Many countries have different kinds of leadership. They range from dictators to royalty, to multiple people having government leadership. The purpose of the government is to deal with laws, foreign countries, and, in a way, to gain power. The government will do what it takes to maintain power in the world and over its people. Censorship is one of the ways to prevent its people from knowing its countries flaws. Fahrenheit 451 provides a first- person view for life in a world of censors. The book provides details of the many things the government can censor.
This includes Literature, News and Media, Entertainment, Internet, and all forms of communication. Literature comes in many varieties Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Biography, etc. Literature is one of the main sources of knowledge. Literature contains stories that tell the different aspects, facts, and emotions of life. Censoring literature can lessen creativity and independence in people. It will be far easier for a bureaucracy to control its people if they remain silent. In Fahrenheit 451, the government censors all books by burning them.
The government have iremen, in this world, burn books and the houses that contain them. In this world, the government teaches people that books are offensive and unfair. Beatty, a chief fireman, explains, “Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book” (Ray Bradbury, 59). The government convinces the people that books are bad for them. The people listen and they will follow suit. They put their trust before everything to someone or a group if they have a high enough status.
During World War 2, Hitler is ble to convince his followers that most books are “un-german”. They have a problem and the solution is simple, destroy the books. In response to Hitler’s beliefs, “university students burned upwards of 25,000 volumes of “un-german” books, presaging an era of state censorship and control of culture” (Holocaust Memorial Museum: Book Burning). Hitler is a dictator who uses his speeches to convince of his ideals. If he burns all books that he believes are “un-german”, then everyone will have the same beliefs and ideals as him. Hitler will be in control of cultural beliefs.
In both scenarios, it ends up leaving what fact and opinion is to the higher power. Burning books is the loss of human passion. The removal of literature is removing the human thought process between right and wrong. Media and news is a large factor in a human’s knowledge. It tells the brain of what is going on in the world. A person puts their trust in Media and News, believing every word. All it takes is some vague evidence and the populace believes it as fact. In Fahrenheit 451, all news and media outlets spread information that the government alters before release.
In the media, they explain how the war is not something the people shall worry about. They reinsure the people that the war is something they are going to win without a doubt. Another example is when Montag is attempting to escape capture and succeeds. The news and media outlets search for a solution and find one. Since they can not find Montag they use an “unusual” man as his decoy. “They can’t admit it. So they’re sniffing for a scapegoat to end things with a bang. lt saves face”, this is how the government plants the image that everything turns out perfect (Ray Bradbury, 148).
Since there is no evidence that the government ever fails then people believe that it never will. Russia uses the same tactics to gain dutch votes. Harry Van Bommel convinces voters to vote against a trade pact with Ukraine by using a ukrainian team to help persuade voters. However this “team”, “.. were actually from Russia, or from breakaway Russian- speaking regions of Ukraine, and parroted the Kremlin line. ” (The New York Times: Fake News, Fake Ukrainians). The team appear in media and news outlets and use social media to denounce Ukraine’s pro-Western government.
They win enough votes and the trade pact is invalid. They use the trust of the media for their own goals. They are not a large group however they manage to spread their ideals through mass media. Mass media is a large platform that anyone with the status, finance, or determination can use to spread ideals. All the person needs is a little evidence, even if it is vague at times. A source of enjoyment for an average person is entertainment. Whenever young or old, people will find themselves looking for it. The main source for entertainment is tv shows and movies.
People take influence from characters in shows and movies. They have empathy towards the characters’ life and feelings. Fahrenheit 451 reminds us that people can truly get influence from entertainment. Entertainment “.. is an environment as real as the world. It becomes and is the truth. Books can be beaten down with reason. But with all my knowledge and scepticism, I have never been able to argue with a one-hundred-piece symphony orchestra, full colour, three dimensions, and I being in and part of those incredible parlours” (Ray Bradbury, ) The government makes all entertainment focus on happiness.
They avoid topics like death, grief, and fear. The people have become empty because they only have one emotion. They become so empty that they ignore the news of war and the sound of the jets and bombs in the sky. They do not and can not worry about war because they do not know how to. They also never have seen something as tragic as death, or losing someone. If a person does not experience or know fear, then they have no worries. The United States have forbid entertainment they believe is “unamerican”. America censors foreign movies showing unacceptable ideals or views of America.
It is less severe than Fahrenheit 451 but encouraging these actions can lead to greater future censorship (The Huffington Post: America Do Not Censor). Taking away certain characters influence the people greatly. The people search for entertainment everyday, limiting it will force the people to watch whatever is available. They will watch the tv shows with different ideals and get influence from it. Entertainment is a way of life for many. If the government controls entertainment, they control the people. Another source of knowledge is the internet.
It is also the source f news, media, and entertainment. It is one of the biggest sources of influence. If the government controls the internet, they control the culture. If the government does not like an ideal or opinion, they can censor or remove it completely. In North Korea, the government excessively censors the internet. The Telegraphic describes North Korea’s internet as “a lot smaller than was initially believed, containing just 28 websites in total, including an insurance company, sports website and site containing culinary information and recipes… ” (The Telegraphic: North Korea’s Internet).
The North Korean government censors anything it sees as offensive or disrespectful. Including news that makes the government lose face. All websites and news on the North Korean internet tells about how the country and the leader are a first-class country. The government can control the way people see them through the internet. A way people socialize is through direct or indirect communication. In the world today, there are many ways to communicate. Most indirect ways of communication are through electronics or technology. The most common device used is a smart phone.
