Two Different Worlds

         

          Our life today is way much different from the life portrayed in the novel Fahrenheit 451.  It is just like saying that the job of Montag as a fireman is much complicated than the job of an ordinary fireman today.  The two worlds differ much, the same as we compare color black and white.The world we're living in today portrays mostly the opposite of the world Montag lives, with some exceptions. Taking a view on the people's attitude towards life, the media's influence on people's lives, and most importantly how the society views the concept of family and social interaction  from both  worlds could help us see the  big difference between the two. 

          In our world, people have their own definition of happiness. Happiness differs from every person. Some find happiness by just waking up in the morning, some on material things. For me, I personally define happiness as the most wonderful feeling I experience whenever I'm with my true friends.Happiness is not limited to certain instances for us in our world to be happy. Meanwhile, in the novel, happiness is being given certain requirements. People don't have their own personal choice of happiness. Instead, happiness for them is achieved when they are free from problems and responsibilities, and just being entertained by T.V. shows everyday. Just like Mildred who convinces herself as a happy person, not worrying at all  on the problems she's carrying.

        
          The importance of the essence of responsibility for the people is also different from the two worlds. In our world, we are taught to be responsible. We are trained to be brave and strong in order to face the consequences of our actions, especially our mistakes. For us, problems are instruments that help in the improvement of our self-being and maturity. It is never a good option to quit and escape from duties because it is a sign of weakness for the majority in our world. But in the novel,  people are indirectly taught to become irresponsible through entertainment. They are rather encouraged to forget their responsibilities and just have fun. They are discouraged to think on how to solve the problems because it would make them sad and upset if they could not find a solution to their problem. The result is that the people become fearful about reality and that they'll desperately do anything in order to escape from it. Some even choose to commit suicide and some wait for death to come.

         The attitude of people towards  knowledge also varies from our world and in the novel. Generally, we are sent to school to learn and acquire knowledge. In our world, education is given importance because it is the only thing that could not be taken away from one person. Usually, we look up those people who have acquired a higher level if education. We use different kinds of sources like books for learning and try to preserve them for the future generation to use. On the other hand, books in the Fahrenheit world are the subjects for burning.  The eagerness of acquiring knowledge is rarely found in the characters in the novel, except for some, like Montag and others. The unwillingness of the people to learn are caused by many factors. One of these factors is the influence of technology and media on the everyday lives of the people. The media is known for dictating the current trends and lifestyles of the people. In our world, we are molded to believe on what the media portrays to be "true". This situation is also the same in the novel, except that the influence of media is much 'powerful' in the novel than in our world. The media in the Fahrenheit world has become a part of the lives of people in their daily routine. It eventually lead to the belief of the people that the shows in television are the ones real, and that it is reality. That's why, there are characters who show this kind of attitude where they have considered the 'family' in TV shows to be their real  family. Examples of these characters are Mildred, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles. 
     
         Lastly, the concept of family and social interaction in both worlds greatly showed the difference between the two. In our world, we value our family and that we consider it as one of our priorities in life. Our idea about family is about having the father, the  mother and the children  together in the same household living a happy and contented life. While in the novel, the character's family are the 'family' in the television soap operas and shows. They consider it as their real family because it is the source of their happiness despite the fact that this 'family' can only be seen on the walled televisions. With their constant "interaction" the people make with their "family", it eventually lead to different kind of social interaction. In the novel, social interaction is concerned with having watched the TV, which Clarisse mentions and expresses her hatred on this kind of interaction. In contrast, our kind of interaction in this world is more concerned with the talking and interacting with people, asking questions, thinking and others. This kind of social interaction is what Clarisse prefer to do but the society in her world considers her 'anti-social' still.
  
         The people, the media and the society are just among the reasons that makes our world and the Fahrenheit world different. Their massive differences could make tell us that the fictional world Bradbury tells is likely  too real to be true. But, conclusions still should not be made because nobody is able to predict what will happen. As for now, the only thing I can say is that our world and Montag's world are two different worlds.

  

          

And I met the Internet

                    I only knew what a computer looked like when I was in elementary and there's nothing more interesting about it. My knowledge on computers was merely just about the computer parts and nothing more. Learning how to use the internet never came into my mind until my friends got hooked into it. Then suddenly, my interest on computer applications, softwares and the internet grew bigger which I never thought would happen to me.

                   I was introduced to the technology world when I entered elementary. We were taught the basics like the proper use of the mousse, the typing and others. I also learned how to play games. But I really never had much interest on computers back then, except for computer games like Mario and Hangaroo. It was until I reached fifth grade that my classmates were already starting to be computer addicts. Most of my friends would talk about the things they did on the internet. The boys would talk about 'DOTA' while the girls would talk about their friendster profiles and about their chatmates. And I had no idea of all these things they were talking. I felt like a loser everytime they talked about it and I did not have anything to share to them. and then, I though of trying to do what they were doing so that I would not get upset. My first meeting with the Internet was funny. It happened on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Classes were suspended due to the unpleasant weather. Most students were fetched early by their parents and there were also some who were stucked in their classroom, waiting for their parents. I was one of those students who stayed in the classroom together with some of my friends. We did all crazy things so as to have fun while waiting. An hour or so passed and we were still not fetched. It seemed like we had done everything in the classroom so as not to get bored. We even tried to play 'glass in the bottle' but it was unsuccessful. And then, when one of my friend, who was a computer addict,  Gilrose, decided to go to the internet cafe near the school. At first, I did not want to go but then most of my friends went there, so I decided to just go with them too. As we walked in through the rain towards the internet cafe, my friends were excited and they started talking about their friendster,and other accounts on the internet. I was like out of the conversation again because I did not have any. When we entered the internet cafe, it was dark but there were many students and it was noisy. I think it was my first time to go to the internet cafe together with my friends. I used a computer but I didn't have any idea on what else I can do. I sought help from my friends and they willingly taught me how to use the internet. I was able to have a friendster profile and chat using MIRC in just a few minutes.  An hour passed and I didn't realized that I was having much fun chatting that I  forgot that I did not have enough money on my pocket. I was nervous and afraid, knowing that my friends could not able to help me because they too didn't have extra money. It was the most terrifying feeling I ever had, I did not know what to do. Then, my friends made a plan. I was already sweating and on the panic mode when suddenly Gilrose grabbed my arm and we ran through the door. I realized that we just escaped and did not even pay a single peso. I was shocked of what I just did  but after that incident,  I promised myself that I would not do it again. But internet surfing would always be the thing I'm gonna do, and from then on, I learned how to use the internet. It made me realize that there's so much things that can be done with the internet.  

               I  did not regret anything I did, except for the crime of not paying. It was my eagerness to do what my friends were doing helped me more know about computers and made me not and ignorant. I was somehow thankful because it did not only build a stronger relationship among us but it also gave me the knowledge on computer softwares and internet.

Being Conservative

          The old thinking that Filipino women must be conservative in order to gain respect in society has influenced the decisions that I make in everyday life. It has caused confusion on the options I must consider in life. It prevents me from trying new things and limits me to do the things I used to be doing. One instance is the choice of going with today's trend or rather stick with being the conservative. This is specially evident on the way I wear my clothes everytime I go to school everyday. I always decide to wear loose shirts and long pants that don't usually show my skin. Some people would sometimes judge me for being a lesbian because of the clothes I wear. My friends criticize me for being an old-fashioned which makes me upset. But I can't do anything about it because it is the style of clothing I am most comfortable to wear. I rarely wear clothes that's above the knee or a backless because it would just make me feel awkward. Although it makes me sad  to know the fact that I do not have the courage to wear clothes I'm not used to wear. I always don't have much freedom to choose what I want to wear. It separates me from my friends who always try new styles of fashion. With this, it has also been a factor that contributed to my low self-esteem and confidence. I don't feel so good about myself because of the limitations that I must consider. I would love to go with the trend but I'm stucked by the thinking that I must remain being conservative, as what a Filipino woman must be.

Getting Connected with the Internet