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Fahrenheit 451 Propaganda Analysis

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The Dangers of Propaganda: Fact and Fiction
Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The protagonist is a firefighter, Montag that burns books instead of fighting fires. Eventually, he discovers that the books are more important than they seem. Propaganda is a very powerful weapon when used in Fahrenheit 451 and the real world. Propaganda’s uses include the US, Nazi Germany and the government in Fahrenheit 451. Upon further inspection these examples go to show how propaganda can be beneficial to governments because it allows the government to do what it wants with no opposition from society.
Propaganda has been used in the real world to accomplish the goals of a government and to control society. US and Nazi Germany are the strongest …show more content…

This control over the citizens and more specifically their information allows the government to rule without opposition. Captain Beatty illustrated this stance on books when talking to Montag in part 1: “A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take a shot from the weapon” (Bradbury 56). This piece of propaganda was an immensely useful tool to Montag's government. It allowed them to control all forms of information that people had and let them get rid of the people who would rebel without questions. Another standout example of propaganda in the book is during Montag’s escape from the city. He is running away from the Hound, a robotic dog, and eventually escapes it. Having lost Montag the government knows it can’t admit it lost and resorts to continuing the chase and eventually killing an innocent man in Montag's place. As Montag watches this unfold Granger explains why they did it: “The show has to have a snap ending, quick... So they’re sniffing for a scapegoat to end things with a bang.” (Bradbury, 141). The actions of Montag's government at that point help to show how useful propaganda was. If they had not caught anyone the illusion would slip but since “Montag” is now dead they seem like they are capable of anything. This discourages more people from rebelling and benefits the government by keeping their image up.

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