City of Nothingness

 Table of Contents

Bai 2

First Paragraph .......................................................................................................................4 Second Paragraph...................................................................................................................4 Third Paragraph .....................................................................................................................5 Fourth Paragraph....................................................................................................................6 Fifth Paragraph.......................................................................................................................7

 Outline I. Introduction II. Censorship of Knowledge A. Persecution of the learned B. Burning of the books C. Death of Clarisse III. Technological Domination A. High Tech B. Little intimate relationships C. Fast-paced life IV. Fulfillment of Secular Pleasures A. Urgency of immediacy B. Storing of comic books and sex magazines C. Continual intake of drugs/ Suicide V. Conclusion

Bai 3

 James Bai Mrs. Panks Fahrenheit 451 essays 23 May 2011 City of Nothingness

Bai 4

What did you give to the city, Montag? Ashes. What did the others give to each other? Nothingness, states Guy Montag, the protagonist, as he ponders over the wasteful and destructive contributions he has made to a city, which is already teeming with potential for havoc. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, clearly portrays a thoughtless society that plummets down to the bottom without even noticing its fall. Montag, the fireman, burns books, but as a series of enlightenments strike, he slowly realizes that his knowledge is coming from the books that he burns. Faber, a retired professor, becomes Montags main source of realization, and Beatty, Montags captain, serves as the opposing figure that slows their rebellion. As they sit on each of Montags shoulders pelting words, Montags feelings toward books become ambivalent. It is not one individual, but a city that is slowly being engulfed underneath the lack of knowledge. Modern Societys destructive tendency toward censorship of knowledge, technological domination, and fulfillment of secular pleasures is clearly prophesized in this novel. In Montags society, basic knowledge is so altered and censored to the point where there is no standard of truth to base any ideas upon. Mr. Montag, you are looking at a coward. I saw the way things were going, a long time back. I said nothing, confesses Faber as he admits his fear of persecution, because he is well educated. Granger and the people living near the desolated railroad are also victims of
student 6/10/11 11:07 PM Comment: Anyone can prophesize..?? wow that's boring student 6/10/11 11:08 PM Deleted: drowning student 6/10/11 11:08 PM Deleted: impedes student 6/10/11 11:06 PM Comment: What did montag slowly realize?

Bai 5 the authorities, for most of them are professors, scientists, and have highly esteemed professions. There are those who run, but there are also those who stay faithful. The main policy for the firemen in the novel is to burn the books no matter the circumstances, such as when the old woman in Elm city showing devotion to her books quietly declares, I want to stay here, as the fire slowly smothers her and everything she possesses. This incineration of each page symbolizes the destruction of every detail the author manages to harmonize together into a book. It is not the book itself that matters, but each and every layer of details that is thought out, step by step. One incident that reveals the true conditions of the society is the sudden death of Clarisse, from whom Montag receives a new perspective to see his surroundings for the first time. Luckily, queer ones like her dont happen often. We know how to nip most of them in the bud, early, declares Beatty. He suggests that an accidental death of a girl that has been falsely depicted as abnormal is not to be made into a big fuss. By nipping the buds early, he implies the authorities are establishing a city of censorship with no room for enlightenment and reformation. The fear of knowledge gives birth to the lack of knowledge that slowly emaciates and deteriorates the city, from inside out. Technological domination is very evident in the city as it starts to envelop around the lifestyle of the people. As technology becomes more advanced, the people become more attracted to them, and they find themselves not able to live without them. The most treasured machine is the Mechanical Hound, which can detect smell extraordinarily well and injects its prey with procaine for the kill. Another aspect of the technology-controlled culture is the televisions that distract their viewers by covering nearly all the walls of a room in a house. Intimate relationships are hard to locate in any families. For example, Mildred considers an insignificant soap opera as
student 6/10/11 11:08 PM Deleted: engulfs

Bai 6 her family, rather than her tangible husband, Montag. I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten, I put up with them when they come home three days a month Theyd just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back! says Mrs. Bowles when she describes her real family to Guy, Mildred, and Mrs. Phelps. There is not a genuine concept of a family in her mind. Having a husband and children is only a way of reproduction, as she says, Ive had two children by Caesarian section. No use going through all that agony for a baby. The world must reproduce The practice of heavy nurture and intimate relationships was almost extinct in the minds of these people. Things began to have mass. And because they had mass, they became simpler, says Beatty as he remarks that the books and video clips are cut short to introduce a fast-paced life more suitable to the peoples lives. Technology is the centrifuge that flings off all unnecessary, time-wasting thoughts that are inefficient. Instead of becoming more intelligent human beings, it is as if the people are evolving backwards, all the way back when they were just beginning to develop technology. There is very much an idea of individuality, but it is within the scope of selfishness and the fulfillment of the peoples own secular pleasures. Not only do the people require pleasure and satisfaction, but also they are in urgency of immediacy. The Mechanical Hound is brought from another district to quickly end the search of Montag, and the citizens are urged to engage in the search so that they do not lose interest of the hunt so soon. The authorities cant afford to let down the expectations of the public; therefore, before losing their attention, they capture a scapegoat to disguise as Montag. It is illegal to store thought-provoking books, but books that satisfy the needs and imaginations of the people are released to the public. It didnt come from the Government downTechnology, mass exploitation, and minority

Bai 7 pressure carried the trick, thank God, says Beatty as he explains that the people, not the government, choose comic books and sex magazines to survive. It is the bland mind of the people that desires superficial pleasure over the happiness of rich knowledge. These minds alike become the nine to ten people a night that need the suction snake to lower the toxin level in their blood. What? Did we have a wild party or something? asks Mildred, after receiving a treatment from the blood pump last night, recalling nothing of her countless intakes of drugs. There is no big enough knowledge that stimulates her conscience to be aware of how temporary pleasures are meaningless compared to the effect the drugs may have on her. The sweet but shortlived pleasure the people constantly strive for becomes the drug itself, degrading the ability to think and destroying it from the bud, early. The society with so much censorship, a lifestyle dominated by technology, and the people that seek and pursue their own pleasures and needs is the perfect ingredient to the destruction of the city. It is true that the overarching power of censorship really blinds the ability to think properly. Nevertheless, responsibility lies in the people themselves as they let technology overrun their lives. With the conveniences of technology, the people in Montags society reject any opportunities to gain knowledge and satisfy their curiosity. They simply scorn the very feeling of complication and uneasiness by starting to pursue their own secular pleasures. As Montag answers his own question, What did the others give to each other? with Nothingness, the city comes crumbling down destroying everything underneath, leaving a room full of nothingness.

 Reference

Bai 8

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.