Americans are granted the right to freedom of speech and the press under the.
first amendment of the United States Constitution. Free Societies believe every human.
being has the right to hold his beliefs and speak his opinions and to verbalize his own.
thoughts. If indiscriminate censorship is allowed in our world today, it would eliminate a.
person's freedom to think differently. No one would ever disagree because everyone.
would believe in the same ideas. As a result of book burning and censorship in Ray.
Bradbury's book, Fahrenheit 451, the nation is populated with numbed people who.
cannot express their individuality, or beliefs. There is no hope for a society which.
allows unrestrained suppression of beliefs or censorship to take place. .
Governments which impose censorship believe that if they allow people to read.
books, it will lessen their control over the populace. They understand that if people are.
introduced to new ideas, it will allow each person to think individually and by doing this.
not to blindly follow the rules of the government. While the government knows this to.
be the truth, they often say that they censor books because the books themselves, or.
the ideas they contain, are harmful and will make the people unhappy. "A book is a.
loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon" (Bradbury.
58). This statement is made in Farenheit 451, by Beatty, the chief fireman. The reader.
learns that Beatty himself is unhappy and wants to make others unhappy as well. .
Beatty is intelligent and well read, and fully understands the value of book, however, he.
wants to be in control and by burning books he feels that he can keep the people from.
having their own opinions; he can keep them ignorant while he has the knowledge they.
can never obtain. "What is there about fire that's so lovely?. It's perpetual motion; the.
think man wanted to invent, but never did.Its real beauty is that it destroys.
