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Summary: Fahrenheit 451 = Compassion 101
Review: This is a powerfully symbolic, futuristic story about how, if we lose sight of the appreciation of human frailty, we open the doors to a cruelty that destroys open-mindedness. In this case the open-mindedness that is targeted is the poetry and philosophy of great writers of books. It is censored by cynics whose main impetus is to keep the peace. Such cynics are allowed to censor us and destroy us if we think too deeply, and all citizens must never read poetic or philosophical books, which are also periodically destroyed in order to hide any inkling of deep thought from our brains.What a fascinating concept! So daring, obscure, seemingly wild and fictional on the surface, yet also a perfect metaphor for our current lives. Bradbury is clever: he changes our police into firemen. But it is clear that he means to criticise the possibility of police totalitarianism within an American styled system of injustice as justice. The distaste for intelligent though impractical philosophy and poetry, it has here been allowed to run amuck, to wield its forces of pragmatism to the extreme. And we are left to wonder if this could in fact be the wet dream of every right-wing American who would refuse to expend taxes on grounds that the money would be used for "another damned pinko library." Here Bradbury shows us that intelligence can be used by cynics, such as Captain Beatty, in a way that would harm us. But also that same intelligence, found in poetic and philosophical books, can be used as a means to gain the strength of compassion. Apparently, it's all in the way one uses the great thoughts of the great writers. The irony in this is found in how so many good thinking, faithful American Christians etc. have turned against poetic and philosophical thought, believing it to be their enemy, since for one, they don't understand it and are thus afraid of it, and for two, because often the irony inherent in such such poetry and philosophy is the bread and butter of cynics who would destroy simple faith and compassion. Within this richly ironic theme are placed characters who seem to defy all compassion and sensitivity; they are brutally insensitive and apathetic. Then come along the few rebels who cannot keep themselves from reading the illegal poetic and philosophical thoughts from old books. They are rebels who fear for their lives. In swoops the police with mechanical hounds that would drug the rebels to death and the familiar helicopters with cameras to record the images of the chase, that is, as long as the chase turns out to their advantage - if not, the scene will be edited: American styled CIA propaganda. This novel is not necessarily about the future, it is an allegory of the present, in fact, of a common human condition that has always been with us. Hence, this is what makes it a classic on the level of Melville, Steinbeck, Twain etc. In the end, the intellectual vagabonds, torn from a blissfully ignorant, apathetic and finally totalitarian society bent on a shallow "happiness" above all else, gather to memorize what fine, poetic and philosophical literature they are able to preserve. In comparison to their nemises, these heroes of the printed word appear kind and compassionate. They are peaceful readers of deeply philosophical teachings, such as found in the bible and other great works. Back in the conformed, self-destroying society live the insensitive brutes of conformity, where Montag enjoyed harming innocent people before he rediscovered himself, where cynical Captain Beatty loved the smell of burning flesh as much as burning paper, where Mildred and her "family" (TV) live out apathetic lives of self-denial, where Montag's pals at the fire station snicker and belittle each other to a deafening mental silence, where the mechanical hound injects the murderous poison without a second thought, where the "beetles" (cars) that ruthlessly speed along the highways seek to destroy innocent pedestrians in fun, and most importantly, where the symbolic story of the sieve lives out its final days: older children ruthlessly finding humor in a young child hopelessly trying to fill up a sieve with sand. You may witness such insensitivity in your day to day lives <if> you open your eyes to it.
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Summary: ATTN: Fundies! I own this book and WILL use it!
Review: What a profound Novel! This should be required reading to all students. But alas, the future Bradbury predicted has come to pass.... Today, we are seeing more and more "Concerned Parents" reacting with a mob mentality in banning books from libraries and schools. Most have never read the books they have chosen to vilify. Strange that only a few outspoken right wing groups think they speak for all of society. The irony of it all is that Fahrenheit 451 has been banned from schools and classrooms because of its "negative" views toward those individuals that ban books. What is more tragic than a books that decries book banning, being banned itself? Do yourself a favor.... read this book. Pass it along to your child. Read other banned novels and keep them in circulation. The days of the Fireman are quickly approaching. "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, as I trust shall never be put out!"
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Summary: Incredible!
Review: This novel portrays the abuse of technology, and how it can permanently alter society in traumatic ways. Fahrenheit 451 is one of Ray Bradbury's most influential masterpieces. It has the power to change your "mindset" on our world, and, basically, your idea of the "fate" of our species.
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Summary: The Review
Review: I by reading this book I learned many interresting thing on the future. the future is fulled with many possiblitys and learning. hi
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Summary: Farhrenheit 451
Review: I thought that story of farhrenheit 451 was a very good book but yet it was very confusing in some parts. The plot behind the book is very simple to me but the hole basic story is kinda wierd, maybe because its written in such a theretical that sometimes I just get lost. Anyway the story is about a fireman named Guy Montag who burns books in the future. throuhout the story he is incounterd with a little girl who challenges him to free himself and to feel his emotions and to do what he feels is right but he is also incounterd by his commanding officer that believes burning books and killing the people who have them is the right thing to do in the society that they live in today. Although Montag follows the wishes of his commanding officer he decides to do away with being a fireman and to do what is right and educate his society on books but his wife Mildred turns Montag in because she is scared of what the fireman will do to her if she is caught with the books in her house. After Montags house is burnt to the ground he decides to run and hide from the police until he meets up with the book people. When he meets up with the book people he tells them that he used to be a fireman and that he has changed and now the police and the fireman are after him. At the end the city gets bombed and Guy meets back up with Mildred and him and the book people decide to build and miror factory so the can look at themselfs to see who they realy are inside.
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Summary: Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
Review: Well i thought that the book was very interesting. Some parts were a little confusing that's all. I really liked when Mildred would talk to the television as her own family. I wish that Clarisse and Montag would of gotten together.
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Summary: Think About it
Review: I think Fahrenheit 451 is a great book to read. In this book it talks of a futuristic society. In this society people are not allowed to read or own books. The novel tells us that books kept getting smaller and smaller until there were no books and nobody read. Even in today's society we can see this happening. Novels replaced by Cliff notes, cliff notes replaced by summaries only a paragraph long, and even these summaries are being replaced by movies, which you don't even have to read. Tolerance of books is diminishing in our society. People no longer wish to read books we sit in front of the TV and even our interactions with other people is hindered by this. I think this book is an excellent book to read. It changes how you see things. The book is written in a way that you can understand the confusion and anger the main character (Montag) is feeling. I read this book for my 6th period English class at East High School.
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Summary: Fahrenheit 451
Review: The book Fahrenheit 451 is a good book. I liked this book because it was full of suspense and al ways keep me thinking about what would happen next.It also illustrated what the world could be like in the future if we were not allowed to think for ourselves and learn by reading books. In this world it was as if there was so much technology that people didn't have to think for themselves. I enjoyed reading this book very much.
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Summary: It was great!
Review: This book that we read in class was really good. It was really interesting how the book was written. Having it placed in the future was really cool and it was a different than other books that I have read. Ray Bradbury seemed to have a really creative imagination. I really liked the plot and the setting of the book. It (like I stated before) was different. I liked the way the author used the different characters to support the one main charater, Montag in his troubles in his own life. I would be interseted in reading more books by him in the future.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: I really enjoyed Fahrenheit 451, it was a very entertaining book. I hope many of these concepts never come true though. Occurances such as burning books, no speed limit would cause the world to be very crazy. There was never dull point in this book. I found these concepts very thought prevoking and interesting. This book explains what it would be like living in this type of surreal world.The idea of having no pedistrians allowed would would also be very strange. All in all, it was a great book.
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