I think we still read Fahrenheit 451 because its message is so important. It reminds people to think about their lives and not to cut things down to make things faster. If people did not have a reminder about things like that, who knows what would happen. Just a thought here, but is it not kind of funny that the author wrote a book about the future destruction of books?
How incredible is it that the author predicted so well what our society would become. How in God’s name did he know that everything would become about doing things quickly, with as little thought involved as possible? He even knew how popular television would become, all the way back in the forties. People think so little today that I have to wonder what the world would be like without this book, maybe people would be even worse off than they are.
When I read this book, it made me think of a world without books, which is a very frightening thought. Besides pointing out problems, the book made me appreciate the books that I have and have read. Books are the way I learn, and the way I meet great people who wrote down their thoughts. If Ayn Rand had not written down what was in her head, I would not be who I am, and I can not imagine what my mind would be like. Books and the ideas convey change those who read them. Whether it is adding them to a list of thing they believe in, or making a decision about an idea being wrong, books help a person shape their mind.
Fahrenheit 451 makes people slow down and think about things and makes people appreciate books much more. It is really amazing to me how close to the future the author came, except for the prediction of nuclear wars and such (Bradbury 73). No wonder this book is still read when it has such a wonderful message.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1996. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment