Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 depicts the book about Guy Montag who is shaken out of his complacency by a sixteen-year-old, Clarisse. She show Montag the wonders of nature and Montag begins to question his job of burning books because he sees them as a gateway to nature. Montag's rebellious spirit builds up until he finally explodes. An old Professor, Faber, leads Montag on the right path and Montag finally feels at home at the end of the book. This book depicts what could happen in the future if we are not careful because the time Montag lives in is a time of great censorship and the Government is issuing the order of destruction of books. Montag is feels this preasure and he does not feel at home with all these other people. This book reminds us that we should not loose ourselves in just having fun and to live a real life.

I chose to read Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" for a High School Book Report. I thought the fact that so many of the ideas portrayed in the book by Bradbury are still very relevant today was fascinating. The book was published in the 1950's, yet Bradbury's ideas about the influence of of media and its effect on society are evident today. Society as a whole has had its general thought process effected (to some extent at least) by the media with ideas portrayed in ad campaigns or television shows, which make decisions for you instead of letting you develop some of these ideas on your own.

Another theme that the book does well is representing the effect of censorship on society. The protagonist of the story, Guy Montag, begins the book oblivious of his own ignorance towards the world around him, not changing until a thoughtful teenage girl (Clarisse) causes him to question why everything is the way it is. These questions lead Montag down a path to enlightenment in which Montag discovers the reality of an unaware society. "Fahrenheit 451" does a superb job of displaying the harmful effects censorship can cause: a society of robotic citizens who find ignorance more attractive than actually exploring life.

Another reason I enjoyed reading this book was the fact it was very thoughtful and left a lot of different ideas open for interpretation. The book did seem a little bit dry at times, but it was not a bad transition because it allowed for time to interpret a few of the many ideas presented in the novel. I thought that "Fahrenheit 451" was an excellent read and I would happily recommend it to anybody who enjoys something more meaningful and thoughtful than an average novel.

This is one of the two most relevent works of sci-fi/speculative fiction ever made (the other being 1984, which represents hegemonic power very well). Farenheit 451 sounds kind of absurd in the beginning, but as you get into it more, it's an incisive critique of American culture, where trends in media saturation are taken to a horrifying extreme.

It'll only take a day or two to read if you have the time, so you might just want to rent it from your local lending library, but it is only $7.

The most important thing about this book is how much more relevant it seems today than when it was written. Today, newspapers and print media are going away (thanks, kindle), while Television is becoming more and more a mainstay of communication. Advertizements prevade all aspects of life these days, creating new and cheapened meaning to our culture, something that Bradbury predicts.

Buy it, borrow it, steal it -- whatever, so long as you read it, it's at least worth the discussion it provokes.

This is another author, like George Orwell who has the ability to see the a possible future and present it in a way that appears to be a time in the life of an individual character, as well as surrounding characters who are experiencing the same world. Whether this is a made up story or not remains to be seen, because as the author states in Coda, ""The point is obvious, there is more than one way to burn a book." But it is told in a manner that is all so more believeable in todays current world of technology than perhaps it could have been percieved when it was first concieved. Bradbury like Orwell are writers that having discovered them, I feel fortunate to know that there are many things they have still written I have not yet read, but I certainly intend to!

Something to truly look forward to!

Guy Montag respresents an individual who with help from a mysterious "Girl", awakens from the slumber he has found himself in. It seems to me that even now, this fantastic creation if truly appreciated for the message it delivers, can continue to awaken others who are not seeing the entire picture.

Told in a manner that is clearly intellectually sound, the implications are truly frightening.

Five stars isn't enough to rate this, nor would ten or any other amount if it existed here be.

I will certainly be absorbing more of his writes.

And if you haven't read this, although frightening I don't believe I could recommend that you do so more highly. Especially in light of the world we currently live in!

Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak

It's always been a recurring theme: the end of the world brought on by our own doings. And obviously, when such an issue is handled by one of the last and greatest surviving writers of the past century, Mr. Bradbury strikes the note perfectly using his his wondrous ambiguity and delightful imagery and infinitely unique writing prose.

The first true step taken in a lifelong career of literature.