individual thought are reasons why books such as "Fahrenheit 451" should not be banned.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the novel "fahrenheit 451" illustrates a future in which the banning of books has risen to the extent that no books are allowed.
- Analyzes how ray bradbury wrote "fahrenheit 451" to illustrate the implications of censorship in a society. in 1967, the novel itself was modified to "eliminate mild curse words"
- Argues that "fahrenheit 451" should not be banned because readers would be unable to incite change in their areas.
- Argues that "fahrenheit 451" should not be banned because of its negative effects on thought and expression.
- Analyzes how the negative effects of banning "fahrenheit 451" outweigh any call to restrict the book.
- Analyzes how diana verm, a devout christian, believes that since "fahrenheit 451" contains vulgar language, it should not be banned from the public.
- Argues that "fahrenheit 451" should not be banned because of the adverse effects brought about by censorship and the redaction of individual thought.
1246 wordsRead More - The Complicity of Premeditated Sacrificeanalytical essayKennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 7th ed. (Custom). Boston: Pearson, 2013. pp. 234-245, 250-259.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the lottery and the rocking horse winner share a common link. tessie hutchinson is sacrificed according to an ancient tradition to ensure an abundant harvest and paul sacrifices his energy to secure capital gain for his family.
- Analyzes how shirley jackson had an epiphany while thinking about the book her husband showed her on ancient ritual human sacrifice and in two hours her psychological horror story the lottery was born.
- Analyzes how paul felt sympathy for his mother hester in the rocking horse winner. being a good son, he took advantage of an opportunity to acquire lucrative income for the household despite the toll on his health.
- Analyzes how paul sacrificed his life to secure his mother's love. the rocking horse winner demonstrates the relentless pursuit of riches can have a devastating toll.
- Analyzes how tessie hutchinson's murder and the lives of those before her demonstrate society’s blind acceptance to traditions without any plausible explanation.
- Explains that sacrifice is not limited to the community or individual households, but organizations, businesses, and religious institutes whose statutes require sacrifice on behalf of their members.
- Compares the treatment of humanity in the 21st century and the worldly influences of the liberal media. a spiritual worldview creates a balance in this world of physicality bringing us into harmony with god’s purpose.
- Cites jackson, shirley, and dana gioia. literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama and writing.
747 wordsRead More - Theme Analysis of Fahrenheit 451analytical essayThe theme of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 can be viewed from several different angles. First and foremost, Bradbury's novel gives an anti-censorship message. Bradbury understood censorship to be a natural outcropping of an overly tolerant society. Once one group objects to something someone has written, that book is modified and censorship begins. Soon, another minority group objects to something else in the book, and it is again edited until eventually the book is banned altogether. In Bradbury's novel, society has evolved to such an extreme that all literature is illegal to possess. No longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions that often lead to revolutions and even anarchy. The intellectual thinking that arises from reading books can often be dangerous, and the government doesn't want to put up with this danger. Yet this philosophy, according to Bradbury, completely ignores the benefits of knowledge. Yes, knowledge can cause disharmony, but in many ways, knowledge of the past, which is recorded in books, can prevent man from making similar mistakes in the present and future.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the theme of ray bradbury's fahrenheit 451 from several angles.
- Compares fahrenheit 451 to huxley's brave new world, which has an anti-government theme.
- Analyzes how bradbury advocates the idea that men should think for themselves, not let the government or television do their thinking for them. the easiest way to expand one's knowledge of history and politics can only be achieved through the study of books.
432 wordsRead More - Fahrenheit 451 Essayanalytical essay“Their optimism, their willingness to have trust in a future where civilizations self-destruction comes to a full stop, has to do with their belief in the changed relationship between humans and their world” says Lee (Lee 1). In “As the Constitution Says” by Joseph F. Brown, Brown talks about a NEA experiment that found American’s have been reading less and less and our comprehension skills are dramatically dropping because of this (Brown 4). Bradbury saw little use in the technology being created in his time, he avoided airplanes, driving automobiles, and eBooks. Bradbury did not even allow his book to be sold and read on eBooks until 2011. If one takes away books, then one takes away imagination. If one takes away imagination, then one takes away creativity. If one takes away creativity, then one takes away new ideas for technology and the advancement of the world. People nowadays have lost interest in books because they see it as a waste of time and useless effort, and they are losing their critical thinking, understanding of things around them, and knowledge. Brown says that Bradbury suggests that a world without books is a world without imagination and its ability to find happiness. The people in Fahrenheit 451 are afraid to read books because of the emotions that they
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how fahrenheit 451's relevance to today can be detailed and prophetic when we take a deep look into our american society.
- Analyzes how bradbury saw that people would soon be controlled by the television and saw it as the creators chance to "replace lived experience."
- Analyzes how patai says that the freedom of speech requires good manners and regulations to shelter us from hateful words, acrimonious personalities, and personalities hidden from our personal lives.
- Analyzes how sunjoo lee's "to be shocked to life again" and "as the constitution says" by joseph f. brown are examples of people who have lost interest in books.
- Concludes that ray bradbury had an amazing prediction of what technology would do to ours and how it would affect us and our minds.
1147 wordsRead More - Thesis 3analytical essay“You don’t have to burn books to stop a culture you just have to get people to stop reading them” (Bradbury 61). Books must be protected at all costs; they cannot be changed amended, rated with labels, stripped or burned. They need to be conserved as a whole to protect the moral integrity of both art and artist. Books are so important to society because it helps individual’s record and keep their ideas and beliefs alive. Ray Bradbury believes that if literature is destroyed, then society will begin to deteriorate with it.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that books must be protected at all costs to protect the moral integrity of both art and artist. ray bradbury believes that if literature is destroyed, society will deteriorate with it.
- Explains bradbury's quote that it is not the books that are destroyed but the freedom of creativity. if one day students decided that going to school was no longer important, they would not have to physically destroy it.
- Analyzes how faber tells montag that it is not the books themselves that montag is looking for, but the hidden lessons and knowledge they hold.
- Analyzes how montag understands that every book has its own story to why it was written and that it represents the life and the person who wrote it.
- Opines that montag and his fellow intellectuals helped rebuild the city from the ashes. if literature is destroyed, society and culture will become uneducated.
525 wordsRead More