Social Criticism in Fahrenheit 451

Social Criticism in Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury wrote the novel Fahrenheit 451, which is a story about a society that believed books were for burning and where thinking was discouraged. Throughout the novel there are several incidents that can be considered a social criticism for today’s standards. Subjects that refer to         1) schooling knowledge, 2) the way society is conformed, 3) the diminishing of family values and 4) the ways the books are perceived are all examples of social criticisms in this novel. These incidents help establish the atmosphere for the society in Fahrenheit 451.

There are several examples from the novel where circumstances refer to school and knowledge that are socially criticized. The first example involves the schooling in this society.

“An hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports,...we never ask questions, or at least most of us don’t; they just run the answer at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher.” (Ray Bradbury, 1953, p.29)

This quotation refers to social criticism   because at school the so-called teachers, (ex. Film teacher) fills the students heads full of facts and makes them remember only things that they want their students to know. “School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histoires, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored.” (Ray Bradbury, 1953, p.55)   This refers to the depreciation of school and knowledge. In today’s society school and everything taught at school is essential for our futures. In their society, technology has become more important. Also, they see less educated people easier to control. At school,

“the word, ‘intellectual’, of course, became the swear word it deserved to be...the boy in your class who was exceptionally ‘bright’, did most of the reciting and answering while the...