“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon.” — Captain Beatty
Reflection: In the book 451 Fahrenheit, the main protaganist, Captain Beatty, preaches about the nature of human kind and the effect that the firemen have on their lives on multiple occasions. On this specific occasion, he talks about the delicacy of society, and the importance of what they do on the outcomes and decisions made by society resulting from the burning of these dangerous books. Although in this scenario, the country is on the brink of war, and society is on the brink of collapsing on its self, the same message is portrayed through the novel. Applicable to real life situations, power is a very delicate factor throughout society, and must be carefully controlled. There is a fine line between this being too much of a priority in the hierarchy of government and for it to be ignored just slightly too much. Although it may be a cumbersome task, this is a necessary to maintain order throughout mankind, because we as humans are naturally hostile, volatile creatures, who in one way or another, desire conflict. If power is over controlled, rebellion is formed and an over throw of the main heads of government generally follows, creating massive friction between society and government. If the balance of power is ignored, anarchy ensues anyhow, and the government is ignored and/or suppressed, thus creating friction between the people in society itself.
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