9th Grade English Summer Reading Assignments
All students entering 9th Grade English are required to read Fahrenheit 451. Students are expected to write one 5
paragraph essay AND answer all of the short answer questions. Students should finish the work over the
summer and turn it in to their English teacher on or before August 30. Please read the description for each
assignment carefully, as each has a separate set of specific requirements.
Essay Assignment for Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
For Fahrenheit 451, you will write a 5-paragraph essay in response to ONE of four possible topics. This
assignment is to be completed during the summer and submitted at the first day of class in September. Because
this project is a prelude to the curriculum at the beginning of the year, it must be submitted on time. Late
assignments will only be accepted in the case of extreme, unforeseen circumstances with advance notice given to
the teacher.
At the beginning of the essay, you MUST give the bibliographic entry for the edition of Fahrenheit 451 you
have read.
An example of the correct form for a bibliography appears here:
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1960.
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. You must create an original title
for your essay. Do not punctuate your title (i.e. underline it or set it in quotation marks, as it is not a published
work.) Center your title at the beginning of your paper. You must include your full name in the upper right corner
of the FIRST page.
See How
essay.
to Develop a Literary Analysis Paper for guidance in planning and writing your
Your work MUST BE original. DO NOT COPY FROM ANY SOURCE and try to pass it off as your own!
The consequence for plagiarism is a zero on the entire assignment .
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Essay Topics: Choose ONE
A. Guy Montag undergoes a character transformation as the novel progresses. Compare the protagonist the
reader meets at the beginning of Fahrenheit 451 to the character Montag becomes at the close of the
novel. Use specific instances from the text to support your theories. Be certain to include several quotes or
partial quotes to further support your assertions.
B. Examine Ray Bradbury’s possible motivations in writing Fahrenheit 451. In your
discussion, be certain to use direct references to the text itself. Cite passages that support your viewpoint,
using appropriate quotations to illustrate your points.
C. In the course of the novel, Montag offers Mildred a definition of friendship. Explain in detail the
characters Guy Montag might justifiably consider friends. Support your analysis with details to illustrate
your points; use appropriate quotes to further enhance your argument. In your discussion, include an
explanation for what Ray Bradbury might be suggesting regarding the nature of friendship in his classic
science fiction.
D. Ray Bradbury’s classic science fiction work contains numerous examples of irony. Locate and quote at
least three examples that clearly illustrate Bradbury’s use of this literary technique in Fahrenheit 451. In
your discussion, examine the effectiveness of the author’s use of irony to contribute to the overall theme
of the novel.
How to Develop a Literary Analysis Paper
Use this information as a guide to writing your Fahrenheit 451 paper.
Structure of the Expository Essay:
Introductory Paragraph
Consists of three parts which are outlined below:
1. Lead
Consists of two to three general statements related to the topic. The purpose is to capture interest and
gently LEAD the reader into your opinion statement. Do not use a question, anecdote, fragment or
phrase.
2. Plan of Development
These sentences function to outline the progression of your body paragraphs. This is where you
briefly mention the 3 proofs that will support your thesis statement. (The 3 proofs will appear later
in your body paragraphs.)
Do not include quotations or explain too much. Lengthy explanations are for the body paragraphs.
3. Thesis Statement
Your opinion boiled down to one arguable statement that you will prove in the body of your essay:
your position. It should never be a question. The thesis is an answer to a question. It is the driving
force of your essay. The thesis statement should be the last sentence in your introduction. Underline
it! IT SHOULD NEVER CONTAIN THE WORDS “I”, “ME”, “MY”.
Body Paragraphs
Each body paragraph should provide a topic sentence for focus. The next part of the paragraph
should provide context for a direct quotation or a paraphrase of the evidence. Then, state the
quotation or the evidence from the text. After stating the quotation/evidence, explain how it supports
your thesis statement.
DO NOT merely tell your reader what the quotation/evidence means; this can lead to summary. You
must analyze.
Follow TIQA (twice for EACH body paragraph):
Topic sentence: introduce the main idea of the paragraph.
Introduce quotation or evidence: put the quotation or evidence into context.
Quotation: state the quotation or paraphrase the evidence from the text.
Analyze: explain to the reader the importance of the evidence and how it supports your topic
sentence.
Transition sentence: transition from the first example to your second example.
Introduce quotation: introduce your second piece of evidence.
Quotation: provide your second quotation or paraphrase the evidence from the text.
Analyze: analyze your second quotation, and if possible, tie the two pieces of evidence together to
make a larger argument.
Concluding Paragraph
Your conclusion should not merely be a summary. It must show the importance of the analysis that
you have been making in the paper.
1. Restate your Thesis
2. Mention 3 proofs
3. Make General Closing Statements
Fahrenheit 451 Short Answer Questions
Please answer in complete sentences on a separate piece of paper. There is no need to rewrite the question.
Simply write the number for each question, followed by your answer, in sentence form.
Part 1
1. What makes Clarisse so special—so different from most people in her society? What qualities does
Montag have that make him receptive to her influence?
2. What is shocking and disturbing about the way Montag finds out what happened to Clarisse? What does
this tell us about Mildred and about their society?
3. Why does Montag get “sick” and try to avoid going to work?
4. What is Beatty’s explanation for the current state of their society?
5. What do you think of Mildred’s claim that she is happy, and why? How do you define happiness? Is being
happy always the most important goal of life?
Part 2
1. Why do you think Faber gave Montag his name and phone number?
2. How do you think Montag would respond to Mildred’s question about which is more important—her, or
Montag’s books?
3. What has Faber invented, and why is it important?
4. What disturbing things do the women in Montag’s parlor say to each other?
Part 3: 1st half
1. Why does Montag burn his entire house and everything in it?
2. Why do Beatty’s eyes widen when Montag toggles the safety on his flame thrower? Why do you think
Montag kills him? Is it a simple act of revenge?
3. Why do you think the kids who almost run over Montag could kill him “for no reason at all in the world”?
4. What is Montag’s escape plan?
Part 3: 2nd Half
1. What does the sun represent? What connection does Montag see between the sun and time? Why does he
decide he must never burn again?
2. What way do the men at the campfire provide for Montag to escape from the Mechanical Hound?
3. How do the men and others like them preserve books, and what makes this possible? What are the
advantages of using this method to preserve books?
4. In what way is humankind like the Phoenix? In what way is humankind different?
Questions taken from http://www.camillasenglishpage.org/