Theme Analysis of Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Theme Analysis of Fahrenheit 451    The theme of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 can be viewed from several different angles.   First and foremost, Bradbury's novel gives an anti-censorship message.   Bradbury understood censorship to be a natural outcropping of an overly tolerant society.   Once one group objects to something someone has written, that book is modified and censorship begins. Soon, another minority group objects to something else in the book, and it is again edited until eventually the book is banned altogether.   In Bradbury's novel, society has evolved to such an extreme that all literature is illegal to possess.   No longer can books be read, not only because they might offend someone, but because books raise questions that often lead to revolutions and even anarchy.   The intellectual thinking that arises from reading books can often be dangerous, and the government doesn't want to put up with this danger.   Yet this philosophy, according to Bradbury, completely ignores the benefits of k nowledge.   Yes, knowledge can cause disharmony, but in many ways, knowledge of the past, which is recorded in books, can prevent man from making similar mistakes in the present and future.    The society envisioned by Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451 is often compared to Huxley's Brave New World.   Though both works definitely have an anti-government theme, this is not the core idea of Bradbury's novel.   As Beatty explains in part one, government control of people's lives was not a conspiracy of dictators or tyrants, but a consensus of everyday people. People are weak-minded; they don't want to think for themselves and solve the troubling problems of the world.   It is far easier to live a life of seclusion and illusion-a life where the television is reality.   Yet more importantly, Fahrenheit 451 is an anti-apathy and anti-dependence and anti-television message.   People in the novel are afraid-afraid of themselves.   They fear the thought of knowing, which leads them to depend of others (government) to think for them.   Since they aren't thinking, they need something to occupy their time.   This is where television comes in.   A whole host of problems arise from television: violence, depression and even suicide.

Karl Marx Essay

Karl Marx who was christened ‘the father of modern communism’ was a well renowned philosopher whose ideologies in the political, economy as well as social perspectives were very significant. To Marx, the issue of inequality in society was a major concern and a central point in his ideologies. He blamed the inequality in society on the economic production. (Healey J 2006). He placed more emphasis on the means of production which simply implied the tools or materials used in order to ensure that goods and services were produced and distributed. To Marx, the means of production could vary depending on the prevailing economic system. In cases of agricultural societies, land would be an important means of production while for the industrial society the machinery and equipment, factories as well as the transportation system were the means of production. Marx further noted that societies were dominated by capitalistic tendencies in spite of them being agricultural or industrial. To him there are two major social classes who are in continued struggle or conflict over the means of production. The two major classes are the bourgeoisie who not only own but also control the factors of production and it is also the ruling class. (Healey J 2006). The other class comprises of the proletariat or the working class. Marx believed that conflicts between the two distinct classes were eminent or rather inevitable. The resultant effect was that the proletariat class would over throw the bourgeoisie and an equitable society would be attained. In the new society exploitation and coercion would be a thing of the past. The new society would be a class less society and inequality would be erased and social change would be attained. Marx presented a conflicting society that was characterised by continued class struggle. (Healey J 2006) Healey in ‘Race, Ethnicity, Gender and class’, noted that Max Weber a German sociologist was a major critic of Marx ideologies. He argued that Marx ideology of inequality in society was a very narrow one. To Weber, the inequality problem in society was complex and not as simple as Marx presented it. He was quite categorical that inequalities in society could not be wholly blamed on economic forces. In this regard he noted the cases where people may belong to the elite class in society but lack wealth attached to it or vice versa. Some people may have the wealth but lack the self esteem. (Healey J, 2006) Marx and Weber agreed on the issue of inequalities in society. Weber expounded on Marx ideologies and he in fact adopted other stratification mechanisms regarding inequalities with ownership and control of factors of production which was similar to Karl Marx’s class ideology. Secondly, he brought about the idea of ‘prestige’ where the amount of honour or self esteem given to people by others was highlighted. To Weber, factors like class, family lineage as well as physical appearance affected the amount of prestige or honour to be placed on people by others. The third stratification according to Weber was power or the ability to influence or control others. A person’s stand in political organisation determined how powerful they were in the society. To Weber, the three groups had similar characteristics in the sense that wealthy, prestigious were likely to be more powerful when compared to the poor people in the society. (Healey J, 2006). Both Marx and Weber agreed that the development of capitalism was as a result of accumulated capital. However, they differed on how the accumulation was ensured. Marx was convinced that ‘owners of the means of production or the ‘bourgeois acquired immense capital through expropriation and exploitation of the working class or the proletariat. On the other hand Weber perceived a society where the accumulation of capital was attributed to the dedication, self denial and hard work of the capitalists. As Etzioni – Halevy in ‘Social change’ noted, Weber viewed ‘social change in society as caused not only by the economic factors but also by values and ideas’ (Etzioni – Halery E). Notably, Weber did not underestimate the role of or importance of economic factors in as far as social change in society was concerned. Some of Weber’s viewpoints earned him no fame as they just blended what Marx had earlier presented. The main distinction pertaining his ideologies was his emphasis on the fact that the ‘advent of modern capitalism could not be wholly blamed on the economic factors’. (Etzioni-Halevy J, 1981). To him, values had a very significant role to play and to this regard had to be considered with the same intensity that was attached to economic factors. Important values cited by Weber included achievement – oriented values which worked to motivate the entrepreneurs to work devotedly while negating from consumption to embrace investment. He perceived a society where entrepreneurs would instead of consuming their profits re-invest to earn more profits. (Etzioni-Halery J, 1981) To Marx, social change would be realised when the two conflicting classes were no more or when the working class overthrew the ruling class over the means of production. Weber rejected this view point on the argument that social change was a complex aspect which was affected by the class groupings as well as the varying or diverse status. (Allan K, 2005) The working class according to Marx earned a living by selling their labour to the owners of the means of production or capitalists. There was an eminent exploitation between the two classes in the society. Marx coined the term ‘pauperization’ to mean the process through which the rich became richer as the poor grew poorer. The exploitation was due to the fact that the wages paid to the working class by the capitalists was not equitable to the work or output they produced. Apart from receiving poor pay, the working class in poor conditions that negatively affected their mental as well as physical well being. (Giddens A and Griffiths, 2006). Weber backed Marx idea that the society was characterised by conflicts for power as well as resources. On how the society was structured Weber negated from Marx ideology that economic factors alone had a role to play in its determination. In contrast he noted that other important aspects like status as well as party had a role in class differences. According to Weber they could emerge from other aspects rather than economic forces. He noted that economic differences could arise from other resources rather than property for instance skills, qualifications or credentials. Taylor G and Spencer S, 2004). Weber argued that capitalism was not necessarily the critical factor triggering alienation and deprivation of the working class. Consequently, elimination of the private ownership would not suffice in resolving the inequality issue in the society. Weber blamed the alienation to ‘the omnipotent structures of the bureaucratic rule’ (Hamilton P, 1991). Weber rejected socialism as a way of resolving the problems associated or linked in capitalism.

The Impact Of Motivation And Engagement On Employee

INTRODUCTION Employee motivation and engagement is one of the key factors in achieving organizational goals and target. Employee motivation can be described as a psychological force that persistently drives a person to perform in an organization while engagement on the other hand, is satisfaction of employee on the arranged employment plan and loyalty to the organization. This study will critically examine the impact of motivation and engagement on employee using an organization which the Chief Executive Officer is considering reducing the individual bonuses of employee due to an unfavorable economic climate. The consideration is coming based on the present economic climate. The study will make use of theories of motivation and engagement. At the end of the study, there will be recommendation and conclusion which will be drawn from the theoretical analysis. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF MOTIVATION The word motivation was derived from Latin words â€Å"mover† which simply means to move (Kretiner, 1998). Motivation is a predisposition to behave in purposeful manner to achieve certain unmet needs (Buford et.al 1995). Moreover, motivation can also be described as a drive internally to satisfy unsatisfied needs (Higgins, 1994). Motivation is a psychological process that makes an employee behaves in a purposeful manner and direction (Kreitner, 1995). Robins (1993) defined motivation as willingness to putShow MoreRelatedEmployee Engagement, Customer Satisfaction, And Cash Flow1407 Words   |  6 PagesThere are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow...It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it... Jack Welch, Former CEO of General Electric Overview Employees are key to creating sustainable competitive advantage. Consistently, researchRead MoreEmployee Engagement And Effective Competitive Advantage1684 Words   |  7 Pagesmore than ever, companies are recognizing that the ability to attract, engage, develop and retain talent is critical (Lockwood, 2007). 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