Knowledge, our Biggest Asset and Liability

A Thematic response to Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Every day, most of us wake up, dragging our feet in the routine of reality, the thoughts, the questions of Life, slowing us down. It is a dreary existence, but one that is widely endured. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury illustrates to us a world without purpose. It has nothing of meaning, no books, and no scholars. Nobody to challenge anybody else’s thinking of how the world should be. Although at times knowledge seems to be our biggest burden, it is essential for society to prosper.

Guy Montag had lived his life in a shell, unnecessarily protected by the government. The same government bent on destroying books and, in their eyes, conflicts within itself. The memory of books was not lost though. Nothing can ever be truly forgotten. Those that had been associated with books were scorn from society, as if they were criminals. This kind of government is the worst thing imaginable to the scholars of today. All of those who are aware are at a complete loss, for the terror and conceit brought forth by this government. Scholars are the most important people in democracy, but without them it can be a dictatorship without the citizens’ knowledge.

At one point, Faber, the retired English professor, said, to Montag,” Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least know that you were headed for shore.” This referring to that if Montag wanted to know that he lived a full life moving society toward the correct path, he would need to take some risks. This is especially dangerous when you are considered a high ranking official in the government that directly opposes the way that you are headed. Faber was Montag’s savior, but to the rest of the world he and Montag were as heretics. He showed Montag The Light in a world of darkness.

Without the fear of the unknown that knowledge presents us with, life would seem to be very peaceful and worry free. Which it could be, but that is when we could be controlled like animals by the least fit to do so. Without knowledge we do not control ourselves. To allow any measurable or meaningful progress in society to occur, we must burden ourselves with the thing that presents most fear. With that fear, we push each other, we push ourselves, and we push society to be better.

Strength in Hardships

Author's Note: This is a response to the writing prompt “'What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.' Nietzsche How would you say that his quote could be applicable to the actions from the most recent part of the novel for Montag? This prompt is referring to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Montag is a fireman in a world where firemen start fires as opposed to our world where they put them out. This world is also one where reading is illegal as are books.

“What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger,” Frederick Nietzsche once said, but is this really true? It seems like that could be true in being that muscles only grow once they have been broken down. Then I think of a heart attack or stroke. Most times those make us weaker and more susceptible to death. Is it that we don’t make ourselves stronger, but those around us? The person receiving the effects of an action, only gets stronger if they choose, to use the effects to make themselves stronger.

By definition stronger means especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect. It may then be that after a heart attack your mind is the one getting stronger, but does that really matter is you have nobody to share your gift with? Strength can be very concrete as in a weight lifting competition or very biased as in the intelligence of an author.

Through Montag’s hardships he has gotten stronger in both respects. He has had to battle through intentionally burning his own house, to in the same night, being a felon wanted for arson. While running from the police Montag had is leg numbed and his knee shattered by a car going ninety miles an hour, yet he had yet to even think of laying down and turning himself in. His life is at the lowest point that it can ever be, and he made it through alone.

The greatest shows of strength are those that nobody can see. Those that are on the inside. Many want to have glory for their struggles or to have their story told for generations to come. The strongest don’t care about those petty matters they focus on life and what they need to do to prosper.

Patriotism's Stronghold on Humanity

Author's Note: This is the Veteran's Essay 2010

When asked if patriotism still matters in the world, I just stare at them with my mouth open, because I thought that the answer to this question should be fundamental. Of course it still matters. It matters to the extent that our way of life depends on it. Without patriotism Americans would not be true Americans as under the rule that we are today.

If not for patriotism, we would have never fought for global freedom. We would never have gotten to Afghanistan or Iraq in the name of world betterment. We would have let the evil dictators of the world control the world in which we live. Life as we know it is dependent on these Patriots.

In America, we so much take our lives for granted. We Idolize movie stars, or athletes, but we should idolize those who put their lives on the line for us every day. They let us do what we do, freely and without fear that it could be taken away at anytime. The love and pride that we should bestow in our veterans are lost in the business of America.

What distresses me most is the fact that we go about our daily lives and don’t even have the time to thank those responsible for letting be as it is. We must thank those who let daily life possible. Those who go to war, have gone to war, or have signed up to be in The United States Army are the heroes of America. We have been dreadful at showing our veterans the sufficient thanks that they deserve.

If not for Patriotism I would not be able to live the life that I live, and neither would any other Americans. To have Americans able to search for their calling we need those to protect our freedom, and we need to honor and support these veterans. These veterans bleed red, white, and blue, and for that, we salute them.