Over the years, authors have used the theme of reading and thinking to propel their plots and develop characters. This paper will discuss how the crimes of reading and thinking and their consequences are portrayed by the authors and/ or the antagonists of Patricia Polaccos’s Aunt Chip and the great triple creek dam affair, Frederick Douglass’ narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and George Orwell’s 1984. These authors mainly based these books on the theme of reading and thinking. They were concerned that the rate of reading is depreciating as technology progresses and this will prove to be detrimental in the societies.
Why are the Crimes of Reading and Thinking Defensible?
According to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the crimes of reading and thinking liberate the spirit. When the ‘fireman’ Montag was sent to burn the possessions of everyone who read outlawed books, he was mesmerized by the free thinking ideals and the liberated spirit of a girl who keeps herself informed by reading books. Through reading books, she keeps herself informed and she is able to think about life from her own perspective without anyone’s control. This made the fireman question his perception of happiness and life as a whole. From this book, the author justifies that reading and thinking should not be considered a crime but liberation of the people. People should be allowed to have their own opinions and ideals; they should be allowed to think and read to expand their knowledge of the world without restrictions (Bradbury, 2003).
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In addition, Bradbury’s book proves that Reading and thinking creates a sense of self. When the old woman’s house was about to be burnt down by the ‘firemen,’ she refused to leave the house and was burnt in it. This implies that, the old woman was not familiar with anything else but reading and freedom. The old woman identified with the book and it was the only thing she would do during her free time. Through reading, she would learn new things and therefore she could not see herself living without the books and therefore she decided to die in the fire with the books; this opened the eyes of the antagonists (Bradbury, 2003).
In Frederick’s narrative, Douglass attests that the crimes of reading and thinking are imperative for democracy to exist. In his narrative, Douglass proves that the slaveholders used ignorance as the main strategy to keep their slaves. The slaves were not allowed to read or think and therefore, they could not learn about their rights and freedoms. For a democracy to exists, people must read and understand how the free world operates before they are able to liberate themselves. When Frederick was writing his narrative, most people believed that slavery was a natural state of being and it was not unnatural for the White Americans to hold slaves. The Americans believed that the Black people were unable to hold office and were inherently incompetent to participate in civil society. Ignorance in this society led to misery, children were robbed of their identity and the slaves were denied the basic facts about themselves such as their paternity. Therefore, for slave ownership to be abolished, slaves had to first be given the right to read and think freely (Douglass and Garrison, 1846).
Secondly, crimes of thinking and reading are imperative in proper governance through giving the subjects the opportunity to question their governments. In Frederick narrative, the slaves had to be denied the right to read and think lest they discover that it was immoral and illegal for the white countrymen to hold slaves. As the slaves grew older, the slave owners denied them the right to read. This made sure that the slaves do not learn about their rights. In addition, without reading and thinking, the slaves would not be able to find ways to liberate themselves from the tyranny of their masters. Slave owners of the South were able to control what the rest of America knows about slavery by keeping the slaves illiterate. The slave owners knew that if the slaves would read and think, they would mobilize the rest of the country, question their governments and fight for their freedom (Douglass and Garrison, 1846).
The above point is also depicted in Patricia Polaccos’s Aunt Chip and the great triple creek dam affair. When Aunt Chip was trying to convince her neighbours to adopt the habit of reading, she gave them an example of herself. She explained that fifty years ago before she learnt how to read, she could not stand up against the city father, all she could do obey whatever they say. However, because of reading and freethinking, she is able to stand up to them and fight for rights when she needs to. She urges her fellow countrymen to adopt the habit of reading rather than just sit around and watch television (Polacco, 1996).
In George Orwell’s 1984, reading and thinking are significant in improving the livelihoods of citizens. In the state of Oceania, the hierarchy of populates was divided into three; the upper class inner party, the middle class outer party and the lower class proles. The lower class comprised of the largest percentage 85% and they were mainly illiterates. These members of the society were employed in blue collar jobs and were given minimum wages. Since they were not learned, they lacked the free will to think and therefore did not fight for a better living. They were oppressed by the higher classes in the country and the government imposed harsh sanctions on them. The ministries in the government often oppressed them and took their rights away whenever they would try to read and give their opinions. The ministry of plenty would ration the resources and starve the residents; the ministry of love would torture and brainwash the lower class citizens and the ministry of truth provided propaganda to make sure that the citizens would act accordingly (Orwell, 1949).
What are the Consequences of Committing the Crimes of Reading and Thinking?
In George Orwell’s 1984, the countrymen who would commit the crimes of reading and thinking would be ‘vaporized’- the non- conforming citizens would be killed by the state and be wiped from history such that no one will remember they ever existed. Similarly, in Fahrenheit 451, the people who committed the crimes of reading and thinking would lose all their possession in fires that were created by the ‘firemen’. In Frederick’s narrative, the slaves were denied a right to read by their owners; a slave who would be seen reading or educating others would be thoroughly punished by their owners. At the time when he was writing his narrative, corporal punishment on slaves was legal and this was the most preferred means of punishment.
Are these consequences justifiable?
The consequences of committing the crimes of thinking and reading are not justifiable. These extreme measures were taken by the antagonists to keep their subjects at bay so that they can be able to run the territories as they pleased. Unlike most crimes such as murder and theft, the crimes of reading and thinking are committed for the betterment of the large society; therefore, punishing the perpetrator is undermining the greater good. Reading and thinking should be termed as crimes and the doers should not be punished but rather should be gifted. If murderers and thieves were given jail terms, offenders who committed the crimes of reading and thinking should at most receive the same punishment. Killing the offenders and wiping them from history was an extreme punishment for anyone let alone those who committed the trivial crime of reading and thinking.
How does ignorance benefit the antagonist or governing bodies?
In these books, ignorance has benefited the antagonists in different ways. In Douglass’s book, the slave owners were abet to keep the slaves obedient by denying them information. They were able to control how the rest of the country would treat their slaves. By doing so, they would maintain their power over slaves and make them do all the work they ordered them to without objection. The slave holders were able to prevent rebellion and freedom of slaves through ignorance of the slaves. In Patricia Polaccos’s Aunt Chip and the great triple creek dam affair, the city fathers would do whatever they want in the cities without objections from the city residents because they spent all of their time watching television rather than reading about the country’s proceedings. Furthermore, the city residents did not know their rights and therefore, they could not stand up against their government. In Fahrenheit 451, the authorities benefited by preventing the subjects to think of all the benefits they will accrue by reading and thinking. They subdue their subjects whenever they feel like and start a war that will benefit them.
What are the negative consequences for a people or society in the 21st century world which does not engage in substantive thinking?
A negative consequence of lack of substantive thinking is oppression of citizen. Freedom of expression in the world is provided in the universal declaration of human rights. However, in some countries in the world, people are prevented from voicing opinions that are politically incorrect or which may offend the oppressors. In these countries, the people are prevented to speak freely, write or express themselves in other forms. The freedom of expression also encompasses the freedom of religion. However, it most countries apostasy, blasphemy and defamation in religion are considered an offense and the offenders are highly penalized; in some countries, atheist can even be put to death by the governing bodies. In countries where the people are denied their freedom, the subjects are denied their religious rights, they are tortured and detained. For example, in china, the ruling party is an atheist organization. Citizens who have faith in religions other than Taoists, Islam, Buddhism, Catholics and protestants are severely oppressed in the country, forced to convert failure of which they are tortured and imprisoned (Pellot, 2014).
Secondly, in countries where substantive thinking is denied, democracy is undermined. The people in such countries are politically and socially fraught. For example, in Burma, the highest population comprises of Theravada Buddhist. For this reason, people of other faiths including Christianity and Islam are denied their basic rights, building permits, are banned from proselytizing and they are made to change their religion. The residents are forced to state their religion with the government officials and this incriminates them. In addition, the ethnic minorities are attacked and segregated. (Open Doors USA, 2016).
References:
Bradbury, R. (2003). Fahrenheit 451; (50th anniversary Ed.). Ballantine books, New York.
Douglass F., And Garrison, W. L. (1846). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Worley, Near Leeds.
Open Doors USA. (2016). Christian Persecution in Myanmar. Retrieved on April 5, 2017 from https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/
Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty Four: a Novel. Secker and Warburg, London
Pellot, B. (2014). The Worst Countries for Religious Freedom. Index: The Voice Of Free Expression. Print
Polacco, P. (1996). Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair. Philomel Books
