Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them.”
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Reading Schedule
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The dates listed are the due dates for the reading.
If there is not a reading guide or handout to go with the reading, students are required to take two
column notes as you read which will be checked at the beginning of the day. Students should also
take notes in the packet regarding characterization and conflict.
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Complete one “bus stop” every two pages. (36 pages = 18 bus stops)
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Include page numbers with the bus stops.
Since students have the reading schedule, there will be no late work accepted on the reading
assignments.
If you are gone for any of the classes you are still responsible for reading the pages required before
entering class.
PB = Paperback, HC = Hardcover
Part I-The Hearth and the Salamander
1.5/1.6
1.7/1.8
1.11/1.12
1.13/1.14
1.15/1.19
T/W
U/F
M/T
W/U
F/T
(PB 3-68, HC 7-72)
Start Fahrenheit 451
(PB 3-24, HC 7-28 (21))
(PB 24-40, HC 28-44 (16))
Writing Assessment: Part I
(PB 41-68, HC 44-72 (27))
Writing Assessment: Part II
Part II-The Sieve And The Sand
1.20/1.21
W/U
(PB 71-93, HC 73-95 (22))
1.22/1.25
F/M
(PB 93-110, HC 95-113 (17))
(PB 71-110, HC 73-113)
Part III-Burning Bright
1.26/1.27
T/W
(PB 113-136, HC 115-138 (23))
1.28/1.29
U/F
(PB 136-165, HC 138-167 (29))
(PB 113-165, HC 115-167)
Fahrenheit 451 Quest of Knowledge
2.1/2.2
M
Analysis Prewrite Due (25 pts WP)
Review
Fahrenheit 451 Analysis
2.2/2.3
T/W
Quest of Knowledge
2.8/2.9
M/T
Rough Draft Due (50 pts WP)
In-Class Peer Reviews
2.9/2.10
T/W
Start Publishing Step
2.11/2.12
U/F
Final Draft Due Friday at 5:00 PM (100 pts WP)
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Vocabulary
On your vocabulary sheet, write what you think the definition of the following words will be by using the
words and sentences surrounding it to help you. After you have completed reading, check your definition
with a dictionary and write a new definition combining both definitions in your own words.
Part I-The Hearth and the Salamander (PB 3-68, HC 7-72):
*Hearth
*Salamander
*Phoenix
Kerosene
Hypnotize
Marionette
Apprenticeship
Obligate
Capillary
Proclivity
Odious
Flourish
Cacophony
Centrifuge
Pantomime
Part II-The Sieve And The Sand (PB 71-110, HC 73-113):
*Sieve
Rationalize
Suffuse
Arsonist
Insidious
Contemptible
Disperse
Strewn
Profusion
Part III-Burning Bright (PB 113-165, HC 115-167):
*Ecclesiastes
Writhe
Instinctive
Plummet
Phantom
Exhalation
Contaminate
Wary
Convolution
Desolation
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Fahrenheit 451 – Characters
Guy Montag – (See Attributes Sheets)
Mildred Montag –
Captain Beatty –
Clarisse McClellan –
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Fahrenheit 451 – Characters
Faber
Mechanical Hound
Stoneman/Black
Mrs. Phelps/Mrs. Bowles
Granger
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Fahrenheit 451 – Conflicts
1. Montag vs. Self
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2. Montag vs. Society
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3. Montag vs. Mildred
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4. Montag vs. Beatty
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5. ______________________ vs. ______________________
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6. ______________________ vs. _________________________
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Others?
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Possible Freewriting and Quest Prompts
1. What do you think it means when, “He felt his body divide itself into hotness and a coldness, a
softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon
another” (27-8)?
2. Montag learns that “firemen are rarely necessary” because “the public itself stopped reading of its
own accord.” Bradbury wrote his novel in 1953: To what extent has his prophecy come true
today?
3. Clarisse describes a past that Montag has never known: one with front porches, gardens, and
rocking chairs. What do these items have in common, and how might their removal have
encouraged Montag’s repressive society?
4. Among the most significant of the many literary allusions in Fahrenheit 451 occurs when Montag
reads Matthew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach.” What is the response of Mildred’s friends, and why
does Montag kick them out of his house?
5. It may surprise the reader to learn that Beatty is quite well-read. How can Beatty’s knowledge of
and hatred for books be reconciled?
6. Unlike Mrs. Hudson, Montag chooses not to die in his house with his books. Instead he burns
them, asserting even that “it was good to burn” and that fire was best for everything!” Are these
choices and sentiments consistent with his character? Explain.
7. Beatty justifies the new role of firemen by claiming to be “custodians of [society’s] peace of mind,
the focus of [the] understandable and right dread of being inferior.” What does he mean by this,
and is there any sense that he might be right?
8. How does the destruction of books lead to more happiness and equality, according to Beatty? Does
his lecture to Montag on the rights of man sound like any rhetoric employed today?
9. Are there any circumstances where censorship might play a beneficial role in society? Are there
some books that should be banned?
10. If you had to memorize a single book or risk its extinction, which book would you choose?
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Fahrenheit 451 –“The Sieve & the Sand”
Reading Guide (PB 71-93, HC 73-95)
Sophomore English – Mr. McCoy
Topeka West High School – Fall 2007
Name _______________________
Hour _____
Reading Guide: Read the following statements. As you read, decide whether or not the statements are
true or false. If the sentence is true, write a plus sign (+) in the first space and the page number of where
you found the answer in the second. If the sentence is false, write a minus sign (-) where you found the
answer in the first space and the page number in the second. Finally, correct the false statements.
+ /— page #
_____ _____ 1. Montag turns off the door-voice, but still hears Beatty at the door.
_____ _____ 2. Montag’s country has, “started and won three atomic wars since 2001…because we’re
having so much fun at home we’ve forgotten the world? Is it because we’re so rich and
the rest of the world’s so poor and we just don’t care if they are? I’ve heard rumors;
the world is starving.”
_____ _____ 3. Montag asks Mildred if she loves him.
_____ _____ 4. Montag is relaxed as he rides the subway.
_____ _____ 5. Montag is carrying a Bible.
_____ _____ 6. Montag realizes that trying to memorize the Bible is like trying to fill
a sieve with sand.
_____ _____ 7. Christ is a character in one of the shows seen on the parlor walls.
_____ _____ 8. Faber says that books are magical.
_____ _____ 9. Faber says there are three things are missing that would allow books
to be effective for changing society: quality of information, leisure
to digest it, and a right to carry out action.
_____ _____ 10. Faber believes Montag’s plan is great from the beginning.
_____ _____ 11. Montag threatens to burn Faber.
_____ _____ 12. Montag rips up half the Bible to upset Faber.
_____ _____ 13. Faber gives Montag a walkie-talkie he found on the black market.
_____ _____ 14. Montag doesn’t realize he is still taking orders. This time it is from a
different person—Faber.
Essay: Using at least one direct reference to the novel with a page number provided and at least one
example to support your claim, answer one of the following prompts. Your completed response should be
between 8 and 11 sentences.
A. Discuss the meaning of the title of section two, “The Sieve and the Sand.”
B. Connect the world view of Montag in this section with the possible world view of today’s
citizen. What are the similarities and differences?
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Possible Essay Prompts
1. Conflict – Examine the major conflict of Fahrenheit 451. Use direct references to the text to analyze
the major conflict. Use the introduction to establish the conflict. Use the rest of the essay to
analyze the conflict’s progression and ultimate resolution. The conclusion should turn back to the
theme of the essay.
2. Character – Discuss how the author uses characterization to help illustrate theme in one of the short
stories read this semester. You may choose to organize this paper by analyzing at least three
characters, analyzing the use of various indirect characterization of one character, or another topic
of your choice. Be sure to include the terminology discussed in class: static, stock, dynamic, flat,
round, indirect, direct characterization, etc.
3. Character - Analyze how the protagonist, Guy Montag, or another character evolves through the
course of the novel.
4. Character - Discuss the motives that influence the behavior of the protagonist or antagonist. In other
words, explain why a character acts the way they do in the story. What motivates the characters’
actions.
5. Characterizaiton – Analyze Bradbury’s use of indirect characterization. What type of character is
created through the description of appearance, actions, speech thoughts, and other character’s
responses.
6. Symbols – Analyze the use of symbols and how they relate to the overall theme in one of the short
stories discussed in class.
7. Historical Analysis - Analyze the effect of political, social, and economic conditions of the 1950’s on
Ray Bradbury, by drawing parallels between the futuristic events of Fahrenheit 451 and the events of
the 1950’s.
8. Current Parallels – Instead of focusing on the historical parallels of Fahrenheit 451 and the 1950’s,
draw parallels between the book and the current world in which we live. Have we dropped to the
dystopia that Bradbury describes or are there differences that prevent this totalitarian society? Use
the conclusion to discuss the relevance of the novel.
9. Persuasion – Create a proposal to either keep Fahrenheit 451 as part of the curriculum or to remove
Fahrenheit 451 from the curriculum.
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Ryan McCoy
Mr. McCoy
Sophomore English – Example Essay
23 October 2004
Montag Reborn
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes about a society drowning in
technology that kills individuality and breeds conformity. Civilians are bombarded with audio
and visual media that is mind numbing. Televisions cover multiple walls, programming is
reduced to simple banter, and even when people are not glued to the ‘family’ small earphones are
inserted in the ear to pump more music and propaganda through the brain. Another method is
also used to cause citizens to conform. A book ban. Other than simple comic books and porn
magazines the reading and possession of most books is illegal. When the book opens, the
protagonist, Guy Montag, is a veteran fireman who enforces this book ban. Instead of putting
fires out, he burns books of people found reading. In the beginning, he enjoys this job and says,
“It’s fine work” (8), but through the course of the novel, Montag changes from a person who
vows never to burn again. Montag starts out as one who follows society’s norms to one that
questions it, and finally, to one that leads others into a new society.
When the book opens Montag is a naive member of the mass culture. He enjoys his work
and follows the rules. The first line of the books shows his enjoyment of work, “It was a
pleasure to burn. It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (3).
He likes to watch the books disintegrate in front of his eyes, but never thinks about what or why
he does it. This begins to change when he walks home one evening and runs into Clarisse
McClellan, a young woman who lives on the same street as Montag. She strikes up a
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conversation with Montag and makes him uncomfortable with all of her observations and
thoughts that finally forces him to respond, “You think too many things” (7). Montag is
uncomfortable because he is not used to thinking and asking questions. He is used to following
everyone else and carrying out his regular duties without thought and enjoying it as the same
time.
Bradbury wastes little time providing an internal conflict for the protagonist. This confict
is addressed through most of the book, and mainly consists of Montag questioning his role in
socity and trying to find a remedy. Clarisse provides the inciting moment and the beginning of
the internal conflict. At the end of their first meeting, Clarisse forces Montag to examine himself
with the question, “Are you happy?” (10). She does not stay to explain why she asks or to hear
the answer, but enters her house. Instead of quickly answering, as he would before he meets
Clarisse, he leaves her trying to convince himself he is actually happy. After their second
meeting the conflict is described explicitly, “He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a
coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trmblin, the two halves grinding one
upon the other” (24). Bradbury uses the description of a body divided to show the conflict of the
person Montag used to be with the person he is becoming. After using Clarisse to start Montag’s
transformation he uses aonther character to refine it.
Another major step Montag takes on his way to individuality comes after meeting with
Professor Faber. Montag met Faber in a park years before and remembers him when he begins
to read the books he steals from the fires. Montag meets with Faber and after some discussion
Montag agrees to a plan that is mainly Faber’s. Afterward, Faber gives Montag a two-way radio
device that fits in his ear and looks like a seashell that every common person has. As he leaves
Montag says, “I’m not thinking. I’m just doing like I’m told, like always. You said get the
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money and I got it. I didn’t really think of it myself. When do I start working things out on my
own?” (92). Faber replies, “You’ve started already, by saying what you just said” (92). Montag
has taken the next step. Not only is he questioning and abiding by others’ answers, he wants to
create his own ideas and answers.
The next step in Montag’s evolution is that of a leader. After joining the book people
outside the metropolis and the nuclear destruction of the city, they start to return to the scene of
the destruction. Montag’s place is different than before, now he is leading: “Montag began
walking and after a moment found that the others had fallen in behind him, going north. He was
surprised, and moved aside to let Granger pass, but Granger looked at him and nodded him on.
Montag went ahead” (164). Not only will Montag be the leader of the group heading toward the
city Bradbury implies that Montag will lead those from the destruction. Montag begins to
remember the words of the Bible he read before and starts to chose the words that will be most
inspirational when the arrive at their destination.
Analysis Assessment Assignment
Directions: Using the example essay above and the rubric provided on the next page of the packet, assess the
example essay. In addition to completing the rubric, answer the following prompts below with complete
sentences.
1. What do you see as a strength of this essay? Give an example and explain.
2. What do you see as a weakness of this essay? Give an example, explain, and provide a possible way
to improve the essay.
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Fahrenheit 451 Analysis Rubric
Category
Thesis
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7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
X2
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Clear understands work.
Avoids plot summary.
No empty or trite
observations.
Proofreading
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8
Unique interpretations
based on text.
Original ideas.
Displays
Insight/Comprehension
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9
Sound grammar,
sentence structure, and
punctuation.
Creativity/Unique Ideas
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10
Total
Points
X2
Lead from point to point.
Good use of text
transitions.
Mechanics
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Poor
Points are clearly made
and supported.
No rambling.
Well placed textual
support.
Transitions
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Adequate
Topic sentences that
support thesis.
Clear support for each
point.
Good use of textual
support.
Organization
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Good
Answers question.
Clearly stated.
Well thought out.
Evidence/Support
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Excellent
No careless errors to
distract reader.
Total
Points
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“Dover Beach”
The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; -on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch'd land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
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10
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The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl'd.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
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25
30
35
- Matthew Arnold (1867)
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“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose
Under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to buid up
A time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rain, a time to sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace
I swear it's not too late
Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted:
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.
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The Great Figure
Among the rain
and lights
I saw the figure 5
in gold
on a red
fire truck
moving
tense
unheeded
to gong clangs
siren howls
and wheels rumbling
through the dark city
- William Carlos Williams
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Various Fahrenheit 451 Quotes
1. The captain continues by defending the moral aims of the ideal of censorship: "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 there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against."
2. Beatty, explaining the need to cremate the dead to make the living loose their memory: "Forget them.
Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean."
3. Montag asserts, "Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from making
the same damn insane mistakes!" In this way, Montag sees books not only as helpful tools, but as vital agents
of salvation for his diseased world.
4. When Mrs. Bowles rejects Montag's "poetry lesson," the fireman can restrain himself no longer. He tells
her, "Go home and think of your first husband divorced and your second husband killed in a jet and your
third husband blowing his brains out, go home and think of the dozen abortions you've had, go home and
think of that and your damn Caesarian sections, too, and your children who hate your guts! Go home and
think how it all happened and what did you ever do to stop it?"
5. Beatty continues his attack, saying to Montag, "[Fire's] real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and
consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it. Now, Montag, you're a
burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later."
6. Montag gets the last laugh when he turns to Beatty's dead body and says, "You always said, don't face a
problem, burn it. Well, now I've done both. Good-bye, Captain."
7. Montag realizes his own special role in the rebirth of thinking that must occur if the world is to go on.
Bradbury narrates, "Somewhere the saving and putting away had to begin again and someone had to do the
saving and the keeping, one way or another, in books, in records, in people's heads, any way at all so long as
it was safe, free from moths, silverfish, rust and dry-rot, and men with matches."
8. Granger reflects over the city's destruction, saying, "We know the damn silly thing we just did. We
know all the damn silly things we've done for a thousand years and as long as we know that and always have
it around where we can see it, someday we'll stop making the goddamn funeral pyres and jumping in the
middle of them." He goes on, "But even when we had the books on hand, a long time ago, we didn't use
what we got out of them."
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