Farenheit 451

"Fahrenheit 451--the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns..." (1). Greeting readers as they study the title page, this quote immediately intrigues the readers, even frightens them as they realize the rather fiery and explosive nature of the novel. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, written in a frighteningly barren futuristic setting, explores an era in which there are no books or newspapers--they are burned, and those who still possess the forbidden material risk imprisonment or even …

…is that without books, more damage is done--with each book burned, a piece of someone's mind is incinerated as well. Only when the majority of minds have been scorched will the power of books be revealed, a power that will suffocate the flames of the ignorant. "To everything there is a season. Yes. A time to break down, and a time to build up. Yes. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."(167).