From the beginning of our lives, our parents, for the most part, want us to be happy. Pursuing that happiness becomes a goal that we strive for on an everyday basis. In America, it’s the American Dream. People come to this country in search of that elusive happiness. Ever since Thomas Jefferson wrote a very important sentence in our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson), our goals have been the same; searching for that happiness no matter what. However, as Ray Bradbury writes, if we focus too much on those aspects that make us …show more content…
Eudaimonia was a term that The Greeks used which meant happiness. Although, some scholars have translated this word to “human flourishing” or “well-being of the spirit.” There were other terms that The Greeks had for virtue and moral wisdom. With that being said, if Aristotle saw the futuristic world that is portrayed in Fahrenheit 451, what would he think? Would he be pleased with the outcomes? Probably not. The false sense of happiness is something that would surly upset him and then adding the lack of leaning or virtue would upset any philosopher of the time. Physical Happiness Montag lives in a city that is very disconnected with the world around them. All they do is watch their “wall TVs” with “seashells” in their ears. Nature is something that they never admire, because they drive too fast and they do not have meaningful conversations with each other. It’s a world where everyone is just there without any actual knowledge of what it is to live. There was a study that was done by two psychologists from The University of Michigan, in this study they discovered that humans prefer nature over cities (Dye). For this study, the researchers asked people to look at two different photos, one of a city and the other of nature, and the people would pick the one that they preferred. There was a single exception, but that was of a urban park, so it was still in a sense nature. Cornell University conducted another study that found that
Happiness Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Montag goes through many trials and hardships that changed him dramatically over the course of the book. When we are brought into the book, we see that he is not happy at all with really anything. He is not content with anything in his life and is curious about all the things he shouldn’t be; according to the government. He wants to know more about books… but in the world, books are illegal. Supposedly, they cause you to think against the government and can cause hate and unwanted behavior.
Books are irreplaceable parts of society that help to form the opinions and beliefs of the people that are within it. Without books we would lack the knowledge of those in the past, and the ability to see the world from a different perspective. Each book contains information different from the last, but each book is written with a purpose. Each book is written for a reason, and what we are able to obtain from the books that we have been given reflect the person that we are. Without books we would be lost as people, as members within the community, and as a society as a whole we would be searching for something that we can not find. We would be hopeless and censored from the knowledge that is given to us through books. It is hard to imagine what we would know without books, if anything at all. The past would become the present and the future would have no meaning. Fahrenheit 451 displays a deep and thought provoking message to those that read it by showing us what it would be like to live in a society where we are forced to believe one thing, and are never able to form our own opinions. Proving that happiness doesn’t come from peace among the people, but rather the ability to to be able to live our life the way that makes you happy. Fahrenheit 451 contains many valuable themes and lessons that apply to our lives today and also remind us of some of the realities we are faced with.
A major theme found in the novel Fahrenheit 451 is that your perception of happiness affects your happiness. This message is largely emulated in Montag’s journey of self discovery throughout the book. His perception of happiness changes from the beginning to the end. In the first few pages, Montag believes happiness comes from being comfortable, along with the rest of his society. The novel opens with the line “It was a pleasure to burn”(3). Guy Montag is introduced as being content with his life and his job. He appears to find his satisfaction in the pleasure of burning books. However, after conversing with a bright minded girl named Clarisse, he begins to question what happiness really means to him. On page 12 he explains, “He wore his happiness
One person’s happiness is completely different than that of the person next to them. In Fahrenheit 451, society is given the idea that happiness is found in the fast life. Students crash cars, crack windows, and drive recklessly for fun. Schooling in this society isn’t even in the realm of learning. Instead, it is filled with sports, electronics, and everything but learning. Death is a quick cremation instead of funerals and mourning. Adults not only have poor relationships with their spouses, but their children. Yet, this to them, is happiness. Even to Montag, this was happiness; until he discovered it wasn’t. He was one of the lucky few that was able to escape the vacuum of this new society, like Ted in The Lorax. In a world of people that don’t care about the wellbeing of the animals, the trees, or the rest of the world, Ted took a step out of the norm. This
Overall, Montag’s displeasure in the definition of happiness society gave him, lead him to finding out the truth and finding out who he truly is inside.
How would one feel if books got outlawed and someone would burn them if found? In the book Fahrenheit 451, a man is faced with some tough decisions regarding burning books. Guy Montag is a fireman who burns books in a dystopian future. In Montag’s world, firemen start fires rather than putting them out. The people in this society do not read books, think independently, or have meaningful, deep conversations. Instead, they watch excessive amounts of television on wall sets, drive really fast, and listen to the radio sets on “Seashell Radio” sets attached to their ear. When Montag encounters a placid seventeen-year-old girl named Clarisse McClellan, his eyes open to the emptiness of life. This essay will focus on the fake or artificial happiness that is displayed in this dystopian future. In this novel, everyone thinks that they are living happy lives without books, but Montag discovers that it's not real happiness; it’s artificial.
Happiness, to a certain extent goes with internal human experience. To be happy is to feel well, either through “good” experiences or a “good” lifestyle. The authorities in Fahrenheit 451, incorporated this definition of happiness into the lifestyle of the society. They provided civilians with, “fun parks to bully people around, break windowpanes in the Window Smasher place or wreck cars in the Car Wrecker place… go out in cars and race on the streets, trying to see how close you can get to lampposts” according to Clarisse (Bradbury, 27). The authorities provided activities that evoked exhilaration and appealed to darker instincts within the civilians giving them a sense of satisfaction, when in reality it is the opposite. Mildred embodies
Happiness is important. People should care more about it. Happiness isn’t everything but it is really important to be happy. In Fahrenheit 451, nobody knows or cares if they’re truly happy. When Clarisse asked Guy Montag if he is happy, he really had to think about it. That is saying a lot about where and how they live.
However, some recent studies may have found a mystery: The pursuit of happiness is likely to make some Americans unhappy. Did the Founding Fathers set us up to fail in this pursuit?
Happiness is one of the great themes that makes our lives better. It’s a motivation to commit toward something to keep the feeling active. Whether it’s getting high on substances, making money, or even having enough to get by, Americans desire happiness in one form or another. Walter Mosley, author of, “Be Happy”, expresses his opinion in his article, towards who is responsible for one’s happiness. His confidence lies on believing that it’s an individual's complete obligation to be content with themselves and not anyone else’s. He suggests that the following statement, "the pursuit of happiness is an ‘unalienable right’.”, in the Declaration of Independence, claims that the government is responsible for ensuring most to all Americans’ path to happiness. I believe that the happiness of the American people, should be partly dependant upon by the individuals themselves, and by the government. It builds upon the approach a person has towards everything, but also Uncle Sam initially, pledged to attempt to satisfy the people of America.
Happiness in our society is harder to find than in the society of Fahrenheit 451, but once achieved, it is a true happiness, one which grows upon its seeds, and sprouts a great and fulfilling life for that person. The average citizen in our society believes themselves to be happy, but in reality, they too are replacing their true desires and childhood dreams with superficial entertainment and mindless activities, which resembles the society which is portrayed in Fahrenheit 451.
According to Storm Jameson, “Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” Jameson suggests that happiness is not just having fun, but it is to be present in the moment and to make connections with others. Happiness is rarely found in the novel Fahrenheit 451, because this joyless society defines “fun” as driving with the need for speed and with an intention of killing small animals and people or the deadening white noise of endless television viewing. The novel Fahrenheit 451 conveys this very idea as the protagonist Guy Montag and others in his society are unable to achieve full happiness. Author Ray Bradbury suggests the truth of Jameson’s statement primarily through
Our parents always told us that we should have goals and dreams in our life, and through them we will gain happiness. There are some things in life that get in the way of our dreams and goals. In the Declaration of Independence, It states that we have the right to pursue happiness. For example having everybody in the world be equal, and not be shamed upon or looked at differently due to the color of their skin. The poem ¨The Negro Mother,¨ the play A Raisin in the Sun, and the article Innocence Is Irrelevant, all show how our society and they way people can get in the way of our happiness.
America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although "The American Dream" can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has
Americans can pursue happiness by achieving the things that they really want to accomplish in their life’s.