#120, Lasrever
In Ray Bradbury's science-fiction classic, Fahrenheit 451, firemen are given kerosene and matches to start fires all across the city. They burn down houses unsympathetically and take particular pleasure in setting books ablaze. The concept of a fireman has been flipped upside-down; instead of extinguishing fires, they start fires. They do this in a world where books are seen as evil, remnants from the past that contain dangerous ideas. The government has thus re-imagined the fireman as an ally to fire, not an enemy to it.
There are several institutions, practices, and beliefs that we rarely question because they have been so long standing. Why is it that we eat cake on our birthday? Why is it that men wear suits and women wear dresses? Why is it that we learn math in school? Take an idea like this and use it to create an alternate version of the world. Just as Mr. Bradbury did, imagine a reversal of one aspect of our current society.
To complete this week's Journal response,
- Write a work of fiction in which one element of the world is reversed.
- Comment on one of your peer's responses.
-Brenden Lee Teacher
pleasure to burn