Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1953, toward the end of McCarthyism and at the beginning of the escalation of the Cold War. The theme for which the book is most famous is censorship. While censorship is one of the themes of the book, there are other themes in the book which are equally important today, notably the role of entertainment in life, political correctness, and necessities for happiness.

Your research project will be to explore several of the topics addressed in the novel Fahrenheit 451. You will have the opportunity to examine issues of censorship, entertainment in life, political correctness, and necessities for happiness both currently and historically.

Censorship is a key theme in Fahrenheit 451, perhaps the theme for which it is most famous. In the world of 451, books are burned because they trigger thought and discontent, two things which are unwelcome in this "happiness oriented" society.

What's interesting about censorship in 451 is that it seems to have originated with the people, not the government's desire to control. People were unhappy and discontented, so the government acted to remove the sources of their unhappiness and to enhance their lives with activities which would prevent them from thinking and, thus, being unhappy.

Censorship in many forms continues to be a part of our lives, though not so blatant or extensive as in 451. Schools across the country are subjected regularly efforts to censor what is read and taught. Media, too, is often censored (often by the same groups which attempt to censor schools).

Much of the censorship we now experience results from the same motivations explored in 451. As Beatty explained to Montag, they burn books because the ideas in the books offend "minorities." Note that the word "minorities" in 451 refers to more than just racial or life-style status. It includes just about everyone. Any group of people with a common interest or background is considered a minority, even teachers. When everyone is classified as a minority (and sensitive to that fact), anyone can easily be offended.

1.  Research current incidents of censorship, both direct and indirect. Include efforts by groups to pressure schools and others into removing objectionable materials.

For example, several years ago, a fundamentalist religious group objected to a liberal religious column being run in a large newspaper. The newspaper refused to remove the column, so the group mounted a telephone campaign which tied up the newspaper's phone lines for three days, effectively shutting down their ability to gather news and conduct business. Members of the group would call and hang up immediately when someone answered, making it impossible to trace the calls and stop the harassment. The newspaper eventually had to remove the column to stay in business.

2. Research the groups or types of individuals most frequently advocating censorship. Examine their techniques, their reasons, and any support they get from organizations.

3. Explore which books and films have been the most frequent targets of censorship. Why are these books and films most often attacked? Who most often attacks them and why?

4. Research efforts at censorship in your own community, both in school and in the media. What complaints have teachers, administrators and editors most often encountered? How are these complaints handled?

5. Examine censorship in the music industry and the industry's efforts to self-regulate. Again, look at the most frequently attacked music and why it is attached. Deal fairly with both sides of the issue.

6. Examine how books are reviewed and approved in your own school. What steps are taken to be sure that the book used in the classroom are fair and worthwhile. What would be the process if someone objected to a book and wanted it removed from the classroom? What safeguards are in place to prevent a small, vocal group from using censorship to promote its own views on the general public?

Entertainment in life

Neil Postman has written that we are "entertaining ourselves to death." One recurring theme in Fahrenheit 451 is the role of entertainment as a drug or addiction, as a means for the individual to avoid thinking or a technique for the government to keep people from thinking, and thus from being discontent.

Beatty, the fire chief, lectures Montag on this subject at length early in the book. He explains the value of entertainment, including sports: "More sports for everyone, group spirit, fun, and you don't have to think, eh? More cartoons. More books. More pictures. The mind drinks less and less."

7. Read some of Neil Postman's writings and draw parallels between them and Fahrenheit 451. What are Postman's main concerns or observations. What dangers does he see? Are there examples or statistics to support his observations?

8. Examine how entertainment is marketed to us and how it affects us. How are commercials produced to be both entertaining and convincing?

9. Research addiction and its causes. Is entertainment addictive? Can it serve the same purposes as drugs or alcohol?

10. Beatty suggests that mindless entertainment can weaken or destroy the mind. Is there evidence of this? Examine research done on the effects of different forms of entertainment on our ability to think, learn and comprehend.

Political Correctness

One of the key reasons books are banned in the world of Fahrenheit 451 is that books offend minorities, which means any group with a common link of some kind. With the current climate in our country where virtually anything can be considered offensive to some one, the world of Fahrenheit 451 may be more real than we would like to imagine.

11. Examine lawsuits filed for discrimination in hiring or promotion to find out what the most common complaints are and how the suits are resolved.

12. Look at recent examples of advertising or media stories being attacked or pulled because they offended one group or another (for example, the dog on the Taco Bell commercial).

13. Find out how news editors (print and broadcast) determine what to report, how much time stories receive, and where they are placed in the newspaper or the newscast. To what extent do fears about political correctness affect their decisions? To what extent do sponsors influence in news content or presentation?

Happiness

One of the most interesting parts of Fahrenheit 451 is happiness. Faber, Montag's friend who was a former college professor, listed and discussed three things a person needs for true happiness (p. 83). In summary, to be happy, a persons needs:

The happiness theme ties into the theme on entertainment. Are we really happy when we are kept occupied or amused?

14. Look at Beatty's speech to Montag (pages 53-62). What techniques does Beatty advocate for keeping people happy? What parallels do you see between Beatty's ideas and our own modern society, especially in the area of occupying people's minds with trivia?

15. Examine each of Faber's three necessities for happiness. Does our culture provide them? Look, also, at the increasing number of hours of work required to live (For example, about 30 years ago a loaf of bread cost about 10-15 minutes of work at the minimum wage; today, the same loaf costs about 40-45 minutes of work). What implications does this have on the time we have to learn and reflect on what we learn?

16. Examine stress, pressure and speed in life and how they effect us.(Look, for example, at "road rage" and other phenomenon.) How do addictions (drugs, alcohol, television, entertainment, etc.) relate?