Fareheight 411
To Read or Not to Read, That is the Question
Firemen was once known to save homes from fire but in this novel firemen strive to pour the kerosene and burn homes along with the knowledge of books. Fire-Captain Beatty’s job is to make sure no one in the world will open a book and believe what is written in the inside. The town simply believes “books are useless, and waste of time and lies”.
Captain Beatty is a complex character. He is hard to understand at times because he is so full of contradictions. It seems as once he admired books, literature, and history but he was pushed to believe that books are evil and full of lies. He allows Guy Montag (a fellow fireman) to read only one book and he will understand why he thinks the way he does. In their era media, television, and electronics seem to be the only source of knowledge.
In a way, todays society somewhat resembles what was portrayed in Fahrenheit 411. So little of us actually go to a library to read a paperback novel or a periodical. But why should we? We have the power of having the same information, same text, same language in the convenience of our homes on the television, internet, iPads, and even our iPhones. Why bother reading through the text of a book, when it can just be seen in a movie or yet summarized on the internet. Unless forced, so little of the population today will pick up a book to voluntarily read for leisure. Though they are allowed to read transcripts to television series, Captain Beatty has full faith in the media. To him, the only source of education will be provided by the television, radio, and such media. Which in a way, plays a big role in society today as well.
Religion is a big issue in the world. It causes fights between people of all races, places, and corners of the world. The Bible, Torah, Quran, etc are teachings in a holy book that is passed on from generation to generation. When one reads the holy book either
Firemen was once known to save homes from fire but in this novel firemen strive to pour the kerosene and burn homes along with the knowledge of books. Fire-Captain Beatty’s job is to make sure no one in the world will open a book and believe what is written in the inside. The town simply believes “books are useless, and waste of time and lies”.
Captain Beatty is a complex character. He is hard to understand at times because he is so full of contradictions. It seems as once he admired books, literature, and history but he was pushed to believe that books are evil and full of lies. He allows Guy Montag (a fellow fireman) to read only one book and he will understand why he thinks the way he does. In their era media, television, and electronics seem to be the only source of knowledge.
In a way, todays society somewhat resembles what was portrayed in Fahrenheit 411. So little of us actually go to a library to read a paperback novel or a periodical. But why should we? We have the power of having the same information, same text, same language in the convenience of our homes on the television, internet, iPads, and even our iPhones. Why bother reading through the text of a book, when it can just be seen in a movie or yet summarized on the internet. Unless forced, so little of the population today will pick up a book to voluntarily read for leisure. Though they are allowed to read transcripts to television series, Captain Beatty has full faith in the media. To him, the only source of education will be provided by the television, radio, and such media. Which in a way, plays a big role in society today as well.
Religion is a big issue in the world. It causes fights between people of all races, places, and corners of the world. The Bible, Torah, Quran, etc are teachings in a holy book that is passed on from generation to generation. When one reads the holy book either