Censorship In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 introduces themes of questioning the status quo and portrays the government’s ability to censor and indoctrinate our society with no regard for our rights much of the time, these themes can be seen in the pro-Palestinian/antiwar college protests that have recently been spreading like wildfire throughout the US. While it may not seem like it, by analyzing these current events, some of the most prominent themes of this novel can be seen in our current world. The colleges in the past have been havens of free speech and are now at risk of losing that credit due to having to crack down on people’s rights since protests have gotten violent and the authorities have begun to get involved, paralleling themes of censorship in the colleges, …show more content…
'."( Bradbury 103). "Oh, and you were scared silly," said Beatty, "for I was doing a terrible thing in using the very books you clung to, to rebut you on every hand, on every point!" Bradbury 104. The parallels between this novel and the current events speak volumes about where humanity is heading. Farenheit predicts many things in our current society, not simply objects like the “seashells”, but in its more profound themes of censorship and indctrination. It teaches us about the dangers of censorship and favoring technology rather than embracing and participating in our reality and questioning the status quo. These exist because despite technology’s advancement over time, humanity at its core prioritizes the same things. We have the same intellectual needs and desires, for better or for worse. Using Farenheit 451, we can learn from our mistakes of the past, our mistakes of the present, and possible mistakes of the future. Like now, as we face the issues of these college protests. The action in and of itself is justified, but it has gone too far as it has recently become violent and is now hurting other students rather than simply trying to spread awareness and face adversity due to the conflict.

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