‘Fahrenheit 451’ fits the times

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is one of the most important books I have ever read. The only reason I heard about this book was because my sophomore English teacher assigned it. It describes a time in the distant future when books are burned, knowledge is scorned and technology has taken over the free will of the people.

When I read it at the time, it was a good book, but it didn’t have a huge influence in my life. However, as the years have passed, Fahrenheit 451 has continuously come to my mind. The importance of not only books but also of knowledge and communication with others has diminished significantly and scares me in its resemblance to this book.

Whenever I see people glued to their phones, who blanch at the thought of reading a book, or consider watching the Super Bowl more important than paying attention to what’s on the news, I think of Fahrenheit 451 and pull out a book to combat those aspects of our society that mirror the terrifying world that was portrayed. Fahrenheit 451 taught me that knowledge is power and ignorance is the epitome of slavery.

Arianna Ahmed

Reedley

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "‘Fahrenheit 451’ fits the times."