Download DYSTOPIA:

Introduction to
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
DYSTOPIA:
The future through the eyes of
fiction writers
What is a dystopia?

Dys = difficult, bad

Topia = place

In practical terms, a dystopia is a vision of the
future that is bleak or dismal. It is also usually
a cautionary tale, a story that warns us what
could happen if certain trends continue.
Dystopian vs. Utopian Lit.
Utopian literature describes an ideal
imaginary world. The term comes from
Thomas More’s Latin work Utopia, written
in 1516.
 Dystopian literature paints the opposite of
the ideal world, a place that is highly
unpleasant.

What should be private and what
should be public?

One of the central questions of most
dystopias is how much power a government
should have on its citizens, and on what
results when people in power abuse it or
when the government becomes too
powerful.
Some of the most famous dystopias:
1984 - George Orwell’s grim vision of Big Brother and ultimate
government control.
 Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury’s vision of a world where books and
ideas are dangerous, and firemen burn books instead of putting out
fires.
 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley’s vision of a world where genetics
are manipulated and all people stay within their own class. The
government is your parent!
 A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick’s film about the ultimate
acceptance of violence in a society.
 The Island - a film where clones are farmed as spare parts for
‘real’ citizens.
V for Vendetta - a film where the government has suppressed all
dissent and controls all aspects of peoples’ lives.

Common elements:
Over-controlling government
 A specific group that is outcast or oppressed
 At least one individual who questions the
system
 An eventual attempt to revolt or overthrow
the government

What happens when government has no
checks and balances?
When one person has all the power?
When rights are taken away for the purpose
of serving
“the greater good” ?
Historical Context
Written in the 1950s
 World War II (1939-1945) had just ended; the
US had dropped the first atomic bombs on
the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
 Bradbury was influenced by the book
burnings of the Nazi regime in Germany
during the 1930s
 Political repression and dictatorship in
Soviet Union and fascist Spain even after
World War II when books were banned and
intellectuals persecuted.

By 1949, communism had spread to Eastern
Europe and China
 After World War II, Europe & US versus
Soviet Union in COLD WAR. The threat of
nuclear war increased.
 By mid-1950s, nearly 60% of Americans were
members of the middle class;
More $$$ to buy.
Consumerism = Success

The electronics industry became the 5th largest
industry. Television had a widespread impact
in American homes
 The US became an “automobile culture” in the
1950s.
 The increase in prosperity after the war led to
an increased passivity and conformity. Jobs
were plentiful and the common adage of the
time period was: “follow orders, you will
succeed”. (ie. Montag at beginning).

Published during McCarthyism era
 Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s hearings which
investigated spread of communism through
government infiltrators led to an atmosphere of
fear and distrust in the US.
 In the early years of filmmaking, censorship
was allowed on the grounds that movies were
entertainment and not an expression of free
speech.
 Sen. McCarthy’s hearings into the political
background of artists led to the “blackballing”
of several prominent Hollywood writers during
the 1950s

In an essay in 1953, Bradbury commented:
“Some nights, when the wind is right, the future
smells of kerosene”.

In 1979, Bradbury discovered that his editors
had censored language in 75 separate sections
of Fahrenheit 451 without his knowledge or
consent.
“Students, reading the novel which, after all,
deals with censorship and book-burning in the
future, wrote to tell me of this exquisite irony”.
Now that you’ve seen Future Fright,
write a 150+-word paragraph response
to the movie. Discuss any thoughts or
feelings it brings up, and also consider
how it may relate to any current events
that you are aware of.