Fahrenheit 451 Essay #3
Why Should We Read?
Mildred asks, “Why should we read books?” Answer her question. Why should we read books when information of all sorts is so readily available from other sources? Defend your reason with specific examples from our society. (You don’t need to refer to Fahrenheit 451 in your response.) Consider the following advice before you turn in a final draft:
--Don’t “gush” or overstate your case. “Reading is just soooooooo cool! Everyone should read because reading is the best thing in the world!”
--You may compare the act of watching TV to the act of reading books, but do not turn this into another “What’s wrong with TV?” essay. If you are going to compare the two, focus your comparison on what each requires from the reader/viewer. Explain the superiority of books, not so much the inferiority of TV.
--You might say we should read books for entertainment, but you must explain why they are as good as or better than all the other forms of entertainment (TV, movies, video games, sports, etc.). Do not argue that books are the only way to be entertained. Do consider what it is about books that makes them entertaining. You might argue that we read to “escape,” but again, a good movie or football game can serve the same purpose.
--You might argue that we read for knowledge, but consider all the other ways there are to gain knowledge. Why are books better?
--Consider the link between reading and individuality.
--Consider the link between watching TV and conformity.
--Consider the role of reading in POWER.
–Even though they appear to have nothing to do with reading books, consider these quotations by Viktor Frankl:
“...morality is more than a sleeping pill, or a tranquilizing drug.”
“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state, but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.”
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