Waters Of Babylon And Fahrenheit 451: Comparative Analysis

Ray Bradbury is a great foreshadower. His work is generally fantasy and horror and he it is exquisite. Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 back in 1953 and it still connects with the conflicts of today. The way society was in Fahrenheit 451 is similar to how it is today. The society is arrogant and selfish. No one cares about anyone or anything besides the TVs and technology. In Fahrenheit 451, the lack of physical communication and relationships between people due to the development of technology sabotages society before they know it.

In both Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Vonnegut’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”, the authors show major concerns about the future. Bradbury’s major concern is the misuse of technology that leads to the corruption of society while Vonnegut’s major concern is overpopulation and the lack of natural resources for the future. Both authors show concerns that can turn out to be real if people do not do anything about the environment and about technology.

In a dystopian society, everything may seem fine and normal, but underneath all that is an unstable society that may crumble with the right spark. Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are two characters who have to face the dystopian world and the nature of humankind. Although, a quest is actually depicted in both, as the characters undertake similar journeys of self-knowledge. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the dystopian traits where the boys are deserted on a sterile island show that they are slowly turning into savages and plotting against one another due to the destructive society that they are in. Meanwhile,

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, published in 1953. The novel describes a futuristic society in which books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found. The protagonist is a fireman named Montag who becomes perturbed with his role in censorship and destruction of knowledge, eventually quitting his job and joining a resistance movement that memorizes and shares the world's greatest literary works. As Montag struggles over the value of knowledge, he becomes a skeptical, rebellious and dynamic person, driving him to the fringes of society in pursuit of an absolute truth.

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In the novel Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) we see many connections to the modern world. Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian future where the government controlled everything and books are banned. Writing ahead of his time Bradbury was able to predict many things such as the seashells which are earbuds and wall tv’s. He was very accurate in his predictions so it would be wrong to dismiss his motifs as impossible. In fact some things such as police brutality, suicide, and drug usage occur in the present already.

Have you ever been curious? Have you ever wondered what your future will be like whether it will change or how the future will turn out. In both stories Montag and John both were curious and wanted more knowledge about their societies.The similarities between Montag and John are striking and they inquire rigorous observations. The 3 connections I made between Fahrenheit 451 and “By the Waters of Babylon” are that Montag and John both showed Bravery, Had new beginnings, and they were both determined and wise. The first connection made was Bravery in both of the short stories.

In stories there is always something to take away, something to learn. Whether it’s that the main character is unsure and naive or wise and independent there is always an overlaying theme. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and the short story ¨By the Waters of Babylon¨, by Stephen Vincent Benét the main characters are always learning and following the overall themes. Fahrenheit 451 and ¨By the Waters of Babylon¨ have several similar themes that will be thoroughly explained. Three themes that are seen throughout these stories are, identity crisis, humans will cause their own destruction, and that technology impacts society.

Helen Keller once stated “… although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it…” This can be translated by meaning we have experiences that can be challenging and only gets harder, only so we can beat them. I strongly agree with this quote. I chose two works of literature to prove this saying, and opinion to be true. The first piece I have chosen is “Words Not Spoken” by Beatrice Boyle. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury would be the second literary piece I chose.

Two stories with societies treating their people the same, Stephn Vincent Benet’s “By the Waters of Babylon” and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 were written with similarities in their societies that neither of them knew about. The similarities in comparing the theme of censorship between both societies are impressive, and they deserve a complete exploration. Taking a close look will reveal the lack of growth, humans repeating their mistakes, and isolation have affected both societies negatively. When comparing the theme of censorship in both stories there are impressive amounts of evidence connecting their lack of growth, humans repeating their mistakes and isolation.

1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are both novels telling us of a possible scenario for the development of the world with no place for a sense of personal identity. This world is filled with dystopia, decadence, crisis of morality, loneliness. The main characters in both books are men with their own fears, suspicions and temptations. Each of them has a woman who stimulate their conflict of interest. Their professional duties oblige them to support ruling elites and fight against human rights. While Guy Montag, after a conversation with Clarisse, suddenly feels the need for spirituality, and finds its expression in books, Winston is so burdened by the pressure of the system, so constrained that the formula 2 + 2 = 4 becomes a desired but inaccessible dream and a certain symbol of freedom.

The similarities among Montag from Fahrenheit 451 and John from By the Waters of Babylon are impressive and they justify detailed assessment. John and Montag are similar because of how hard it is for them to spread their knowledge, How they each tried to gain lots of knowledge and how their mentors taught them. Because of these reasons these characters justify detailed assessment.

Ray Bradbury 's novel, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, depicts a grim and also quite feasible prediction of a futuristic world. In Bradbury 's technology-obsessed society, a clear view of the horrific effects that a fixation for mindlessness would have on a civilization shows through his writing. Being carefree is encouraged while people who think "outside the box" are swiftly and effectively removed. The technology Bradbury 's society is designed to keep the people uninformed, which the vast majority of are happily and voluntarily in their ignorant state. There are many details in this novel that suggest that the future of a society obsessed with advanced technology is not

Ray Bradbury and George Orwell share a very similar theme in their two novels, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Winston Smith and Guy Montag work within an authoritarian organization, in which, they have opposing views of the authority. The novels are placed in a dystopian setting that the authority believes is a utopia. The dystopian fictions both have very similar predictions of the future. The predictions from these novels have not happened. However, it could be a short matter of time until the authors predictions on the future become reality.

In Fahrenheit 451’s dystopian society, the possession of books is considered criminal. A once proud fireman who regularly burned books turned a new leaf and began to understand and value the importance of literature. Multiple characters in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 impact the ex-firemans, Montag, life in a way that changed him forever. Throughout the novel Montag discovers a different outlook and perspective on the society in which he lives and how he perceives books. From a fireman to an outlaw, a few specific characters greatly impact Montag. Montag meets a young woman who perceives the world in a different way which affects Montag’s outlook on society. Also, a retired English professor gave Montag confidence and the comprehension of books. A character close to Montag, his wife, shows him how the loss of importance of books would affect his life . When Montag goes outside, he comes across a young woman who does not seem like the others in the city. Montag begins to talk to her and his life changes in a major way.