Government, even at its best, is nothing more than a necessary evil; in its worst, intolerable state.” Revolutionary Thomas Paine describes government, which can sometimes seem evil, as a necessity to becoming a functioning society. Today's government is entrusted with much responsibility to create a safe, law-based environment in which all can live and thrive. Although without the structure of a government capable of creating laws and having the authority to enforce them, society itself would become chaotic. If a strong government ever became corrupt, it would have the ability to maintain control over society by creating laws that limit people's free will. This creates a dystopian society for every person living under that government. An example of a manipulative government becoming too powerful occurs in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury's novel is set in a dystopian future where books and any form of literature are outlawed. In the story, the government ordered firefighters to enforce the "anti-reading law" by doing things like: raiding citizens' homes while they are there, removing all their hidden books, and burning the books with a kerosene hose in front of their house while the whole neighborhood watches. Citizens in this dystopian society are limited to only certain rights. Things like owning books, walking and reading are all illegal. The novel Fahrenheit 451 calls attention to the fact that if a government becomes too controlling, citizens are subjected to distorted laws and inhumane living conditions. Before showing how our modern government can become controlling, it is important to first understand how the government expressed itself in Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451. The story begins with... middle of the paper... see how they relate. Today's government shows signs of corruption for creating some laws that will limit our human rights. If our government continues down this path, it could lead to a dystopian future for all of us to live in. The novel Fahrenheit 451 calls attention to the fact that if a government becomes too controlling, citizens are subjected to distorted laws and inhumane living conditions. . So we must use Ray Bradbury's novel as a guideline to help us maintain limits on our government, rather than our government imposing limits on us. Works cited. NP Rete. 16 January 2014. "National anti-terrorism center". www.huffingtonpost.com. Np, 16 January 2014. Web. 16 January 2014.