Brett Thompson

Mrs. Cramer

Comp 1

Date

Fahrenheit 451 Essay

The book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury shows why censorship is bad, and is relatable

to the world right now. The author uses symbolism, the characters, and the overall plot of the

book to show censorship and how its bad throughout the entire book.

One of the ways Bradbury shows censorship is through the plot of the book. The book is

about the burning of all books to destroy all knowledge that could possibly expose an authority

figure for being wrong in some way. On page 60 it says “Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright

and fire is clean." It is said by captain Beatty in part 1 of the book. This shows censorship because

Captain Beatty is saying to burn all the books, and refers to the fire as clean, and that the fire would

clean the books. So, the books were censored by being burned.

Another way Bradbury shows censorship is through symbolism. The firefighters in the

book all have the number 451 on their helmets. This symbolizes the temperature that paper is

burned at. The number 451 becomes the symbol of being a fireman. Being a fireman in Fahrenheit

451 is not the same as in real life. Firefighters in the book do not put out fire, but instead they burn

books. This shows censorship because once again it represents the burning of books.

The author Ray Bradbury uses examples of censorship throughout the book, and he uses

the characters to show why it is bad. Montag is a firefighter and is one of the main characters in the
book. He has been told his whole life that books are burned to hide information that is bad for the

world, but he meets a girl who makes him doubt what he has been told by Captain Beatty. Captain

Beatty. Captain Beatty is the captain of the firefighters who tells Montag books are

burned/censored to keep the world from unjust information. Montag learns though that this is not

true.

The author uses Montag change in opinion to show how censorship is bad. Burning books

represented censorship, but Montag realizes that although they say it is for good, it is actually bad.

He realizes that people are being punished for knowing the truth and having the knowledge that

books bring. If someone is found with a book, they burn the entire house down, and the person

who owned the book in punished. Montag realizes that this is wrong, and that people have the right

to gain the knowledge of books.

Ray Bradbury shows that censorship is bad in the book Fahrenheit 451. He does this

through symbolism, the plot of the story, and through the characters. Censorship in the book is

represented by the burning of books to keep knowledge from people. Bradbury shows through the

characters that censorship is wrong and that books should not be burned.
 Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012. Fahrenheit 451. New York :Simon and Schuster, 1967.