The speculative fiction novel ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ written by author Ray Bradbury (1951) and the speculative fiction novel ‘1984,’ written by author George Orwell (1949) have many thematic similarities; with both texts containing the theme of a totalitarian government, the warping of technology as to facilitate evil rather than to work towards good, and the dangers of censorship.
Totalitarian governments are seen to wreak havoc in every way possible within both Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ and Orwell’s ‘1984.’ Although both authors express this theme within their novels, they do so in differing ways, while both eventually concluding that totalitarian governments are highly dangerous. Within the novel ‘1984,’ Orwell conveys a society in which every aspect of human life is controlled by the government, so much so that even thinking a rebellious thought is punishable by death. This ultimate totalitarian governmental control is so extreme that most are so manipulated that they truly cannot comprehend any information that does not fit inside of what they are being taught by the Party. “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.…show more content… Both authors depict a government which relies heavily on censorship as to keep governmental control elevated, but Bradbury and Orwell once more do so in differing ways. Within the novel ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ Bradbury most effectively conveys the level of censorship within their society through the banning of books. This censorship is made extremely obvious by Bradbury through the usage of books as to symbolize freedom of thought, free will and knowledge and fire being used to symbolize censorship. Therefore, through the burning of books, Bradbury expresses censorship of the aforementioned. "Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is
characterisation and imagery to directly create the conflict and contrast between their protagonists’ perspective and that of their written cultures. The differing…
