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“I don’t try to describe the future. I try to prevent it.” Ray Bradbury
Did Ray Bradbury succeed in this? Let’s look at one aspect of the future he envisaged in Fahrenheit 451: a future driven by distraction, titillation, mindless amusement and a lack of thought.
Book burning and the firemen were never meant to be interpreted literally: they were a metaphor for a society that is becoming increasingly distracted and anti-intellectual. A society that no long values reading, thinking and meaningful interaction with one another. He was never anti-technology or anti-media; rather, he warned about the negative ways in which technology and media could corrupt a society.
You may remember the video ‘Look Up’, which went viral early last year:
What do you think? Are we going down the path of Fahrenheit 451? Did Bradbury foresee the problems that society is now facing? Like the Midred’s in Fahrenheit 451, have we too become increasingly disconnected, impersonal, apathetic and ignorant as a result of our increasing reliance on mass media, or, more specifically, social media?
TOPIC: Is our obsession with social media sending us down the path of Fahrenheit 451?
You will be debating this topic. You will potentially be arguing both sides. You will need to prepare arguments both for and against each side. Use the resources below, as well as your own ideas, experiences and examples, to create as many arguments for and against as you can:
An uncommitted OVERVIEW of the topic:
An introduction to the arguments FOR the topic:
A further, more detailed analysis of these arguments can be found here:
An introduction to the arguments AGAINST the topic:
- Are we Living in Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451?
- Scroll down to the section ‘Would social media support Bradbury’s view, or oppose it?’
