Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 concerns Guy Montag’s realisation about the world around him. It’s a stunning story and one that’s sometimes overlooked as a classic of the dystopia genre. We thought we’d stick with genre, following on from Ode to Winston Smith, last week’s offering. Montag’s a truly memorable character. We hope you enjoy the poem, finding it truly hot stuff . . .
“Once dowsed in kerosene, these books be torched”
History razed, so brutally
“All culture should be purged and scorched”,
as one, screamed out society
Firemen took on the role,
carrying out mass censorship
To burn all books their awful goal,
maintaining ignorance’s grip
Meeting Clarisse meant Montag lit
In her eyes lived something long gone
Montag then asked, could I be it,
more than my number 451?
Guy Montag’s mind was set ablaze:
“No more. There’s no way this can be”
And so, he vowed to stop the craze;
with the book people, he lives free
All words by Benjamin Francis Cassidy
Illustration by L. A. Cassidy
As well as a 1966 film, that became a bit of a cult classic, there was also a more recent offering. Michael B Jordan played the famous fireman, Guy Montag. The earlier adaptation is the better of the two. But neither offer the book’s power. A truly terrific tale, crafted by one of the greatest writers ever. If ever you need reminding about how important books are, Fahrenheit 451 is the one to read.
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