How could we as readers benefit from Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451?” Let’s start off by not burning books first. I can’t help but think if anything from Fahrenheit 451 could happen to us now, or even the future. With advertisement already everywhere, faster cars, higher speed limits and TV vs. books? I’m pretty sure our TV’s win that battle every time. When you actually think about Fahrenheit 451 and the year of 2012 now, there’s actually more to compare than contrast. We can’t argue with the fact that Bradbury’s fiction can relate to society now. When he described those precious parlor walls in the book, it shocked me about how large they were, and that people still wanted more. There enormous for one, described to cover an entire wall in your living room, and cost way more than our flat screens now. Mildred, Montag’s wife was one of those people. She would beg Montag for more even though he was tight with money at the moment. When Mildred watched TV it was like she had drifted away from reality. Weird, sounds a bit like us now doesn’t it? I phones ruling the world, flat screen TV’s as thin as our ipods, and they literally take up all our time. People want more and more, if what they have is out then they want what’s in. Sometimes I wish people would make the best of there lives, instead of sitting around playing Xbox all day. I think that’s probably why I play sports, to keep me busy, and to not get caught up in the moment with everyone else. Isolation was a huge issue in Fahrenheit 451. Socializing, giving off any vibe of intelligence, or even just going for a walk was very suspicious and wrong. As if everybody in the world had forgotten about their families, friends, and neighbors. As of now in 2012, I don’t think many people live in isolation, but I know technology is what keeps them inside their rooms. Lastly, the burning of all books, any kind, size, or color. It didn’t matter, books were books, and people were forbidden to read them. That’s what the firefighters would do, or should I say fire starters; they were required to burn down any house filled with hidden books. And if people refused to leave they died with them. Writers, authors, and publishers lost their jobs, they didn’t need libraries anymore, and it seems awful. I think Ray Bradbury wanted readers to understand the importance of reading and thinking.
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