Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

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When has it ever been right for a book to be destroyed based on the beliefs of an opposing person/group? Similar in parts to today’s modern society, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury tells the story of a man named Guy Montag whose job is to burn books. He continues to do so without hesitation until he meets Clarisse McClellan , his spunky neighbor, who forces Montag to open his eyes and question everything he has ever known, including his own happiness. Soon after Montag begins to read books, something that is forbidden based on a prejudice the government has against them, he stands up for himself against Beatty, the fire captain, along with society. He finally manages to see the truth in world with the help of Faber, a former professor, and books. …show more content…
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag and Faber are in the midst of a conversation when Montag comes to the conclusion that he has no one to confide in except Faber. Faber then asks Montag why he has come to the sudden change of heart, since only a few days ago he was a devoted fireman, and Montag in turn replies, “‘I don’t know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years. So, I thought books might help’” (Bradbury 78). Without books, many people with slowly, but surely, become unhappy. Books are like scapegoats for a vast amount of people and they are being taken away, then not only do these people lose their escapes, but the lose a sense of happiness as well. They might not notice it immediately, but eventually they will and when they do they will find that their a gaping hole in their hearts that books once filled. Books can not be censored because they tend to make millions of people happy. Even in their darkest days, they turn to books and without them they will feel a sense of nothingness. In the article “Local Ban on Books Stirs Up Controversy over Censorship” by Sarah Yung, the author mentions the idea that books give adults and teens a chance to experience things that they might never …show more content…
In the article “The Wilds of Education” by Frank Bruni, the author centers the article on the idea that children should be allowed to learn about certain subject and content while in the classroom. He also notes that many books have been removed from various curriculums simply because an inappropriate topic that was mentioned once or twice throughout the entire book. He then writes that the Jefferson County School District, “raised the possibility of pruning the curriculum of books and material that could be seen to exalt civil disobedience and promote unpatriotic thoughts” (Bruni 1). There have been many instances when citizens have been known to verbalize and promote thoughts that might be seen as unpatriotic to others. However, it is a given right that citizens are allowed the right to freedom of speech. With that being said, books should not be removed just because the express the thoughts of authors. These authors are allowed or express themselves in any way, shape, or form whether some find this content offensive or not. Even important dates in history revolve around citizens expressing unpatriotic thoughts, but that does not mean that they should be censored for such reasons. Not only do these books teach readers important lessons, but they show them that they have the right convey their thoughts however they want to as long as it

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