Fahrenheit 451 Allusions WEB QUEST MINI‐PRESENTATION ALLUSION: A literary device which authors use as a means to refer or to make reference to an historical event, famous individual, landmark, or well‐known work of art/literature. Bradbury likes to allude to other authors and texts in his novel as a way to write about writers (a topic he loves). DIRECTIONS: Be the class expert on one of the allusions on the following page. Type a one‐half to one‐page summary of what your allusion means. Orally present your findings to the class. Follow the steps below: 1. Conduct a web‐quest by going to a credible website (you may use Wikipedia or any other website that ends its URL with ‐.gov or ‐.edu. Search for the meaning behind your allusion. You should visit several websites and cross‐reference what they all indicate to ensure trustworthiness to your report. 2. Orally review the context (what is going on in the story) of Fahrenheit 451 at the moment your allusion appears in the text. Read one to three sentences before and after your allusion to understand what is taking place in the story. • ASK YOURSELF: What does this allusion mean? Why would Bradbury stick it in the story at this particular moment? What is the connection between the allusion and what is taking place in the story? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS YOU WILL ANSWER IN YOUR REPORT! 3. Orally present your allusion accurately to the class on your assigned date. Your presentation will be approximately one to three minutes. Information to consider presenting, when appropriate: • Why is the individual, event, or work of art/literature important? • When was the individual born? When did the event take place? What was going on historically? When was the work of art/literature first revealed to the world? • What was the individual best known for, something political? Historical? Literary? Artistic? Scientific? • What theme(s) does the work of art/literature emphasize? • Where is the landmark located? Why is it famous? What happened there? 4. Present your allusion to the class with enthusiasm. You may bring your report and notes, but you will lose points if you put us to sleep! 5. Provide the teacher with a TYPED report of your findings with respect to your allusion. If you do not spell check your document, you will lose points. If you do not cite your online source(s), you will lose points. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! Do not steal the intellectual property (that means that you are expected to cite and give credit to sources you use for this assignment). 6. EXTRA CREDIT: Explain possible links between your allusion and the novel. How does the allusion emphasize a theme? How does the allusion add meaning to the plot? Be sure to defend your position with evidence from the text (meaning, use quotations from the book). ALLUSIONS THAT APPEAR IN FAHRENHEIT 451 Introduction: An ALLUSION is a literary device artists use when making historical, political, and cultural references. Bradbury embeds a plethora of allusions to enhance his message about the dangers of a government that uses censorship as a means to control the masses. Directions: Select ONE of the allusions below and complete the web quest activity. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Benjamin Franklin Dante Jonathan Swift Marcus Aurelius Hercules Antaeus Milton Sophocles Aeschylus Vesuvius Cheshire Cat Dover Beach Sir Philip Sidney Alexander Pope “fly near the sun and now that he’s burnt his damned wings” (Icarus) The Phoenix (bird flying out of the ashes) Cassius (a Shakespearian character) Keystone Cops Plato Plato’s Replublic p. 34 p. 50 p. 50 p. 50 p. 83 p. 83 p. 87 p. 87 p. 89 p. 93 p.93 p. 99 p. 106 p. 106 p. 113 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. Charles Darwin Schoppenhauer Albert Einstein Mahatma Gandhi Thomas Love Peacock Thomas Jefferson Lord Byron Thomas Paine Machiavelli Henry David Thoreau Bertrand Russell Ecclesiastes (from the Bible) Revelation (from the Bible) Tree of Life Conan Doyle’s Baskerville Beast 36. Confucius p. 151 p. 119 p. 138 p. 151 p. 151 37. 38. 39. 40. p. 151 p. 153 p. 151 p. 151 Buddha Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels Albert Schweitzer p. 151 p. 151 p. 151 p. 151 p.151 p. 151 p. 152 p. 152 p. 152 p. 153 p. 153 p. 160 p. 160 p. 165 p. 173