Fahrenheit 451- A discussion

Hello there!! Today I will be discussing Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I originally read it for the nerdfighter book club. I picked it up and devoured it in a day. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most realistic dystopian novels I have ever read. The themes and metaphors in this novel are extremely comparable to our generation. In writing Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury said “In writing the short novel Fahrenheit 451 I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in Beverly Hills one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog. I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in a dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap-opera cries, sleep-walking, helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction.” This quote shows us that even in 1953 our world was being evolved my media. Many people don’t know the meaning behind Fahrenheit 451. Most people think it is censorship, but Bradbury himself said that censorship was not the meaning. The meaning is primarily about the way media has shaped our lives. We much rather focus on television then literature. It is also about the consequences of not reading. Because once we forget about literature, then everything becomes a fact though with no context. An other interesting fact about Fahrenheit 451 is that people are the ones that forget about literature. It wasn’t  under the governments orders. People are the ones that stopped reading. People are the ones that started burning books. That is what makes this dystopian all the more interesting. Because most dystopian novels show some sort of dictatorship, in this case Fahrenheit 451 shows people doing the damage not some almighty other. Another theme, which you can also see in Animal Farm, is the importance of second guessing the majority. Most people go through their days filling their minds with “facts” and the “truth,” while never truly thinking about. That is a very important part of Fahrenheit 451. Not accepting or believing everything your family believes or society believes. In this world that is why books are burned. Because they make you think. Now I am not saying we have these mindless people walking around doing nothing, but we do have people in this world today that accept everything because that is what they hear on a regular basis. Mark Twain once said “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” It’s true and this is a strong theme in Fahrenheit 451, which is why it one of my favorite books ever. Also Happy Birthday to Ray Bradbury, who would have been 92 today!~ I hope you enjoyed! I will talk to you later!~ Bye!~

The Great Gatsby- A discussion

Hello there!! Today I am talking about The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time. If you have read The Great Gatsby then you already know my blog is named after a quote from it. The quote is “I wasn’t actually in love, I just felt a tender curiosity.” I love this quote along with a BUNCH of others from this novel. This book has symbolism,metaphors,and color. The reason I say color is that it plays a big part in this book not only as a description of the parties or the city, but the world,people and time. The green light was a symbol for Gatsby of the hopes he had for the future. It represented Daisy and how he wished to see her and love her again. Gold means money and represents the rich. It also shows us a little more of Gatsby, and not the inexplicable “prejudice in your favor” Gatsby, but the Gatsby that needed the final golden piece. That Golden piece is Daisy. He needed her not only to go back to a place of peace and happiness, but he needed her to finalize his success. Daisy  was his motivation to become anyone at all, even if it wasn’t really him. It was apart of this “American dream.” The American Dream is this idea that anyone can become successful (Rich) as long as you work hard. This is not the case for everyone. Many books talk about the American dream and the hardships that those who try to achieve it face. Not all American dreams consist of failure, but this particular case in a way did. The reason Gatsby failed is because his dream was impossible. He wanted to go back to a time that had past. He wanted Daisy to reassure him that all of his dishonest actions and schemes weren’t for naught. The reason this american dream didn’t work is because this is a corrupt version of the idea. The Great Gatsby shows us a great example of the corrupt version of the American dream. It shows us that becoming rich and noble isn’t everything. It turns out to be nothing in the end. F. Scott Fitzgerald also shows the impossibility of repeating the past. It shows Gatsby who is stuck trying to re-live a happier time of his life, but doesn’t realize that he could have so much more. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I would love to discuss this further, so ask me questions or leave your opinions!! I will talk to you later!! Bye!~