THE ECHO

by Cayce Hansel // Managing Editor • Illustration by Sunny Smyth

Wuthering Heights is the bane of my existence. I trudged through that book like a soldier at war. Reading about the forbidden love of Kathy and Heathcliff left me defeated. Reading one chapter felt like days, but I did it. (For the most part. Don’t ask about the last couple of chapters.) Reading has been one of the best parts of my day since I was a child, but as I’ve gotten older and more involved in school, it’s become harder to carve out time. I find myself only cracking open a book for my AP Literature class now these days, even though I briefly skim through it and try to finish my required reading as fast as possible. With the rise of AI and students procrastinating in search of their daily doom scroll, the reality of Fahrenheit 451 is becoming all too real.  

The story of Fahrenheit 451 follows a firefighter who, instead of putting out fire, sets it on books. He burns every book in the country and even labels people who own books traitors and kills them; most are banished outside the town to the dumps. Am I saying this is the society we live in now? No… but recently, during my nightly Instagram scrolls, I keep getting ads for AI software that will give you a synopsis of any book. This is relevant because, guess what, how did the book burning in Fahrenheit 451 start? With the creation of software that dumbed down books, you didn’t have to read the whole book. Fahrenheit 451’s dystopian society begins when people start reading abridged versions of books, then stop reading altogether, turning to movies, TV shows, and Esports to accommodate their short attention spans. The government spreads propaganda about books, making them seem unnecessary and too complicated for the people’s minds. Seems familiar?   

With the rise of ChatGPT, people have stopped turning pages and are turning to AI to read their books and write their reports. Even simple worksheets in English classes are photographed and uploaded for cheap, surface-level answers. Ads for apps such as QuillBot, Semrush, and even Adobe Acrobat all offer AI summaries of the books you read in class. This all comes at a time when our president has made statements about removing the Department of Education and dispelling specific career paths as professional careers altogether. Why should a student put forth the effort needed into their assignments when their job is not even considered professional? The answer is they shouldn’t. Instead, they open their Google tab, type in ChatGPT.com, and submit the request, “summary of Animal Farm,” with no “please” or knowledge of the book.  

Have I used ChatGPT to do my homework for me? Absolutely. I’m not perfect, but if you’re Mrs. Leahy reading this, I have never used ChatGPT to help with my Stats homework ever. Have I gotten a bad grade on a Wuthering Heights reading check because I did not read the book? 100% (sorry, Mr. Houston). Have I considered opening a chatbot to ask for a summary of the book, because I did not read it? No. The emotional depth and complexity of books such as Wuthering Heights, Animal Farm, or even The Odyssey cannot be conveyed by an AI response that lacks human emotion. AI might be the easy option, but your raw, emotional, human voice is the fire behind your writing, and it sets the world ablaze.