Contemporary Themes
In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451
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Four themes

Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1953, toward the end of McCarthyism and at the beginning of the escalation of the Cold War. The theme for which the book is most famous is censorship. While censorship is one of the themes of the book, there are other themes in the book which are equally important to our students today, notably the role of entertainment in life, political correctness, and necessities for happiness.

Our goal here is to explore briefly these themes from Fahrenheit 451 and to suggest activities which would tie these themes to our modern society and to the students' lives.

Censorship

Censorship is a key theme in Fahrenheit 451, perhaps the theme for which it is most famous. In the world of 451, books are burned because they trigger thought and discontent, two things which are unwelcome in this "happiness oriented" society..

What's interesting about censorship in 451 is that it seems to have originated with the people, not the government's desire to control. People were unhappy and discontented, so the government acted to remove the sources of their unhappiness and to enhance their lives with activities which would prevent them from thinking and, thus, being unhappy.

Censorship in many forms continues to be a part of our lives, though not so blatant or extensive as in 451. Schools across the country are subjected regularly efforts to censor what is read and taught. Media, too, is often censored (often by the same groups which attempt to censor schools).

Much of the censorship we now experience results from the same motivations explored in 451. As Beatty explained to Montag, they burn books because the ideas in the books offend "minorities." Note that the word "minorities" in 451 refers to more than just racial or life-style status. It includes just about everyone. Any group of people with a common interest or background is considered a minority, even teachers. When everyone is classified as a minority (and sensitive to that fact), anyone can easily be offended.

Exploring examples of censorship and attempted censorship (current and historical) is an excellent activity for students reading Fahrenheit 451. Here are some ideas you might adapt to your classroom.

Have students research current incidents of censorship, both direct and indirect. Include efforts by groups to pressure schools and others into removing objectionable materials. (For example, several years ago in our area, a local fundamentalist religious group objected to a liberal religious column being run in a large newspaper. The newspaper refused to remove the column, so the group mounted a telephone campaign which tied up the newspaper's phone lines for three days, effectively shutting down their ability to gather news and conduct business. Members of the group would call and hang up immediately when someone answered, making it impossible to trace the calls and stop the harassment. The newspaper eventually had to remove the column to stay in business.)
Have students research the groups or types of individuals most frequently advocating censorship. Have students examine their techniques, their reasons, and any support they get from organizations.
Have students explore which books and films have been the most frequent targets of censorship. Why are these books and films most often attacked? Who most often attacks them and why?
Research efforts at censorship in your own community, both in school and in the media. What complaints have teachers, administrators and editors most often encountered? How are these complaints handled?
Create a collage of a censored book(s) or film(s). Perhaps do the collage in the form of a mandala, where you explore with symbols and quotes both side of the entire issue.
Examine censorship in the music industry and the industry's efforts to self-regulate. Again, look at the most frequently attacked music and why it is attached. Deal fairly with both sides of the issue.
Examine how books are reviewed and approved in your own school. What steps are taken to be sure that the book used in the classroom are fair and worthwhile. What would be the process if someone objected to a book and wanted it removed from the classroom? What safeguards are in place to prevent a small, vocal group from using censorship to promote its own views on the general public?

Entertainment

Neil Postman has written that we are "entertaining ourselves to death." One recurring theme in Fahrenheit 451 is the role of entertainment as a drug or addiction, as a means for the individual to avoid thinking or a technique for the government to keep people from thinking, and thus from being discontent.

Beatty, the fire chief, lectures Montag on this subject at length early in the book. He explains the value of entertainment, including sports: "More sports for everyone, group spirit, fun, and you don't have to think, eh? More cartoons. More books. More pictures. The mind drinks less and less." Later he says,

If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war. If the government is inefficient, topheavy, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it. Peace, Montag. Give the people contests they can win by remembering the words to more popular songs! Cram them full of nonconbustible data, chock them so damned full of `facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely `brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving.

Beatty's comments suggest several interesting activities:

Have students read some of Postman's writings and draw parallels between them and Fahrenheit 451. What are Postman's main concerns or observations. What dangers does he see? Are there examples or statistics to support his observations?
Have students look at the importance of entertainment in their own lives or in the lives of their friends (what sorts of entertainment do they enjoy, how often, and what other activities is entertainment replacing)
Look at how entertainment is marketed to us and how it affects us.
Examine the salaries paid to entertainers (television, film, sports, etc.) who endorse products. Why are they paid so much? Who makes the most? How much money is spent on endorsements? Where does that money come from (for example, how much extra do products cost us because of the endorsement)? How much do companies pay to have their products used prominently in films?
Research how commercials and advertisements are produced to be both entertaining and convincing.
Research addiction and its causes. Is entertainment addictive? Can it serve the same purposes as drugs or alcohol?
Beatty suggests that mindless entertainment can weaken or destroy the mind. Is there evidence of this? Examine research done on the effects of different forms of entertainment on our ability to think, learn and comprehend.

Political Correctness

One of the key reasons books are banned in the world of Fahrenheit 451 is that books offend minorities, which means any group with a common link of some kind. With the current climate in our country where virtually anything can be considered offensive to some one, the world of Fahrenheit 451 may be more real than we would like to imagine. Here are some ideas for students along the lines of political correctness.

Research examples of government regulations (or government harassment) of private businesses and individuals for "unfair" labor practices (that is, practices which discriminate against minorities). ABC's "20/20" recently did a segment on two examples of this problem.
Examine lawsuits filed for discrimination in hiring or promotion to find out what the most common complaints are and how the suits are resolved.
Look at recent examples of advertising or media stories being attacked or pulled because they offended one group or another (for example, the dog on the Taco Bell commercial).
Find out how news editors (print and broadcast) determine what to report, how much time stories receive, and where they are placed in the newspaper or the newscast. To what extent do fears about political correctness affect their decisions? To what extent do sponsors influence in news content or presentation?
Read the letters-to-the-editor in several newspapers for a week or two, looking for concerns about political correctness. Collect examples and draw conclusions.
Interview people on both sides of politically correctness issues locally.

Happiness

One of the most interesting parts of Fahrenheit 451 is happiness. Faber, Montag's friend who was a former college professor, listed and discussed three things a person needs for true happiness (p. 83). In summary, to be happy, a persons needs:

quality information with depth
leisure time to digest the information and think (leisure time, not free time)
the right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the first two.

The happiness theme ties into the theme on entertainment. Are we really happy when we are kept occupied or amused? Here are some ideas you might have students try:

Look at Beatty's speech to Montag (pages 53-62). What techniques does Beatty advocate for keeping people happy? What parallels do you see between Beatty's ideas and our own modern society, especially in the area of occupying people's minds with trivia?
Examine each of Faber's three necessities for happiness. Does our culture provide them? Look, also, at the increasing number of hours of work required to live (For example, about 30 years ago a loaf of bread cost about 10-15 minutes of work at the minimum wage; today, the same loaf costs about 40-45 minutes of work). What implications does this have on the time we have to learn and reflect on what we learn?
Examine stress, pressure and speed in life and how they effect us.(Look, for example, at "road rage" and other phenomenon.) How do addictions (drugs, alcohol, television, entertainment, etc.) relate.
For one week set aside 30 minutes each day of quiet time: no television, no music, no reading, no talking, no activity. After each session note how your mind worked and what you thought. Did you find it difficult to sit without doing something? Were you able to still the flow of images and emotions. Keep a journal after each session to record your impressions.
Examine meditation techniques of various kinds. What techniques are used? Are there similarities between them? What are the obstacles and the goals?

These four themes make Fahrenheit 451 a book which students will find interesting and relevant. Exploring them as they study the book will help students become more aware of how (at times) the government and media tries to control how we think and act. Understanding the motivations and processes involved will help them make decisions based on their own needs and desires rather than on what someone else wants them to do.

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