Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451
• Published: 1953
– Originally a short story called
The Firemen
Fahrenheit 451
• Origin of title: 451 degrees is the
temperature at which paper burns
While reading, notice that 451 is the main
character’s firemen ID number
Fahrenheit 451
• Bradbury’s inspiration:
– social atmosphere
• Emphasis on TV, radio
• Culture bombards people with sensation that
substitutes for thinking
– book burning in Nazi German
Fahrenheit 451
• Genre:
– science fiction
• The art of the possible!
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury on
• IMPORTANCE OF BOOKS:
– “Without the library, you have no civilization.”
Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury on
• LOVE OF BOOKS:
– One might consider oneself to be able to fall
in love with a book. One keeps a book by the
bed and turns to it. Bradbury wants his
readers to fall in love.
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury on
• CENSORSHIP
– Be on guard for special interests groups
interfering with aesthetics.
– Watch one another!
Fahrenheit 451
• Characters:
–
Montag (protagonist): subconsciously,
Bradbury named his character after the maker
of paper.
– Faber: again, subconsciously, Bradbury
named him after the maker of pencils.
Fahrenheit 451
• Characters:
–
Beatty (antagonist): a lover of books, who,
after losing everything he loved, could not find
the answers he sought in books; they were
empty; therefore, he gave up on them and
burned them.
Fahrenheit 451
• Characters:
– Firefighters: Bradbury wondered what would
become of firefighters if houses were made so
they could not burn. He reasoned that a
firefighter could be one who then causes fires.
– Clarisse: innocence, belief
Fahrenheit 451
• The hero goes on a journey
Blind participant in a suppressive society
Aware individual in a sterile, thoughtless environment
Rebel against the status quo in a forest of free thinkers
Fahrenheit 451
• While you are reading, look for
rich
–imagery
–symbolism
–metaphors
–allusions
Fahrenheit 451
• Themes
–Consider this as well: how is the
novel challenging our sense of duty
as citizens in a democracy to
• resist censorship
• think critically
• think and speak freely
Daily Assignments
• Each day will begin with a free write. The prompt
will be from the previous night’s reading.
• A “round-table” discussion will follow. Each day,
a group of students will be responsible for
coming up with three questions based on the
previous night’s reading and leading the
discussion. All students are expected to
participate in discussion.
• Culminating activities:
– 1.Revise, and make more robust, one of your free
writes (make it longer and stronger).
– 2.Creative writing activity
Starting Points for Creating
Discussion Questions
• Formulate questions that require analytical thought. Possible
starting points:
• How do characters interact?
• How do characters evolve?
• Who or what is in conflict? What types of conflicts (inner, external, society)
exist?
• What kind of world/society is portrayed?
• What social message is the author sending?
• What are the principal recurring elements in the work? Consider symbols,
allusions.
• What are the themes?
• What is the protagonist’s attitude toward the matter he or she is relating?
• What does the writer think of the protagonist?
• What is the effect of the way that the work begins? Of the way it ends?
• How does the work resemble other works you have read, movies you’ve
seen, songs you’ve heard?
Note: the previous slide shows points– you
must formulate a question.
Do not ask, “What are the themes in this part of the
book?”
Rather, ask,
“How does the theme of ____________ illuminate
one character’s relationship with another?”
or
“How does the author symbolically use __________?”
or
“How does so-and-so’s meeting with so-and-so chang
his perspective on life?”
Discussion Lead Assignments
• 5th pd.
– pp 1-31: Laura Grace, Micah, Alex
– pp 32-68: Jessica, Eli, Jordan H., Andrew
– pp 69- 110: Kevin, Maria, Rachel
– pp 111 -145: Luke, Jordan D., Emily
– pp 146 – end: Amanda, Grant, Jordan K.
Discussion Lead Assignments
• 7h pd.
– pp 1-31: Srihith, Sophie, Jamie, Miles
– pp 32-68: Sam, Nora, Conor, Claire,
– pp 69- 110: Keith, Jillian, Tyler, Zach F.
– pp 111 -145: Zach G., Bradlee, Federico,
Alex
– pp 146 – end: Chase, Sarah, Sasha, Matt