“War. Death. Despair. Oppression. Environmental ruin. Yup, when it comes to demoralizing literature, dystopian novels have it all! Yet many of us love this genre, and there are good reasons we do” states The Huffington Post. Dystopian novels are loved among many people, but there is also criticism of having these negative novels. Dystopian novels such as Anthem by Ayn Rand and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are popular in schools. There are many purposes of teaching these novels in schools.
The primary purposes of teaching Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 in schools are that facing reality is an inevitable part of life, there is always hope, and these books can help people with their problems. Firstly, one of the purposes of teaching dystopian novels in schools is that Facing reality is an inevitable part of life, and that cannot be ignored. Technology has become an indispensable part of modern society, and it controls the everyday lives of people. Montag thinks about Mildred just moments before the first bomb explosion, “He saw her in her hotel room somewhere now in half second remaining with the bombs a yard, a foot, an inch from her building. He saw her leaning toward the great shimmering walls of color and motion where the family talked and talked and talked to her, where the family prattled and chatted and said her name and smiled at her and said nothing of the bomb that was an inch, now a half inch, now a quarter inch from the top of the hotel” (Bradbury 152).
Even during the most dramatic situations, when the war has been declared, Montag sees Mildred in a room surrounded by technology and virtual life. Mildred does not care anymore about the things that are happening around her; she has become emotionless and insensitive. It is common for young people to spend time on social media and using technology everywhere; also, as time goes by, it is becoming more popular in older people. The society is becoming dependent on technology, but it is essential to see and think about what is happening in the real world with real emotions and people. Also, for most people, it is only about themselves, and they do not care about other people’s lives. Clarisse states that “I’m afraid of children of my own age. They kill each other. Six of my friends have been shot in the last year alone. Ten of them died in car wrecks. Sometimes I even go to the Fun Parks and ride in the jet cars when they race on the edge of town at midnight and the police don’t care as long as they’re insured” (Bradbury 27/28).
People risk other people’s lives to have fun, and it is normal that often someone gets killed. They do not care about their lives and safety as long as their financial funds and their own interests are safe and satisfied. Moreover, a critical aspect of facing reality is understanding that society suppresses changes and differences. In Anthem, The World Council of Scholars states, “Many men in the Homes of Scholars have had strange new ideas in the past, but when the majority of their brother Scholars voted against them, they abandoned their ideas, as all men must” (Rand 73). Equality 7-2521 invents electricity, but it is unknown to the society, and they are firmly against it because for them, it is different and extraordinary, which is unacceptable. The society is not fair all the time, but it is essential to believe in and do important things. Dystopian novels teach that facing reality is an inevitable part of life, as it reveals that people are dependent on technology, most of them do not care about others, and the society suppresses differences.
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Furthermore, the purpose of teaching dystopian novels in schools is that no matter how dark the situation may be, there is always hope. Even when everything is lost or is not going as planned, it is not the end; it is the beginning of something new. Equality 7-2521 describes, “We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we ran. We ran blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a torrent without shape. And the road seemed not to be flat before us, but as if it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited for the earth to rise and strike us in the face. But we ran. We knew not where we were going. We knew only that we must run, run to the end of the world, to the end of our days” (Rand 75). Nothing went as planned, and he had lost everything, but he does not give up and keeps moving forward and looking for the right thing. Finally, he finds a house from the Unmentionable Times, and he knows what he has to do and finally finds peace. For a moment, everything was gone for him, but hope gives him that he has been looking for. It was not the end; it was just the beginning of the new.
Additionally, the part of the journey – to realize the greatness and destination – is struggling. After Montag sees a woman refusing to leave her books and burns herself with her books, he states, “There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing” (Bradbury 48). After that devastating picture, Montag is struggling to find answers and happiness and peace. But after all, it helps him to find answers and peace, which makes him understand his life destination and greatness of the books. The journey to the end starts with the beginning. Also, hope represents that the difficulties are opportunities for people to change. Montag states, “I’m afraid he’ll talk me back the way I was. Only a week ago, pumping a kerosene hose, I thought: God what fun” (Bradbury 85). A week ago, Montag would not have cared about reading or books, but he was the one who burns them. Now he is worried about going back to the way he was. He changes because of the difficulties of society and his life.
It represents hope and that problems force people to change for the better. The purpose of teaching novels such as Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 in schools is that these novels show that in every situation, there is always hope. Thirdly, dystopian books can help people with problems they have or might have in the future. These books help the audience to understand the importance of mistakes and failures. Granger, the leader of the “Book People”, states, “We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn’t be here” (Bradbury 143). Montag hesitates about the decisions he has done – killing Beaty, reading books, and placing some of the books into Mr. Black’s house – and Granger convinces him that he has come so far only thanks for the mistakes he has made. Mistakes and failures are part of the success, and it is reasonable to make these because from the mistakes and failures comes experience and knowledge.
Also, society sets morals. Clarisse states, “My uncle drove slowly on a highway once. He drove forty miles an hour and they jailed him for two days. Isn’t that funny, and sad, too” (Bradbury 6). This is a society where you are suspect if you were a pedestrian, but killing innocent people – because you are required to drive fast – is considered normal. Fahrenheit 451 represents the society where having a conversation and enjoying nature is prohibited. Being different is not necessarily wrong because society says that. It is okay to be different and not follow the path the society sets. Lastly, a person’s decisions and actions require self-awareness to find happiness. Montag says, “No matter when he came in, the walls were always talking to Mildred” (Bradbury 42). Mildred is not happy because she is stuck and lives in her virtual reality. She has no desire to think for herself or gain knowledge beyond what is streamed into her parlor. Bradbury uses his novel to convince his audience how happiness comes from experience and a person’s need to own their thoughts. The quest for joy begins with self-awareness and requires tough decisions, action, and perseverance. Dystopian novels can help people with their problems, and that is one of the reasons that books as Fanhreneit 451 and Anthem are taught at schools. All in all, facing reality is an inevitable part of life, there is always hope, and these books can help people with their problems – are the main purposes of teaching dystopian novels such as Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 in schools.
The one purpose of teaching these novels – facing reality is an inevitable part of life – reveals in Fahrenheit 451 as technology has become an indispensable part of their society, and for most people, it is only about themselves. In Anthem, it reveals as the community suppresses changes and differences as Equality 7-2521 is different, and he tries to change the society with his innovation. Hope in every situation reflects in Equality's achievement as he finds the peace after the difficulties he has been through, and in Montag, when he overcomes his struggling and finds the truth, he was looking for. The last purpose of teaching these books is that people can find solutions to their problems. It is revealed by the mistakes Montag has made and thanks to these mistakes , he gets to where he wanted to get. Also, society sets morals, but it is normal to be different, and happiness requires self-awareness. Teaching dystopian novels such as Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 in schools is relevant because teaching demoralizing literature has many positive purposes. Works Cited Rand, Ayn, and Leonard Peikoff. Anthem. A Signet Book, 2012.
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