Column Thoughts

Well for this blog post I decided to dedicate it a set of column that was assigned for reading. The columns I read ranged from a wide variety of topics. From Winter Olympics to royal weddings. Image conscious people to dog loving ones. If someone were to come up to me and say, "Hey which one was your favorite? Didn't like?", well I'll tell you that in just a moment, but for those who haven't read the columns, click on this link and read pages 1-14 then come back.

So I am going to assume that you read the columns thought about the question posed above. Now I'll give you my response. For my favorite I'd have to say, Winter Olympics: When USA hockey team beat Soviets in 1980, we knew it would last forever. This is in reference to the hockey match that took place against the US and the Soviets, 1980.  This one I liked because it bring back the topic the American Spirit or the American Dream,  and how it makes this specific sports event a more memorable one.

One that I didn't like that much was, What will Kate Middleton's wedding dress look like? To be completely frank at first I didn't put any extra thought to this than I needed to. Why would I care how Kate Middleton's wedding dress looks, it is not like I have been personally invited to that wedding, to give any thought to it nor am I going to find it online and watch it. There was a point in time when I wondered why the author would want to write about it, but I'll let you guys think about that.  

All I have to say is that columnist writing is really interesting and can be thought provoking, that is why I am excited to be going into this week reading more of these columns.

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout

In the wrong hands, technology can be dangerous.

Musa Khan,Aditya Vadlamani, Kevin Fedders, Zoe Grigsby, and Tyler Mattingley

Timeline:

• Montag uses kerosene to burn books
• 
  

  Seashells causing Mildred drug overdose

• The Hound hunts down Montag
• Parlor walls brainwashing people
• Books can be misused because they provide people with power
• Atomic bomb obliterating people

Textual examples from the book:

Event-Kerosene is used as a punishment for possessing novels

Quote: “WIth the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world the blood pounded in his head,..” (Bradbury, 1)

Event-Parlor walls brainwash citizens and dehumanizes them

Quote: “‘ You heave them into the ‘parlor’ and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid’” (Bradbury, 93)

Event-Atomic bomb obliterates city

Quote: “...the scream of the jets that would follow, would say, after the deed, disintegrate, leave no stone on another, perish. Die.” (Bradbury,151)

Theme Questions:

Why is this theme important?

This theme is important to our understanding of the story because technology plays a key role and the primary reason for the change in humanity and the evolution into a dystopia.

How does it connect to modern society?

It connects to modern society because there are many technologies that are very similar to those presented in the novel and are having a similar effect on our population today.

Fahrenheit 451 Theme

Hopefully by now everyone has finished Fahrenheit 451 because I am going to include spoilers in this blog post. So if you have not finished Fahrenheit 451 than close this tab and look for someone else's blog to read and comment.

Hopefully those who are reading this have finished the book or those who don't care if they read spoilers. The book consists of many different themes but the theme I am going to talk to you about is, Technology misuse. Technology is used to control the masses in society. In the text there are both explicit and implicit technology misuses, but first let me tell you about the explicit one.  The explicit one consists of the Hound, which control people physically by injecting a certain poison to those who do acts that the government does not approve. The one that are more implicit are the ones that control mental aspects of life. Parlors controls people, like Millie, by feeding them information through the power of media, which we all know can be really persuasive.

These are the two biggest technology misuse example that can help get a feeling for how Montag's society controls its people.