We always thought of technology as the ladder to progress. As early as grade school, teachers would highly encourage us to develop our skills on the scientific side. They inculcated in our minds that with science and technology, our nation would grip the progress we ought to have.Along with the development of technology is the advancement of mass media via technological devices. Internet blogging, podcasting, and video sharing are some of the tools in relaying messages. Even books are published online through e-books.
Fahrenheit 451 depicts of a world where technology rules the world. The world of Fahrenheit 451 is similar to our present world in the sense that we are also living in the world of technological dependency. They listen to music via radios. We also listen to songs through the radios. They watch shows through an advanced “parlor walls”. We also watch shows through the television although not as advanced as those that they have. Surely, we are similar in the sense of technology although not as the same degree of advancement.
However, with the expansion of technology, we still see the value of books which makes us unique from the latter world. Fahrenheit 451 bans books. We enjoy books. We see lots of bookstores around which signifies that people still have the passion for reading. With the advent of technology, books are still considered the best source of knowledge and leisure today. In the story, they ban bookstores and even burn books.
I remember before when internet was still an alien to me, I always rely on the textbooks and encyclopedias they bought me. I totally enjoy reading them because not only was I able to grasp new information, I also awe on the facts that I acquire when reading them. But when I started to get familiarizing with the internet and its other media forms, I learned to neglect the value of books. I relied on the net for researches and new information. I became lazy flipping the pages of a book and I became used to just clicking the keyboard and getting the information. From then on, my bookworm side vanished and I became dependent on the net not realizing that books give more distinct knowledge than the net.
From what I’ve shared, I can relate my story to the world of Fahrenheit versus the present world we have. If we depend too much on the technology, it’s not surprising that a few decades from now, books will now be illegal in our society. For me, I think that this world we have right now is better than the world in the story because books are fun and gives more information than just relying on the technology.
