Fahrenheit 451

Yesterday on LISNEWS an article was linked to titled, “Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted”. The gist of the article was that Fahrenheit 451 is not about censorship but about people not thinking.

The key paragraph in Fahrenheit 451 about this point is spoken by Captain Beatty, “It didn’t come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time.”

At Ray Bradbury’s website you can watch a clip of his comments on censorship / television. He specifically mentions librarians so it is worthwhile to see the clip if you are a librarian.

I also recommend this article: The Failure of Fahrenheit 451