“I’m seventeen and I’m crazy.”-Clarisse, page 7
“He was not happy”-Montag, page 12
“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but
everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for the are
no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against.”-Beatty, page 58
“Any man who can take a TV wall apart and put it back together again, and most men
can, nowadays, is happier than any man who tries to slide-rule, measure, and equate the
universe, which just won’t be measured or equated without making man feel bestial and
lonely.”-Beatty, page 61
“’Montag,’ he said, ‘You’re really stupid’”-Montag, page 74
“That’s the good part of dying; when you’ve nothing to lose, you run any risk you want.”
–Montag, page 85
“The house fell in red coals and black ash. It bedded itself down in sleepy pink-gray
cinders and a smoke lume blew over it, rising and waving slowly back and forth in the
sky. It was three-thirty in the morning. The crowd drew back into the houses; the great
tents of the circus had slumped into charcoal and rubble and the show was well over.” –
Narrator, page 117
“Beatty, he thought, you’re not a problem now. You always said, don’t face a problem,
burn it. Well, now I’ve done both.” –Montag, Page 121
The Sieve and the Sand questions:
1. What has happened to Clarisse?
Mildred tells Montag that Clarisse was killed after being ran over by a car, but seems unsure
whether or not she actually died.
2. Why does Montag go to see Professor Faber?
Montag takes the Bible to Faber’s apartment because he feels he needs to make a difference
and become part of some sort of change or revolt.
3. What reason does Faber give for this society's fear and hatred of books?
Faber says books are hated and feared by society because they show the pores in the face
of life.
4. Faber tells Montag that three things are missing from their society (p. 83). Give your views
on whether Faber's comment is true of today's society as well.
I believe our society is lacks quality of information and time for reflection, but in America, you
have the rights to exercise nearly anything so long as it’s civil and doesn’t exceed the
boundaries of law.
5. How does Montag eventually get Faber to agree to help him? What is their plan?
Montag suggests they plant books in the houses of the firemen.
6. How do Mildred's friends react to the poem Montag reads? Why do you think they react so
strongly?
Mildred’s friends are shocked and offended when Montag recites the poem to them; they are
astounded because literature is banned and Montag is waving it around freely, which is a
serious crime in their society.
7. Do you agree with Faber that Montag's outburst is foolish? What might you have done in
Montag's position?
Yes, Montag was very foolish to expose the book to Mildred’s friends because not only did he
make them upset, but he gave them a reason, evidence, and witnesses to use against him. I
would have listened to Faber if I was Montag’s place.