Emma Kiser

AP Lang
Grubb
4/17/17

Fahrenheit 451 Synthesis Essay

Ray Bradbury was a man of many hats in the literary world. As a novelist, short story

writer, poet and playwright, Bradbury was well versed and widely known. In 1951, TV and

comic book adaptations of his short stories brought his works to a larger audience. While many

considered his stories science fiction, Bradbury refuted this saying they were of fantasy

because science fiction is a depiction of the real, fantasy is a depiction of the unreal.

Fahrenheit 451 is an example of Bradburys fantasied stories, as well as one of his most popular

and highly acclaimed novels. Bradburys literary works earned him many awards and overtime

have become a standard on high school reading lists. Devoting several hours a day to writing,

Bradbury published a total of thirty books, almost six hundred short stories, as well as many

poems, plays and essays. His dedication to writing that began early in his life never faded, he

remained passionate about his work and his style reflected that attitude (Ray Bradbury).

Written in the early 1950s, Fahrenheit 451 was published during a time of war, fear, and

new technology. The Cold War brought a rise to the Red Scare throughout the country where

many citizens lived in fear of Communism. This led to a push for conformity among Americans

and many unsupported allegations known as McCarthyism. Many more liberal minded people

had large concerns in regards to their freedom to read books following the Nazi book burnings

during WWII, and the rise of the television as means of communication also seemed to threaten

this freedom. Bradbury originally wrote Fahrenheit 451 as a short story called The Fireman,

later expanding this story into a novel during the surrounding societal tensions. Throughout the
novel, Bradbury incorporated a role of conformity and an underlying fear into the futuristic,

dystopian world. By integrating events and emotions of the 1950s into his novel under other

contexts, Fahrenheit 451 is a reflection of the war and fear stricken times that surrounded it

(Fahrenheit 451- History Matters).

When Fahrenheit 451 was published and put out on the shelves, its popularity wasnt

immediate, but came gradually over time. While most said positive things about the novel, some

critics disagreed with how Bradbury seemed to stand the intellectuals in opposition of the masses

rather than the individual against the state (Fahrenheit 451- Introduction). In the novel, this

opposition was presented in terms of those who owned and hid books (the intellectuals), and the

pressures from the cookie-cutter society surrounding them (the masses). Aside from this

criticism, many acclaim this as one of Bradburys best works, finding it as an accurate metaphor

of the censorship and McCarthy era largely present at the time. This novel had the ability to

resonate with the American people living in fear of communism and the fear of being accused for

not conforming (Literary Elements and Critical Reception). Throughout the years, having

become a part of high school reading lists, Fahrenheit 451 is now read and seen as not only a

descriptive and interesting story, but as insight into part of our countrys history.

Works Cited
"Fahrenheit 451 - History Matters." Google Sites. Web.

<http://sites.google.com/a/bay.k12.fl.us/history-matters/reading-and-writing/fahrenheit-451>

"Fahrenheit 451 - Introduction" Contemporary Literary Criticism Ed. Deborah A. Stanley. Vol.

98. Gale Cengage 1997 eNotes.com 19 Apr, 2017

"Literary Elements and Critical Reception." Fahrenheit451nicoparker - Literary Elements and

Critical Reception. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

"Ray Bradbury." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 31 July 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.