Reading For Thought

Ray Bradbury is an author for seeing into the future. To obtain an improved understanding of Bradbury’s short stories, novels, and screen plays you would need to know a modest amount about him http://www.spaceagecity.com/. One of Bradbury’s books that I have recently read is called Fahrenheit 451. To get a great summary of Fahrenheit 451 take a look at this link http://www.bookrags.com/notes/451/BIO.html.
It has been over fifty years since Bradbury has published Fahrenheit 451 and to say the least I think that he was on to something. Do I think that the future will convert into books being considered evil and are then destroyed, no probably not? It has happened in our history, but I think one great thing about time is that it makes one wiser. If there is ever a time when our authorities try burning books that is when the Bill of Rights and all that America has been founded on will come into play. The idea that Bradbury was onto when he wrote this book was how technology will steal from our social and family activities. In my Humanities 101 class we often discuss how people are no longer connected. A great example of this was an article that was put out for discussion in class called Bowling Alone. We no longer know our neighbors and have strong connections with our brothers and sisters. Bradbury was demonstrating that idea through Guy and Mildred’s marriage. They sleep in separate beds and hardly ever show any connection to one another. That said, reading his book today would bring up the question has television and the Internet destroyed Americans’ ability to read and think critically about ideas? Defiantly not, if anything the television and Internet has only strengthened our ability to read and think critically. For the fact that the younger generation is capable of understanding and performing tasks and thoughts that older generations are just now learning and beginning to understand. A great book that helps prove this point is called Everything Bad is Good For You. Television and the Internet do have a back lash like all things in life. Being as I said earlier that it takes from our social connections. Ray Bradbury was amazing in his thoughts and predictions of the future. I would recommend his book Fahrenheit 451 along with Everything Bad is Good For You and Bowling Alone.