The Romantics : Advice For Today

Birkerts provides three effects that will occur as a result of moving away from the printed word to the electronic media. The first effect is the language erosion. He explains the reader that transition from books will lead to the “complexity and distinctiveness of verbal and written communication, which are deeply bound to transaction of print literacy, will gradually be replaced by a more telegraphic sort of plainspeak” (9). In the future our language will start to become more simple and dumb. Whereas, by reading books and printed materials people are able to dig more depth and understand and imagine the contents. But, soon this will start to disappear as people will no longer be able to understand the complex language of the literature and intelligence level of people will start to decrease. The second effect of electronic media is the flattening of historical perspectives. This means that due to the electronic media the history will start to recede because the “printed page itself is a link” and when this link is broken the past will gradually diminish (10). Birkerts explains the audience that the past is best represented in the books and libraries. Therefore, moving away from the printed word means moving away from the past and its history. The last effect is the waning of the private self. Birkerts worries that in the future people will forget how to live because of the electronic

This extract from an analytical essay by Hannah A. Weber explains the importance of literature in the society for communication and social interaction. The idea of an ending social society is expressed by both Weber and Bradbury. Both the writers draw conclusions on how the destruction of human social interaction is lead by the prohibition of literature and non-fictional ideas. It can lead to social isolation and loneliness. Literature aids us addressing human nature and conditions which have an impact on everyone. These are vital for the need for development, growth, ambiguity, and despair of prosperity and loss, the need for loved ones, the goodness of benevolence and affinity, faith, or the realization of inadequacy. Literature is hence, necessary for the society to associate with humanity.

If a person wishes to be up to date on what is going on the world around them, in all facets and walks of life, then they must spend a considerable portion of time merely skimming the water of each pool of knowledge, never having the time to truly sink their feet in. This correlates directly back to the massively increased availability of information and writings, whose shoulders Birkerts puts the blame of our loss upon. Nicholas Carr cites a study done on the “behavior of visitors to two popular research sites” which gives its users an even larger degree of online texts.

In the text “The Loneliness of the Interconnected” by Charles Seife, he writes about the influence of the internet and how it can further push people into isolation. Seife conveys to the readers that through the internet today, people are a lot more close minded when it comes to what they believe in. People tend to shy away from the variety of information out there that can possibly prove their own beliefs to be wrong. Seife portrays one’s original beliefs to only get stronger when one encounters new information that challenges those beliefs. Through this text, Seife urges people of today to not be so narrow-minded when it comes to new information and new potential beliefs. Once people become more open minded and take on many different beliefs, our society can make more progress and grow as a whole.

“If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.” (Bradbury pg.104) In Fahrenheit 451 and The Pedestrian, the main characters witnessed the rarity of social interaction and how inclined people are to their screens. Author Ray Bradbury describes how it has gotten to the point where people are more in touch with technology rather than each other. Through foreshadowing and flashback, Ray Bradbury’s short story, The Pedestrian, and his novel, Fahrenheit 451, explain how society has become more ignorant in a technology-obsessed world.

“In the last 50 years, up to 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to inactivity leading to some sort of conditional disease such as heart disease [including the laziness within people of society]” (Wise 12). So many people have died from becoming lazy, doing nothing but go on their phones, devices, rather than doing everyday things. Technology has changed the way society approaches life, always depending on it rather than themselves and others. The society today consists of nothing but TV screens, telephone, smartphones, iPads, and items the 19th century would consider a dream to lay hands on. A book written by Bradbury presents lack of effort people put into their lives and society; Bradbury predicts how the future will become later on in the society. Becoming more similar to the laziness and ignorance in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society today struggles the society today struggles with dependency on technology which results to lack of social interactions with one another and failure in becoming literate with books.

Journalist, Clive Thompson in his book, “Smarter Than You Think”, specifically in the chapter titled, “Public Thinking”, published on September 12, 2013, addresses the topic of technology and argues that because of the internet, we are doing more writing now than ever. Therefore technology is helping us think publicly in new and improved ways. He supports this claim by asserting that there is an improvement in our writing, which is happening because of the “audience effect”, he then goes on to say that anything we write changes the way we think, and finally he talks about how the internet builds connections, which is essential to the spread of new ideas. Thompson’s purpose is to inform readers about how the internet is a tool being used to advance our society in order to encourage more people to partake in online, public thinking. He adopts a contemplative tone for his audience, the readers of The New York Times, and others interested in the topic of technology. It is my intention in this paper to analyze the author’s subclaims and use of rhetorical strategies.

In our society now, our way of life is changing and it is not what it use to be back then. Our society is becoming more attracted to all of these new technologies in our lives, people are beginning to talk more on the phones and not in person. Music is becoming a problem, where people uses it to block out the world around them by using earbuds. The internet is causing people to be less responsible in their daily lives and make stupid decisions. As well people use the internet to blame other people for their own troubles or the nation’s troubles, which is ruining our society. Almost everything is changing in our society, and Ray Bradbury predicted all of this in his book, Fahrenheit 451. His predictions on how people act in our society now are mostly correct, but the most notable are about technology affecting interaction, responsibility, and marriage.

The use of technology has catalyzed society into an era that is increasingly interconnected yet impersonal at the same time. Despite technology’s endless list of assets, many fail to acknowledge its shortcomings when mentioning what is lost as a result of using it. Although in “Great to Watch” by Maggie Nelson, she is not afraid to share her skepticism of technology, as well as the role it plays in desensitizing individuals on a day-to-day basis. The internet is an invaluable resource to many because it is a public domain for sharing ideas, opinions, and knowledge that any and everyone can have access to. In a sense, it does not restrict what someone may see or do, and this can either be a good thing or a bad thing. The booming use of new media

In our society, our way of life is changing, and it is not what it use to be. Our society is becoming more attracted to all of these new technologies in our lives, where people are beginning to talk more on the phones and not in person. Music is becoming a problem, where people use it to block out the world around them by using earbuds. The internet is causing people to be less responsible in their daily lives and make stupid decisions. As well, people use the internet to blame other people for their own troubles or the nation’s troubles, which is ruining our society. Almost everything has changed in our society, and Ray Bradbury predicted all of this in his novel, Fahrenheit 451. His predictions on how people act in our society now are mostly correct, but the most notable is about technology affecting interaction, responsibility, and marriage.

Carr said “What if I do all my readings on the web not so much because the way I read has changed. i.e. I’m just seeking convenience, but because the way I THINK has changed?” (Carr, pg 7). Since the internet has come into play people have stooped reading books because is easier to just google what they are wanting to know. The internet can change the way someone can process the information on a screen than in a book and how much is actually being consumed by the person. Not only is it changing the way we understand but every technology is an expression of the human will. This allows us to reshape nature to better serve our needs and desires. The internet has the greatest power over how and what we think

In the modern day society, books are frowned upon; however, interactive media such as television and seashell radios are highly encouraged. In Fahrenheit 451, Professor Faber fears the aftermath of the world without literature and is portrayed as too cowardly to take action, a “Queen bee, safe in the hive” (87). Through Faber’s lecture to Montag, Ray Bradbury aggrandizes his pessimistic view on society by using characterization, diction, and the selection of detail to present the idea that society relies upon pleasure and happiness so much that literature and common knowledge are rapidly disappearing.

Many people argue that technology has made information from printed sources more available. “We can all come together immediately, live, in words or pictures, thanks to the power of cell phones, computers, televisions, and cameras. The way we socialize, learn, plan, and

Today technology controls almost everything we do, from the way we go places to what we eat. With this power of technology comes good and evil, medicines and poisons. Through technology we have accesses way more information than before. For example every day you can absorb as much knowledge as King Henry the eighth did in his entire life. This is all due to the improvement of technology. Sadly technology also has a bad side, with faster communication, rumors can be spread faster and kids can be bullied easier. The internet can easily become a second world for many people, especially young adults. Technology is the basis for many relationships, especially long distances. Match.com and other dating sites take advantage of the fact so many people use technology as a way to make or maintain relationships. With technology comes a large amount of knowledge that is easily accessible. Some of the knowledge offends or scares many people but our government hasn’t gotten the point of completely censoring everything. In Fahrenheit 451, a novel about a dystopian society, Ray Bradbury illustrates what he believes our world should be like right now. This scarily accurate novel demonstrates the way technology has affected knowledge and relationships in both our world and the world of Fahrenheit 451 in the same way.

Romanticism came to be in the 18th and 19th centuries which emphasized the imagination and emotions of romanticism. Many people viewed this type of literature as the quality or state of being impractical or unrealistic meaning romantic feelings or ideas. During this time many poets were encouraged to express their true colors and individual uniqueness. The Romantic Era expanded all throughout the world, and reached poets such as Keats, Byron, Shelley, and Wordsworth.