Occhiline 1 Gianni Occhiline Mrs.

Perry Research Paper 08 December 2013 Censorship in Fahrenheit 451 Censorship, the act of changing or suppressing speech or writing that may be considered destructive to the common good. In the classic novel, Fahrenheit 451 written by the late Ray Bradbury, censorship plays a vast role and is recognized to be the primary theme. In the more advanced world of Fahrenheit 451, firemen start fires instead of extinguishing them. The people of this civilization do not think for themselves, nor do they have deep conversations. Additionally they do not have an interest in reading books, rather than that; they watch an intense amount of television on wall-size sets. Along with not having an interest in books, they have a lack of gratitude for nature, so to pass their time outside they drive extremely fast. They do not take the time to look around to admire the world around them, and instead take it for granted. The protagonist Guy Montag, a fireman, is inspired by Clarisse McClellan, a beautiful seventeen-year-old outcast, to question the law around him. Each chance he has to talk to her, he begins to have doubts about what good the laws actually serve, and why the government is making them so nave. In the novel, censorship in their world is composed of book burning, mass media, and the control the government has over everyone. The opening line of the novel, It was a pleasure to burn (Bradbury 1), instantly captures the readers attention and promptly tells where the hopeless protagonist stands on the

Occhiline 2 idea of books being banned. The books in Fahrenheit 451 were banned for several reasons. One reason for numerous books being banned is that they weren't politically correct with what the government sought was right. Also, if one group of people, no matter the size of the group, did not like a book, it would be banned. "Colored people don't like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don't feel good about Uncle Tom's Cabin. Burn it. Someone's written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book, (Bradbury 63). So in the novel all books are outlawed and anyone who is heard or proved to own any reading material are then reported to the firemen, the official censors, (Bradbury 62). The firemen go to the suspects house to burn the books, which is unusual in the real world since they are meant to put fires out, not start them. The firemen are burning books to prevent the society from having unhappy emotions and unjust thoughts. When accusing someone of owning books, an alarm is sent to the fire station. Which then the on duty firemen promptly make their way to the lawbreakers home where they immediately burn, the books. The houses are made of fireproof material, so the firemen are able to burn the books inside the house without causing much devastation. The books are covered in kerosene and torched with a flame-thrower at 451 degrees. Directly after the books are burned, the lawbreaker is arrested and taken to prison. Even though, book burning was the most sudden and bizarre form of censorship, the people in the novel experienced mind censorship in their homes every day.

Occhiline 3 In the novel, mass media is being used as an accessory of censorship. The programs that are broadcasted on the wall-sized television screens are only providing mindless entertainment. They do not generate any sort of thinking nor do they give food for thought. The programs are meant to entertain and not spark any ideas, which the government wants. The televisor is 'real.' It is immediate, it has dimension. It tells you what to think and blasts it in. It must be right. It seems so right. It rushes you on so quickly to its own conclusions your mind hasn't time to protest, (Bradbury 91). The television programs have the home viewers name interlaced into the show so the viewer is able to interact with the characters. The viewers become so absorbed with the programs that they start referring to the characters as actual family members. When not in the parlor rooms, where the televisions are, many of the civilians of the novel spend their time listening to seas shell ear thimbles; which are miniature radio receivers that constantly play broadcasts of news, advertisements, and music. They are meant to produce a distraction to the people, but what theyre really doing is drowning out the sounds of the real world. Montags wife, Mildred, is addicted to watching television and listing to the ear shells, along with many other people in the town. Mildred spends most of her day watching and interacting with the television, and at night listening to her ear programs. By watching and listening to these programs it seems like a way for her to escape, so she does not have to think about how miserable her life is. Although the mass media is one of the most all-consuming forms of censorship, the most intense is how the government is controlling the civilians.

Occhiline 4 The government has taken control over every aspect of the citizens life. For example, not being able to read and what shows are being played on the televisions. The civilians are expected to follow the laws and not rebel against them. To rebel is considered to be a serious crime, so there are very few who do it. The government enforces its control over the population in many ways. An example of that is that they keep the people nave. They do that by burning all the books, so they have no clue whats actually going on in the world. Without any books to read, their only form of entertainment is the television and sea shell programs, also racing around in their cars. All this requires no reason for thinking, which the government wants. Looking at censorship in Fahrenheit 451, Mr. Bradbury shows his readers what can happen if they enable the government, the control over what they read and watch/listen to. The book may seem like no one cares for whats happening, and have all fallen to censorship, but luckily there are some civilians who are willing to make sure the books still remain alive.

Occhiline 5 Work cited "All Fired Up." New Internationalist 396 (2006): 24. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Bellantine, 1979. Print. Brown, Joseph F. "As The Constitution Says": Distinguishing Documents In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451." Explicator 67.1 (2008): 55. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Miller, John J. "Untitled." National Review 59.12 (2007): 48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Webley, Kayla. "Brief History." Time 176.12 (2010): 25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.