Fahrenheit 451 Essay Topics
Write a 5 paragraph essay that thoroughly addresses one of the following prompts. As usual, make
sure your essay includes: an attention-grabbing introduction and a strong thesis; 3 strong body
paragraphs that support the thesis and include textual evidence (quotes) properly cited from the
book; and a conclusion that reviews the thesis and ends with a punch. Must be typed and turned in
to Turnitin.com by due date. In Times New Roman; 12 pt font; double spaced
1. Beatty tells Montag that it was the minorities that first began to censor books (and remember that
he’s not just talking about racial minorities). Explain how the minorities began the censorship
movement in Fahrenheit 451 and then analyze our own society. Does our society have similar
problems? How so? Are we in danger of becoming like the society in Fahrenheit 451? How can
we avoid this pitfall?
2. Faber discusses three things that are missing from the Fahrenheit 451 society. These missing
things are the reasons why the people in this society don’t want or need books. Identify and
explain the three reasons Faber gives and then analyze our own society to see if we suffer from
the same maladies that infect the Fahrenheit 451 society.
3. Bradbury has said that his book is about the TV replacing books in society, not about censorship.
What types of technologies have replaced books in Bradbury’s future? Do we see this technology
today, 60 years after Fahrenheit 451’s publication? Do you think Bradbury was right to fear that
modern technology would replace books? Do you think books are appropriately valued in our
society (as in not valued too much or too little)? How are books different from TV or movies
(according to Bradbury, and according to you)?
4. One theme in this book is happiness vs. dissatisfaction. Are the people in the Fahrenheit 451
society happy? What does true happiness look like? Which characters are happy and why?
Which characters are unhappy and why? Evaluate the happiness of our own society. Do we
suffer from some of the same maladies that infect the Fahrenheit 451 society?
Once you’ve chosen your topic, create an outline. You have to get your outline
approved before you move on to the rough draft
Rough Draft due: _____________
Final Draft due to turnitin.com: _____________