As evident by this blog, I’m fascinated with censorship. And not in a pro-censorship manner. I have a bit of that passive aggressive rebellion in me that’s left over from childhood and adolescence; if someone tells me not to read something, it’s pretty much a surefire way to get me to want to read it, and likely succeed in doing so. It’s my somewhat ineffective way of sticking it to the man, so to speak.

Because of this, I found a recent article in the Fond du Lac reporter to be of great interest;

Students in Alayne Peterson’s college English class at the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac tackled timeless themes of censorship, conformity, government control and the role of the intellectual after getting a double dose of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.”

Why is this relevent, some may ask (specifically those unfamiliar with Bradbury’s book)? A website dealing with banned books gives us the reason:

This book is about censorship and those who ban books for fear of creating too much individualism and independent thought.
~http://web.archive.org/web/20021230232445/www.banned-books.com/bblista-i.html

The entire book “Fahrenheit 451″ revolves around censorship and the banning of books, and is actually a very challenged and frequently banned book itself, to boot. I, personally love the fact that it’s being used to address the issues of censorship and banning

“Fahrenheit 451″ — Students find each voice can make a difference”
Sharon Roznik
Fond du Loc Reporter
April 2, 2007
Complete Article