10 E Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Amandeep Khattra, Anika Gani, Lucy Lieu, Melinda Dang, Rashmi Ravichandran, Tim Moed, Tina Nguyen

About the Book • A dystopian novel first published in 1953. • Montag is said to be an allusion of Bradbury himself. • Characters: Guy Montag (fireman) Mildred Montag (Montag’s wife) Faber (Former English Professor) Captain Beatty (Fire Chief) Clarisse McClellan (17-Year-Old) Granger (Leader of wandering exiles) Mechanical Hound (Seeks to kill free thinkers by their scent)

Genre • A dystopia is a vision of society opposite of utopia. • Dystopia is a subgenre of science fiction • Since dystopias typically depict the future, the technology is more advanced and used to oppress society. • Governments in dystopias often have totalitarian dictatorships or bureaucracies.

Plot Overview • Guy Montag is a firefighter who lives in a lonely, isolated society where books have been outlawed by a government fearing an independent-thinking public. It is the duty of firefighters to burn any books on sight or said collections that have been reported by informants. People in this society including Montag's wife are drugged into compliancy and get their information from wall-length television screens. Montag meets Clarisse and he begins to read confiscated books. It is through this relationship that he begins to question the government's motives behind book-burning. Montag is soon found out, and he must decide whether to return to his job or run away knowing the consequences that he could face if captured.

Class Book It • 1. Get into groups. • 2. Create a small skit with the lines. • Present!

Book it Explanation This scene is ultimately the climax of the story because once Montag kills Beatty, he escapes from the mechanical hound to find Granger and the book people where he joins them in their mission to rebuild civilization.

Themes Possible Themes: • Fight the System • You can never stop imagination • You cannot make progress with ignorance • Once ignorance is overcome, knowledge is possessed • You can’t censor the voice of people • Knowledge is blind • Change is not always for the better • The pen is mightier than the sword • The world is deprived with the knowledge possessed

Character Analysis Guy Montag •

Montag is the protagonist of the book, ironically named after a paper manufacturing company. He is a fireman, and in the beginning of the book loves his job more than anything. The beautiful feeling he describes of the night runs is the essence of his life; however after confronting Clarisse he is very confused and starts doubting this job, which at one point would have seemed impossible. The horrible confusion of books and their complexity forces Montag acting in a way he would never act. Almost as if his hands were working by themselves and out of his control. Within his conscious he is battling to find the true meaning of his life and understand the complexity of books. In his attempts to try and grasp what is going on, he goes through sensitive moments of conversation with Clarisse, and almost deranged moments when committing the murder of Captain Beatty.

Character Analysis Captain Beatty • Beatty is a complex character, full of contradictions. Captain Beatty is Montag's boss at the firehouse and his nemesis. In the past, it is obvious that he has read a variety of books, for he often quotes from them. Beatty calls books treacherous weapons, yet he uses his own book learning to manipulate Montag mercilessly. Captain Beatty is a round character and has much to offer. Beatty is continually a threat to Montag. When Montag finally turns one book into him, Beatty is not tricked. He is sure that Montag has many more. As a result, he plans the destruction of Montag. Captain Beatty is a very rounded character with a lot of background.

Character Analysis Professor Faber In the fight to control Montag, Faber is the second battling after Captain Beatty. However unlike the Captain, Faber does not have as strong or genuine control over Montag. He is a cowardly man, who uses Montag to do the things that he cannot. He manipulates Montag through his two-way radio controlling Montag’s body as if he were a machine. Faber is an operator of sorts of Montag’s body, when Montag’s mind isn’t strong enough to understand anything and gets swayed, Faber can make him do all sorts of stuff. His role in the book is very complex to understand, sometimes he wants Montag to think on his own, and however there are times when he takes Montag’s body completely over. Ironically after all the abuse Montag takes from his two controllers, neither one of them are able to convincingly stake their beliefs inside him.

Character Analysis Mildred Montag • Mildred Montag, Montags wife is a very interesting character. She has no hope in her life and seems very depressed. If she has any problems or anything else going on in her life she does not discuss with her husband or any other person. Also, she is obsessed with watching television and that she tries to avoid problems. She had buried all of her feeling deep inside of her and has attempted many suicide attempts but does not realize that. Because she has attempted so many suicides that clearly explains she has pain in side.

Character Analysis Clarisse McClellan • Clarisee McClellan is a very beautiful seventeen girl who loves to ask questions, play with flowers, and hiking. She is not the only odd person in her family, her family is equally odd. She was the one who introduced Montag to the real world, how beautiful and significant it can be.

Character Analysis Granger • Granger is the leader of a group of intellectuals that are referred to as “The Book People.” Granger and The Book People are committed to preserving books by dividing tasks of memorizing books and recruiting new members for the group.

Character Analysis The Mechanical Hound • In the book the mechanical hound is sent after individuals who don’t follow laws and tend to think freely.

Symbolism • • • • •

Burning The Mechanical Hound Blood The Heart and the Salamander Phoenix

Burning • Books burn at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. • The fire burned symbolizes both destruction and comfort. • Burning acts like the consequences of technology. Examples: Montag: “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 3). Beatty: “Burn the book. Serenity, Montag. Peace, Montag… Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean” (Bradbury 59).

The Mechanical Hound • A hound that can be set to smell the scent of “free thinkers” and destroy them. • Represents government and misuse of technology for control. Examples: Granger: “He held out a small bottle of colorless fluid. ‘Drink this, too. It’ll change the chemical index of your perspiration’” (Bradbury 147).

Blood • Blood represents humans and their soul. Examples from the book: • Scene with Mildred in the Hospital: “The Machine pumped all the blood from the body and replaced it with fresh blood and serum.” (Pg 15) ‘Got to cleam ‘em out both ways,’ said the operator.”

The Heart and the Salamander • The salamander is known as mythological reptile that lived in fire. • The salamander could endure flames without burning. • Symbolizes Guy Montag and how he endured fired without getting burned himself. Source: Bulfinch, Thomas. "Bulfinch Myth9logy Chapter 36." Greek Mythology. 1855. Greek Mythology.Com. 19 May 2008 .

The Phoenix About Phoenix (Granger): “He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we’re doing the same thing” (Bradbury 163).

Vocabulary Part I: The Hearth and the Salamander • Feigning: Pretending (Pg 54) • Proboscis: A long snout or nose (Pg 29) • Ravenous: Greedy, extremely hungry (Pg 45) • Cartographer: Mapmaker (Pg 61) • Pratfall: A comical fall on the behind (Pg 59)

Part II: The Sieve and the Sand • Aesthetic: relating to beauty, artistic (Pg 117) • Falter: Unstable (Pg 129) • Smoldering: Burning with little smoke and no flame ( Pg 119) Part III: Burning Bright • Dentifrice: Toothpaste (Pg 81) • Profusion: A plentiful amount (Pg 85) • Exhalation: Emission of vapor (Pg 74)

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