Comparative Essay

Is This Reality?

As more and more changes take place in today’s society due to the modernizations and all kinds of innovations, I believe that society should take some time to recollect and evaluate the kind of changes these new technologies has brought upon our lives. In my own time, I have come to my own opinions and realizations after having read and discussed the novel, Fahrenheit 451, I have noticed a number of remarkable similarities about the way modernizations such as technology and media has affected society in Montag’s world and in our own.

One of the first similarities I noticed was the parlor TV walls, Millie cherished so much. It sparked my attention when I realized how familiar this sounded. It reminded me of the gigantic movie screens in our movie theatres, the huge plasma TV screens in some of our homes and the projected screens for our television and computers for some. In some cases, these large screens are there for minimal use only but what about those people who skip meals to go watch an ‘important’ game? Or those kids who end up forgetting all about their homework because of some ‘interesting’ cartoon television show?

In close connection with the first similarity, I noticed how close our society was getting a bit like the society we see in Fahrenheit 451: materialistic and detached from society. Although I’m happy to note that reality’s society isn’t as apathetic as those in Montag’s, I have a disturbing inkling some people in society are getting to that point. What about those broken relationships between couples because of a boyfriend’s video game addiction? Or those cases wherein teenagers have more internet friends than friends in their neighborhood and school.

Clearly, society needs a serious rain check to prevent some drastic consequences to humankind. To prevent an apathetic and ill-minded people to dominate a large portion of society would be the doom of our future if we do not act now. So I’m hoping everyone knows the value of things, because if they overlook the value of the important people in their lives,and those rare moments everyone should get to have and instead value the technology they own then what would life mean then and where would the human race be?