The Plausibility of the World Depicted in Fahrenheit 451, a Dystopian Novel by Ray Bradbury
How Plausible Is the World of F451°?
In the novel F451° by Ray Bradbury, people live in a society where books are banned. I feel that a world like the one in the book is completely impossible when you look at society today. With the technology crazed generation that we have now, my opinion is that it is very unlikely for such a restriction to be placed, especially in America. Books and technology are a method of self expression, and there would be too many protests if we had the world of F451°. Overall, such censorship of things like the media, social networking sites, etc, could never be possible.
In certain places, such as China, and smaller countries, there have been situations where you see similarities to Bradbury’s novel. People are restricted from sites such as Facebook, and speaking out against the government. However people organize, and together they rebel. There are situations similar to this in the Middle East. This goes to show that you can’t force people to do whatever you want them too. When people feel the law is unjust, they take necessary actions to make things right.
The ban of books in F451° seems unlawful. It is as if the government is taking away what the Constitution guaranteed all citizens in the First Amendment. People, especially in America, don’t want the government to have so much power. That is exactly why we have the Checks and Balances system. This is what makes America a democracy. The same principles on which America was founded, is the complete opposite of the world of F451°. Not only would Bradbury’s world be impossible in the U.S., but also I don’t see how it would be possible for the whole world.
When so many people turn to books and the media for careers and entertainment,
no matter how hard the government tries, they just can’t rid the world of these things. At
the time Ray Bradbury wrote F451°, books and technology weren’t such a big part of our lives as they are now. If you look at the political history of the U.S., there have always been people that stood up for what they believe in and fought for different causes. With the way society is today, there is no possibility for the world of F451° to happen. There are too many educated people compared to the time when Bradbury wrote this book. The world of F451° also borders on the lines of communism, because when Captain Beatty talks to Montag, he says everyone should be made equal. Those are usually the goals of communism. However, communism never lasted in history, and never even happened in many countries. If that is the case, how can it be possible for the whole world? The world and society of F451°is very implausible considering the way our world is today. You can’t miss what you never had, but to have something taken from you makes you want to fight even harder for it.
