"'How Fiction Can Change Reality - Jessica Wise' Response"

Give an example of how a book really challenged the way you thought about an issue, society, an individual, or a group of people.

           Fahrenheit 451 really impacted my view of censorship. If you asked me if I supported censorship before reading the book, I probably would've said something like "Censorship? Yeah, I'm for it." Then I probably would've rambled on about how we need to protect ourselves. Blotting out the bad and only displaying the good seemed like such a great idea. Fahrenheit 451 showed me the darker side of censorship. It presented a future world where the government "protected" society from what it really needed and crushed anyone who didn't comply. 

           In many cases, censorship just a nicer term for brainwashing or manipulation.The conflict is not just a matter of not showing what should be seen--it's also a matter of showing too much of what shouldn't be seen. Censorship sets standards that are socially accepted, and has become a threatening game of stretching limits as far out as possible. As long as flawed humans are creating their own standards for what's appropriate, censorship will never truly protect. When I really stopped to consider it, I realized that censorship is a hugely flawed concept--largely due to how people twist it to fit their agendas. 

           I probably would've retained my extremely ignorant view of censorship if I hadn't read Fahrenheit 451. If you asked me if I support censorship now that I've read Fahrenheit 451, I'd say, "Censorship? Not quite."  Do I want limits? Yes--actually, I need them. Do I want people to be protected? That would be another huge "yes." However, I'd choose Bible mixed with prayer over skewed human-made guidelines.

(That last statement is a lot easier to say than to live.)

Austen Thoughts

Would you like to have lived during this time period? Why or why not?

            I would definitely not want to live during the time of Pride and Prejudice. I’d be miserable living with the expectation that a woman’s success is measured by her marriage. It was a general understanding that the desirable women “must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages…and possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions” (32). I would have struggled with all of those expectations. Instead of being able to focus on my passions and nurture my natural talents, I’d be forced into other activities for the sake of marriage and social acceptance.

            Also, in depending on marriage, I’d be placing my hopes on a man that might never come along. The ideal man was one of power and privilege. Character and beliefs, which I care more about, were less of a priority. I might’ve ended up as an old maid because I held onto hopes of love and a sense of completion in marriage.

            On a more shallow level, I wouldn’t have liked wearing dresses all the time—the spring banquet is enough. In general, I’m just not really into girly things. I like having the freedom to dress and appear however I want. In addition, I generally dress for comfort, and they seemed to dress for appearance. Although Elizabeth’s trek to reach Jane did show that there was room for breaking out of the mold, social norms tended to stifle freedom. For these reasons and probably many more that I will realize as I continue reading the book, I would not want to live during that time period.