Essay on Censoring the Pages of Knowledge - 1688 Words

Censoring the Pages of Knowledge Imagine a world where you could not read or own any books. How would you feel if you had someone burn your house because you have books hidden within the walls? One of the most prevalent themes in Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451 is the idea of censorship. In Bradburys fictional world, owning books is illegal. A firemans job is not putting out fires like one may assume. In Fahrenheit 451, a fireman has the job of starting fires. Firefighters start fires in homes containing books. If this were reality, there would be no homes to live in. Books have become an integral part of American life. However, the theme of censorship is still relevant in American life. Censorship is enforced in an†¦show more content†¦So why read them? Reading them is pointless. The banning and burning of books creates a dystopian society. This society is one of unhappiness and sorrow. Millie, Montags wife, may seem to be happy sitting in front of the giant screens in the parlor and communicating with her television family. However, if she were so happy, why would Millie attempt to commit suicide by over dosing on pills? Montag walked into the room one night and saw Millie laying there like an island which may have rain but could not feel it, and without shadow (13). She was lying there stiffly, eyes glassed over and only faint breath sounds. Bradbury describes her first attempt at overdosing on sleeping pills with a fair amount of detail. He writes, The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped and empty in the light of the tiny flare(13). Perhaps Millie was only pretending to be happy with her life. Millie may have had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She really could h ave been interested in books, but knew and understood that obtaining knowledge through books was impossible. She could not break the censorship laws under any condition. Although she may not have fully understood why they were in place, she felt there had to be a reason they were the law. There are a few outcasts such as Faber the retired professor and Clarisse the young neighbor of Montag. Faber and ClarisseShow MoreRelated Internet Censorship Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pageshave the freedom to express anything they believe. The fact that the Internet has no single authority figure creates a problem about what kind of materials should be available on the Internet. (Hentoff 12) The largest controversy that surrounds censoring the Internet is what information should be considered â€Å"offensive†. The Internet can be viewed in many different ways. It can be considered a carrier of common data, similar to a phone company, which must ignore what is broadcast for privacy reasonsRead MoreOff the Leash: Censoring the Internet Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pagesmonster that does all of this? This question, along with many others, is essential in the debate that rages on today: censoring the net. There are governments, not excluding our own, who believe in to some extent controlling who can access certain websites, and which are available to the general public. The very idea of lopping off pieces of this near-infinite source of knowledge is criminal. The average American has no idea how many computers they use on a daily basis, how many networks they crossRead MoreThe Importance Of Censorship On The Internet1558 Words   |  7 PagesJeremy Zachariah Mr. Coleman AP Government and Politics October 30 2017 Censorship The internet is a vast database that allows for the entire world to be connected. However most people while surfing the internet have come across a censored page, or a website saying that this site has been â€Å"legally† blocked by the government. Censorship is defined as the suppression or prohibition of free speech by preventing a person from saying what they want to say. Typically in modern society, censorship takesRead MoreCensorship and Material Selection Policies Essay863 Words   |  4 Pageschoose their words carefully so that the story flows, makes sense, and goes along with what they are writing about. Everything from the scenery, to the way a certain character talks is thought about and brought to life by a few simple scratches on a page. Some people want to suppress the writings of geniuses just because of an image, idea, or phrase on the grounds that they are morally objectionable by the standards applied by a censor. It has been like this for ages. As long as s omeone has somethingRead MoreThe Italian Republic956 Words   |  4 PagesOverview of Topic Some accredited organizations like RWB (Reporters Without Borders) journalists calling them â€Å"Enemies of the Internet† and some blocking common websites such as Google web based services, many nations have been accused of over censoring the internet and also keeping a stringent authority by closely monitoring any activity their citizens do on the world wide web. Over 4.6 billion people around the globe do not have access to the internet.2400 sites have been shut down and censoredRead MoreCensorship And Censorship Of Web Content1656 Words   |  7 PagesCensoring the web Module code: COIS40897 Student number: 14020070 Submission deadline: 23:59 on Monday, 3rd November 2014. Abstract This paper evaluates the restrictions, or lack of restrictions, on web content, focusing on the political and ethical notions of the censorship of web content. The question on many people’s minds is: Should the web be censored? This author believes it is the sole responsibility of the user, to protect themselves from un-desirable material on the web. However whenRead MoreArgumentative Essay About Censorship1978 Words   |  8 Pagesreligious ideas or offensive political satire. The keyword in the previous statement is â€Å"offensive†. Censoring is removing offensive topics in speech. The Soviet Union is infamous for censorship in the 20th century. There have been many trials where censorship had been the main focus, but no conclusion was made on them because of the right to freedom of speech collided with the verdict. The whole idea of censoring is a controversy. It is seen in literature, social media, the internet, and the news. It isRead MoreGoogle Case Study Essay1 390 Words   |  6 Pagessituation is available for anyone to see. The very product that they are providing can also help or hinder them. If people in the United States and Europe did not have access to Google’s business records online, then they would never know about Google censoring in China. If they did not know, then groups such as Reporters Without Borders would not be able to use them as a launching group for their issues. It is also important to mention that not only Google, but all organizations have a difficult timeRead MoreCensorship And The World Of Fahrenheit 451816 Words   |  4 Pageshave meaningful conversations and they don’t even have an interest in reading books. They most likely fear knowledge because they are probably afraid of knowing more about the war going on, which leads them to depend on the government to think for them. Subsequently, they need something to occupy their time. This is where television and mass media comes in. Instead of expanding their knowledge, they watch an extreme amount of television on wall-size sets and listen to sea-shells which are little radiosRead MoreShould Censorship Be Banned From Social Media Platform?1523 Words   |  7 Pagesdishonest and corrupt, there are many grey areas of censorship when deciding what is okay and not okay to censor. For instance, it is understandable to censor sexual content for younger audiences who may not understand the concept. However, openly censoring out the word â€Å"gay† and any LGBTQ+ content or content creators, not unlike YouTube has recently done with their new enforcement of policy, is ridiculous. When a large corporate media outlet censors a group of individuals based on their politically