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Congressional Impetus Toward Fahrenheit

© Donna L. Quesinberry

Ray Bradbury’s Science Fiction title, “Fahrenheit 451” portrays an imminent culture where books and written materials are deemed to be contraband. In this story manuscripts of all types are outlawed and delivered to a fiery death (where they only burn at the temperature of 451 degrees-hence the title.). If community members fail to toss favorite copies of Hemingway, for instance, on the Fahrenheit 451 coals of statehood they became subject to severe punishment and potentially even death.

In Bradbury's novel Montage, the hero, escapes state doctrines by running away to a commune and their life of hidden literary celebrations. Written materials there are read, memorized, disposed of, and then recanted through oration where each communal member has become hero, or heroine, of their beloved written works assuming name and persona of their chosen manuscript. At the end of this story a "book person" states, "I am the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury"—what a proclamation.

Of course, we are far from living the life presented in Bradbury’s novel. At this point in time we, especially Americans, experience Freedom of Speech exceeding previous annals and generations. Our familiarity with the First Amendment’s Freedom of Speech sometimes tempts us to self-imposed regulation. Without going too far in the direction of human psyche we typically direct ourselves to the repose of self-regulation—referencing cerebral applications of experience. The natural inclination to self-regulate may have been the impetus for Ray Bradbury’s novel, but I like to believe he just thought outside the box.

Censorship-does it exist today? A three-letter answer is all that is required. Yes. Who imposes censorship, and why? Why censor? Quickly your thought turns to those abash and newsy titles solicited via National Press, newspaper, and television viewing. Titles such as, “Explosives From the Campfire Bomb Building,” “Subversive Doctrine,” etc. Although, I presented false titles here-the message is that obvious-when we think censor, we think homeland terrorists, or psychotic gurus, who attempt to thwart societal norms and civilization, as we know them. We want to censor those sorts of evils.

What we don’t think of is Cyberspace. We don’t visualize Websites that contain Baroque paintings. We don’t reflect on the classroom environment that may lack the poet’s commentary. Thinking of Ferlinghetti and Ginsberg as infamous poets with edgy presentations, their verbiage could be viewed as controversial under the guise of Cyber Regulation. We don’t hear dictatorial language and stunted communication when we think of censorship, yet those are issues of societies where censoring takes place for extended periods of time.

D. Quesinberry, Author	Bradbury & Futuristic Fiction	Freedom's Statute	US Capitol
Thomas Jefferson	Freedom Moves	Time

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