Rating: Summary: Bradbury's classic fable of fascist future... Review: IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH! proclaimed George Orwell's Thought-Police governed dictatorhip of 1 9 8 4. In FAHRENHEIT 451 Ray Bradbury describes how intellectual ignorance is politically and educationally promoted until it becomes the essence of private and public life...ruthlessly enforced by THE STATE. Guy Montag is Bradbury's protagonist. He is a "fireman" of a Gestapo-like police force whose duty is to burn books...and if necessary, their readers. The hero of the tale is a spunky, precocious teenager named Clarisse. Her subtle insolence and genuine love of knowledge... most learned vicariously by READING...and life prods Montag into spiritual-intellectual rebirth. Montag, the book-burner, transforms into a rebel-reader and finally an outlaw dedicated to the overthrow of 4 5 1 fascism. Captain Beatty is commander of the 451 police force. He defends...like Dostoyevsky's Grand Inquisitor..the meretricious appeal of "ignorance as bliss". State "Happiness Boys" fund and encourage stultifying mediocrity that dehumanzes citizens by keeping them distracted with government-distributed drugs and zones for approved exercises in violence and distruction. At the center of this Bread-and-Circuses Culture of Death, however, is suppression of thought that makes invention and individuality possible. Bradbury's novel operates on many levels. On basic levels it demonstrates the banality of evil that self-absorption in rank ignorance breeds. On higher levels the novel functions as an allegory demonstrating DECONSTRUCTION of human beings as relational creatures (Montag's wife betrays him for a TV set and momentary "glory" on an Ophra Winfrey-like television show). Ultimately FAHRENHEIT 451 is an anti-fairy tale. It is a fable of future fascism at our door-step with PC as smiling doorman welcoming conformity at the expense of excellence. Many readers scoffed at the passing of 1984 without devolution into Orwellian dictatorship. Can similar readers identify the ubiquitous mark of 4 5 1 pervading our culture, academia and politics now?
Rating: Summary: Don't Censor Me Just Because I'm Beautiful! Review: Everyone who reads this book (but especially Americans) should be outraged. Bradbury takes an ugly stick and beats the present day American philosophy down with it. We are a society based on instant gratification. Our slogan is "Right here, Right now. It's your Right!" (How many magazines about fashion, cars, and the ever expanding number of ways to cook chicken can we read before our curiousity is deadened?). This is the type of thinking that Bradbury criticized. What especially frightened me was the concept of MAKING everyone equal. Paradoxally, this is the dumbing down of America, so that no one could be made to feel dumb. It is in settling for society's values without critical judgement that we give up our freedom. Thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for putting it much more eloquently and forcefully than I ever could. Now everyone out there reading this ... BUY the book, READ the book, then tell me if you aren't outraged at the lack of neuron firings in the heads of our society.
Rating: Summary: Fahrenheit 451 Review: I chose this book because I have read Ray's books before and enoyed them. The title seemed interesting, so I took it. His style of writing can be confusing, so you must concentrate while reading. I gave this book a "thumbs up" because it had an unexpected ending.
Rating: Summary: Why Burn Your Books? Review: This wonderfully written science Fiction book is a thought provoking and has two very good qualities. First of all, with Fahrenheit 451 you must read between the lines to find out what Bradbury is really saying. Not only is Bradbury writing a wonderfully twisted novel, but, to me, he is also saying that people are afraid of new or interesting ideas and, since books are full of them, these people will burn the books to put an end to ideas that may cause trouble for "society." Of course, as with all of Bradbury's books, it is open to interpretation because of its weird and different look at life and some of life's hard facts. Bradbury's characters have been created with a depth that creates a realistic quality. This depth makes you want to know them, yet, in a way, you feel that you already do. We follow Guy Montag through his insanity knowing he is not insane, it's the rest of his world that is nuts. We grieve when his friend Clarisse McClellan dies because she is more in touch with reality than anyone else is. In all, this great book wraps you up in its story of everyday life in the future, with all its twists and turns. In other words, don't burn this one.
Rating: Summary: Scary Thought Review: Bradbury's classic is another look at how the world could be headed for literary distruction. In his own thoughts at the end of this novel he compares the actual burning of books to the figurative slow burning of books by abridging. He believes that every book should be left in it's original text as the auther so intended; every verb, adjective and comma. This book is a must read for all appreciaters of any type of literature. It reinforced my forgotten belief of a book's true value. So throw down that remote and pick up a good novel, unless of course there's a good episode of Seinfeld on ... or a good movie... and of course you have to watch the world series, and every other sports playoffs .... ahhhh forget books they take up to much time anyway. That didn't last long, did it?
Rating: Summary: Today's Values Found in an Evil, Futuristic Culture Review: Guy Montag is a fireman who's job requires him to efficiently burn books when a call enters the station. In the future, the government, in control of millions of people, decides to make reading books against the law, fearing that a literate society would destroy itself. Guy, through the vision of a young girl and an old English professor, discovers his own wonderment of his surroundings, triggered through great ideas found in books. Discovering this universal wonderment lies at the foundation of the author's main theme, highlighted brilliantly through his distorted and domineering society. With this futuristic society and a distortion of trends found in today's culture, Bradbury captures his reader's attention and makes them open their eyes, hearts, and mind to the true importance of independent intellectual enhancement through reading.
Rating: Summary: Una joya bien labrada Review: Este libro de Bradbury tiene un fondo impresionate con una historia original, fresca y aterradora pero a la vez una naracion tan detallada y bien hecha que uno tiene que terminar de leer el libro tan pornto pasa las primeras dos paginas. Es un futuro aterrador el que plantea (imaginese vivir sin Amazon.com ni nada que se le paresca) pero su mente elavora muy bien la historia y no se mete en detalles tecnicos como, que año es, como se monitorean las personas o comofuncionan los aparatatos. Toma toco cono un futuro ya establecido que no requiere mas explicación que la indispensable para la historia. Una joya literaria para degustar con una lectura pasuada pero sin pausas.
Rating: Summary: how bad? not worthy of a star! i was forced to put something Review: ok at first i jumped at the idea when in the future they burn books since i am not a big book worm. then when i started reading it i frequently got lost! you cannot wonder or your like "what?" the plot is dumb i could have done whole lot better! in the description too. and then i came to a conclusion "its a book and it talks about banning abd burning books"...hmmm.... "how dumb!"
Rating: Summary: Why Hate A Book Written For You? Review: First off this is an excellent book. I'll not bother to say what it's about 'cos everyone else has already done that. What I will say is that this book was written for all of you out there who hated it and want to see it burned. This book tells what is today so very well, with the poetic pose that Bradbury alone can use. No wonder he's only the second person EVER to be printed in TIME, and virtually every major magazine. In one sceen Montag reads poetry to a room of guests, they all burst into tears. The reason for this? They have never heard anything like it before, and can't understand it. Step into any high school English class and you'll find the same thing, kids not understanding and hating the book. Many people hate this book, they don't understand it. It describes mode day perfectly. Look at any college library were they have books that have been banned for being "intororant" "Little House On The Prairie", "The Bible" books that offended. In the world described in this book all, books offend, nobody understand them and if one person doesn't get it WHOOSH! up in flames it goes. That's why student's today read dull gutless books by contemporaries, instead of books to make you think like something by Dante, or Milton. God forbid the poor kid not understand something. A 12-year-old wrote, "This book is supposed to be about the future, but talks it resembles today" NO KIDDING! This alone shows the greatness of this book, it was written 50 years ago, and tells us about ourselves. They also claimed they could "not relate to anyone in the book." What a shock! Got news kid this was written for adults, of COURSE you couldn't relate, how could you? Unless you're abnormally intelligent they couldn't. The teacher who assigned this book to a class of 12-year-olds should have their head examined; they weren't going to get it. Some people say Bradbury has a negative outlook on the future. Anyone who was read a book by him knows that. The reason? Bradbury has a firm grasp on reality, and knows that humans are evil, and will ultimately destroy themselves. He has good cause to be pessimistic, he looks at the modern world and shakes his head, and then try's to do something about it by educating us. For those of you who want to be educated, and are bright enough to understand this book, and the truth it shows, buy it. For the rest of you. Buy a meaningless book by I know not who, and find why nobody knows who they are. And leave book meant for bright people with eyes in their heads alone.
Rating: Summary: Strengths in 451 Review: Depending on who you are, there are different messages provided in this book. To a reader in the 50's, this book may just seem like a chilling, futuristic novel. More can be seen by the modern reader because the actual science fiction portion of the book is less distracting. All of the devices described in the book we either already have, or now know are impossible to create within this new century. For example, the interactive "family" Millie was so involved in could be around any day now to consume our loved ones. The mechanical hound, on the other hand, won't be. When the creativity and dazzling ideas of the "future" are lost, the morals and messages become more defined. Bradbury was probably more accurate than he would have ever thought, as we move towards a more lazy America. Some of these messages seem more religious then anything else. They inspire to take advantage of the moment, and be thankful for what we have been provided. No matter how advanced we become, nothing will replace picnics and family values. Although these things have deteriorated over time thanks to technology, they should always be practiced if only for tradition
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