Examples Of Technology In Fahrenheit 451

“Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.” As Carrie Snow said in this quote, technology is a double edged sword: giving amazing gifts in one and destroying society with its other hand. A perfect example of this is shown in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, technology is used as a tool for detriment rather than a tool for good. The dystopian world that Bradbury creates revolves around technology as a means of escaping reality, educating the youth, and keeping people in line. The people in the world that Ray Bradbury created use parlor walls and seashells, or TVs and earbuds, constantly to escape the reality of the world they …show more content…
For example, Clarisse, a 17 year old girl that showed Montag the light of observation, is a student in the dystopian future that finds the fully digital and prerecorded teachers to be lacking in information and also the ability to satisfy her thirst to ask questions. “An hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports, but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don’t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four or more hours of film teacher.” (Bradbury 27) Clarisse is looks at the schooling system like no other person in this dystopian society by having the wish to ask questions and also with how much she dislikes having a “film teacher”. Another example of how education has been changed was with how jobs were to be introduced to people, like how it seems normal that Montag would receive his job instructions on a tape rather than a manual. “‘What’ve you got there; isn’t it a book? I thought that all special training these days was done by film.’ Mrs. Phelps blinked.” (Bradbury 94) Mrs. Phelps shows just how normal education by entirely digital things is to the world and also how people are to accept not being able to know more. The educational portion of the world revolves around digital and pre recorded lessons which …show more content…
For example, the mechanical hound is used by the firemen in the story to find out which citizen or group of citizens is in the possession of books. “‘Well,’ said Beatty,’Now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now the he’s burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. Didn’t I hint enough when I sent the hound around your place?’” (Bradbury 107) This quote shows how Beatty, a fireman and also the antagonist of the story, uses the hound to destroy the books that Montag had amassed, thus keeping him from nb doing what he chose to do which goes to show just how powerful technology is and also how it controls society. Furthermore, the flamethrower used by the firemen is used as a tool for censorship, controlling what the people can or cannot see thus showing just how strong the device is in controlling people. “With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” (Bradbury 1) Montag is describing the flamethrower as a great python that spits kerosene and burns the “tatters and charcoal ruins of history” or the books thus, again, controlling the population of the city. The mechanical hound and the flamethrower are both pieces of equipment used to dominate

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