On an icy day in February we visited the theater “Fabrik“ in Altona, an old factory which was turned into a theater in 1971. We watched the play Fahrenheit 451, played in English, originally written as a novel by Ray Bradbury. After a 30-minute long trip and a long time freezing, while waiting outside of the theater, the play started almost on time.
Fahrenheit 451 shows a nightmarish vision for every bookworm. Books are banned and burnt upon discovery. Partly responsible for this is Guy Montag, a fireman who loves lighting things on fire. In Montag’s world, firemen are busy starting fires rather than putting them out. In addition to the prohibition of books, people are no longer enjoying nature, spending time by themselves, thinking independently, or having meaningful conversations. Instead, they do everything that entertains them and makes them happy. They drive very fast, watch excessive amounts of television on wall-size sets, and listen to the radio on “Seashell Radio“ sets attached to their ears. Some people even need pills to sleep, because they cannot escape the entertaining media. Montag always thought he lived a happy life. But one day, Montag meets a seventeen-year-old girl named Clarisse McClellan, who opens his eyes to the illusion of his life by asking challenging questions and showing her unusual love for people and nature…
The opinions about the play were mixed, but in our opinion it was exciting to watch Ray Bradbury’s vision of the future. The world showed was exaggerated, but like in every dystopia there is a spark of truth in it. Today many children are addicted to their smartphones and although it is not forbidden, they do not read books anymore. By that they are missing out on a chance to learn:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.“ (Nelson Mandela once said)
So let us use books and the power of education instead of leaving them behind…
(Marc B., Lennard R., S2)