Discussion Topics

1. “That woman, the other night, Millie, you weren’t there. You didn’t see her face. And Clarisse. You never talked to her. I talked to her. And men like Beatty are afraid of her. I can’t understand it. Why should they be so afraid of someone like her? But I kept putting her alongside the firemen in the house last night, and I suddenly realized I didn’t like them at all, and I didn’t like myself at all anymore.” (67)

Explanation: Dogmatists dislike those who have a mind of their own because they are comfortable marching with the crowd. They do not want to concede that there can be multiple opinions. Free thinkers who think and live differently are seen as a threat to their straitjacketed beliefs. Therefore, conservatives all over the world attack free-spirited individuals as well as the books they endorse.

2. “The public stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but it’s a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line… It didn’t come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick.” (87)

People are at the center of all revolutionary transformations. History sees a change when masses aspire for a new order comprising conscientious individuals. Those who give voice to the aspirations of the masses become tall leaders. For example, the movement for ending racism gave rise to Martin Luther King Jr. He may not have been a leader in another era.

3. “Granger said he disliked “a Roman Status Quo! (p.156). Among the reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire was attrition. Marcus Aurelius and other mighty emperors concentrated on fighting barbarians and attending to routine governance instead of promoting explorations and innovations. The rulers followed the beaten track and did not come up with new techniques of solving problems. Following outmoded methods led to the decline of the empire and decadence in the lives of individuals. On the contrary, continuous observation, contemplation and adventurous ideas would have spurred development at the micro and macro levels.”

4. “Let you alone! That’s all very well, but how can I leave myself alone? We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” (p. 9)

Explanation: Contemplation and exchange of ideas have the potential of bringing change. Insipid forms of entertainment and factoids numb our critical sensibility. If we have an open mind, even to unpalatable and diametrically opposing views, we can bring desirable transformation and make great progress.

Discussion Topics – II

1.“We must all be alike. Not everyone is born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone is made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against.” (p.59)

There are many opinions on equality. While equality may be desired as an ideal, differences in factors such as physique and intelligence lead to hierarchies in society.

Social psychologists view intelligence from different perspectives and categorize them as emotional intelligence, social intelligence, musical intelligence, mathematical intelligence and so on. Questions are raised if such kinds of intelligence are inherent or acquired. If they are inherent, then should they be evened out?

2. “People want to be happy, isn’t that right? Haven’t you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren’t they? Don’t we keep them moving, don’t we give them fun? That’s all we live for, isn’t it? For pleasure, for titillation?“ (59)

One wonders if gaining happiness is the basic purpose of living. The goals of happiness can, in many instances, contradict. A few characters in Fahrenheit 451 were happy to mow down living beings. However, they felt troubled when faced with the same plight. In another instance, parents were unwilling to make effort for the sake of their children’s happiness. Mrs. Bowles said, “”They’d just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back.” (96). Parents failed to understand that children wanted to be loved and cared for. This incident raises the question as to who should sacrifice and who should be the beneficiary.

3. “Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it.” (p. 59)

Masterpieces of art are censored due to perceived sentiments. In the novel, a writer named Coda received a comment from a reader that in one of his Martian stories the Black characters were portrayed as more likeable. Elsewhere, prudent editors removed adjectival phrases such as ‘God-light’ and ‘the Presence’ to steer clear of controversy. On the one hand, freedom of expression must be upheld, but, on the other, blasphemy must be restrained. Often, authorities face the dilemma of choosing one of the two.

4. “I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense.” (p. 81)

A school of psychology believes that a problem faced by an individual is within the individual. It lets the subject express oneself freely. The psychoanalyst follows the method of active listening, and allows the subject to draw one’s own inferences. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag feels the dire need to share his feelings with someone to come out of his miserable state of mind.

Hermits meditate in seclusion for a long time to gain enlightenment. They return to society and share their experiences with people. It could be said that the inverse of this is also true because enlightenment can also be gained by observing life in all its forms. Besides, meditation can also be seen as rumination over subjective thoughts.

5. “With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word ‘intellectual,’ of course, became the swear word it deserved to be.” (p. 53)

One can wonder if such a situation exists in North America in the present. If it is so to a considerable extent, then one would ask if it should be set right through legislation or other means.

6.“What traitors books can be! You think they’re backing you up, and they turn on you. Others can use them, too, and there you are, lost in the middle of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives” (83).

Truth is seen as subjective as it relies on the point of view of the observer. A text can be interpreted in multiple ways. Therefore, one wonders if the subjectivity of truth causes disagreement and hostility. It could be argued that in Fahrenheit 451, the decision of Civilization to retain books on physical sciences and to proscribe those on controversial topics is right because the latter have led to conflicts.