Sunday, November 29, 2009

The Pedestrian and Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 shows a world filled with rage and anger. The motive driving people are no longer books, but TV and electronics. Similarly The Pedestrian shows a common picture of “zombification” of the people. Both books represent plausible future views of society and mankind.
Both books represent humanities progress and its side effects. By using the power of metaphors and similies, the authors show the reader the “downfall” of the world. The stories take place in the future, where everything is computerized. Like Mr. Mead, Guy Montag` has realized the significance of books. The main personage Mr. Mead is also an outcast who doesn’t believe in TV and modern technology. Although they both are different than the others in their communities, there is a big contrast in their actions. Guy Montag on one side is a person, who shows that he has a strong character and stands up for his rights. While doing his job, he realizes that he has found out that nooks are actually fun to read. Guy starts to understand that he has to fight for the books and in his quest he finds a person, who shares the same values. On the other side, Mr. Mead is a person, who is afraid of breaking the rules and thus he surrenders to the police, without fighting for his ideals. His poetic soul has been destroyed by the harshness of life and therefore he has forfeited to the metal voice.
The two novels Fahrenheit 451 and The Pedestrian show that his kind of perspective could happen in our own time. Not wanting to believe is not the right way. Both books show are examples of what humanity should not do. They are a message to the people that we must learn from them, not just read them. A similar kind of future is truly possible and standing away from it can lead to a big problem in society.

1 comment:

  1. This book review is based on a topic, which truly concerns people nowadays. Using examples from both books you have managed to raise awareness of this scary, but plausible future. I agree with you that nowadays people are spending more time on the computer, then with a book. It is also possible that with an advance in technologies soon everything would be computerized. Another thing which impressed me was how you used figures as “metaphors and similes”, to prove your point. However, you may have added more examples, to back up your thesis. Other thing, which I found confusing, was that it was not very clear to a person who has not read both books, who are the people who you are mainly talking about. It is clear that they are the main characters, but it is not very easy to understand, which of them is from the Pedestrian and which is from Fahrenheit 451. Another minor problem with you piece is that you have few typing mistakes; probably you haven’t noticed them while writing. For example: “nooks”, instead of books and “his”, instead of this. Nevertheless, I appreciate the massage, which you were trying to convey. As a whole I enjoyed reading your review, and I am even thinking of buying and reading those books, because you got me interested.

     BiBi

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