The similarity between Book burning and Simulation Serum

While I was reading Divergent, I found a line that reminded me of Fahrenheit 451. That line is: "She is more machine than maniac. She sees problems and forms solutions based on the data she collects... Divergence is just another problem for her to solve, and that is what makes her so terrifying- because she is smart enough to solve anything," (Roth 432). For all of you who haven't read Divergent yet, Tris (the main character) is talking about Jeanine, the leader of Erudite (the smart faction). So far, Jeanine has invented a serum that she used to create an army from the Dauntless by controlling them. She didn't know, however, that her invention doesn't work on Divergents. For Jeanine, this is quite a dilemma. Like Tris says, Jeanine is terrifying. Not because she is not the kindest (and most attractive) person in the world, but because she uses her knowledge to her advantage: She wanted to control the other factions, so she made a mind-controlling serum. She wanted an army, so she made one out of Dauntless. Jeanine has proved that she can do just about anything because her knowledge gives her power.

This line reminds me of the theme "knowledge is power" we studied in class while reading Fahrenheit 451. Tris explained that Jeanine gets what she wants by outsmarting her opponents. That is why she is a big threat to Tris and Tobias (both Divergents). In Fahrenheit 451, books were forbidden. Why? It's probably because books contain ideas that are threatening to the government. Jeanine uses her power in a corrupted, egocentric way, but if Tris and Tobias can get their act together and use their knowledge to their advantage, they too can be as powerful as Jeanine and stop her from controlling society.

The similarity in theme between Fahrenheit 451 and Divergent.

http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/ibmi/trends/whatsnew/Knowledge-is-Power/