After over fifty years I believe that Bradbury could secretly see into the future to what electronic changes would come. He was right that America would struggle with the ability of critical thinking. I mean look at the things that are coming out right now. We don’t need paper books anymore now you have the advantage of an electronic book that can download what you would like to read. Bradbury has a point to make in trying to change how we view his book. He states that the death of reading is more important than the imposition of censorship. Censorship news is taken to a new level with Bradbury and this book. The depth the author has now and even had at the time of writing this book.
Bradbury has a right to point to the additional messages and meanings of his work. His work is understood beyond even his own knowledge. If he would have only know the intent of what he was writing about would be the exact truth. The generations or scholars, teachers and readers are not wrong when they focus on the overarching role of censorship by the government in the novel. Bradbury uses different ways to point out additional messages and meanings of his work. In very important ways the way the work is understood beyond the author’s own intent is valid. In his writing his texts are documents with different generations to read it. We are all different but we somehow can manage to understand the text into our own lives and experiences.
Personally, I don’t see there being a time when authorities can have a right to burn books for our own good. Hopefully there are people out there with a strong emotional reaction to burning of books. It could also create to a meaning of peoples reactions to the burning of the flag or even a dollar bill. Part of me understand that it is just a symbol, writing on paper, and that there are many copies of most books. Reading needs to be valued as when it first started. Houghton Mifflen Learning Reading is a huge part of our past as a nation and where we can look back to find the most important information.
Television and the internet has destroyed America’s ability to think for ourselves. It’s rather disturbing that 75% of TV’s are on during dinner time. We go to these sources for entertainment and information. People allow themselves to get caught up in others point of view because they have that opportunity to not think for themselves. Now days it seems that we have to adapt to a new advancement in technology everyday. Technology producing decline for critical thinking, learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology, says Greenfield, who analyzed more than 50 studies on learning and technology, including research on multi-tasking and the use of computers, the Internet and video games.
Ray Bradbury is welcome to add to the discussion of his work, to provide information for his intent in writing it, to explain his understanding of the most important message it contains. We, as readers, should listen to his thoughts on the book. But his comments are not definitive, rather are part of a dialog between author and reader. Just as he brought his experience and understanding of the world to the writing of the book, we must bring our own experience and understanding of the world to the reading of it. Fahrenheit 451 may not be about censorship, but drawing the lesson from it that censorship is to be avoided is completely legitimate.
