Meet Ray Bradbury
Bradbury’s Bio
• He decided to become a writer at the age of thirteen to
surpass his heroes and to “live forever” through his writings.
• His first short story collection, Dark Carnival, was published in
1947.
• The Martian Chronicles, published in 1950, established
Bradbury’s reputation as an author of quality science fiction.
• He is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 that had
become an instant classic in the era of McCarthyism for the
novel’s exploration of censorship and conformity.
• In 2004, he won the Pulitzer award at the World’s Fair and has
become one of the 21st century’s most celebrated authors.
Bradbury’s Bio, cont’d
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In 1934 he became a full-time writer
He developed his own HBO television series
Born August 22, 1920 and died June 5, 2012
He published over 30 books and over 600
poems or short stores
Bradbury’s Bio, cont’d
• More than eight million copies of his books
have been sold in 36 languages.
• He adapted 65 of his stories for television's
The Ray Bradbury Theater.
• He was born in Waukegan, Illinois
• Ray Bradbury wrote mostly about humanity
and changes in society.
Science Fiction
 Has a long pre-history of early Greek civilization.
 The idea of Science Fiction has stretched back all
the way to the early 100’s.
 Widely spread out through largely produced
magazines and books.
 The three important elements of science fiction
are speculation about humanity’s future, the
impacts of science and technology on people,
and setting in an alternate time or place.
 Science fiction frequently includes stories about
time travel and space travel.
Science Fiction, cont’d
• It should have a sense of believability and not completely
unrealistic.
• The launch of the atomic bomb and the Sputnik sparked
greater interest in science fiction.
• A lot of science fiction was written during the Industrial
Revolution to show the impacts that new technologies might
cause.
• Early science fiction stories included War of the Worlds,
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Brave New World.
• Hugo awards are awards given each year by the Science
Fiction Society to top writers, editors, illustrators, films, and
stories of science fiction.
Science Fiction, cont’d
• Popularized in the 1920’s by American publisher Hugo
Gernsback
• Themes included space travel, robots, alien beings, utopias,
dystopias, and time travel
• Among the earliest examples are Greek artist Cucian, who
wrote of a voyager to the moon who finds a Utopian
society of men free from war, disease, and hunger
• John W. Campbell Jr. is an influential figure in the world of
science fiction, whose literary style shaped the career of
every major science fiction from the time
• Traditional sci-fi of the late 1960’s and 70’s reached
popularity on television and in film
Comparing Sci-Fi
George Orwell’s 1984
Huxley’s Brave New World
• The book was published in 1949,
and was written as a warning
against totalitarianism. Winston
Smith works for the Ministry of
Truth, and has the job of proving
archives incorrect and basically
rewriting them even if that
means to alter the history a little
bit. Winston committed a crime
by purchasing a diary to write his
criminal thoughts in. Smith was
arrested by the Thought Police for
rebelling. He was tortured in
order to try to break him of
wanting to rebel.
• Based in London. Bernard
Marx, an Alpha-Plus
psychologist, only worries
about material comfort, and
physical pleasure, provided by
the drug SOMA , and sex. A
woman named Lenina goes to
the Savage Reservation with
him. He meets a woman
named Lenina who had a child
from natural birth.
Comparing Sci-Fi, cont’d
George Orwell’s 1984
Huxley’s Brave New World
He breaks and confesses to his • This is a satirical piece of
crimes, but they continued to
fictional writing that warns
torture him. The Party did this
of the dangers of
to make sure that all resistance
government control on new
he had was gone. One day
technologies. A group of
after Winston had been put
young boys are taken to a
back to work and his solitary
‘Hatchery’ where they see
life, Oceania had a big victory.
how embryos are
He realizes that he has been
genetically changed to look
purged. He now believes what
almost identical.
the party wants him to believe.
Comparing Sci-Fi, cont’d
Huxley’s Brave New World
• After traveling to a savage
reservation in New Mexico
from the “New World”
Bernard and Lenina bring back
a boy named John. John
becomes an instant celebrity
and tries to revolt against the
New World ways. This brings
him a lot of trouble because
people aren't in favor of his
lifestyle.
The Cold War
• After World War II, America feared that the
Soviets wanted to control the world with
communism.
• The term Cold War was used to describe the
shifting struggle for power and prestige between
America and Communists.
• In 1962 the U.S. ad the Soviets grew tense with
each other when Americans discovered the
presence of soviet missiles in Cuba.
• Communist forces in North Korea attacked South
Korea beginning the Korean War
The Cold War, cont’d
• The cold war started when the Soviet Union
moved into eastern Europe.
• The cold war began a “weapons race”
between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
• Throughout the cold war Americans lived in
constant fear of the atomic bomb.
• No literal battle was fought between the US
and the Soviet Union
The Cold War, cont’d
• The war ended when the Berlin Wall came down
allowing all of Eastern Europe to be free again.
• The American monopoly on the atomic bomb ended in
1949, after the explosion of the soviets atomic
warhead.
• There were 10 presidents during the cold war, Franklin
Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John
F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald
Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush.
• In 1961 the Berlin wall was built to separate the
communists from the noncommunist in Germany.
McCarthy-ism
• McCarthy-ism was started by senator Joseph McCarthy in order to
raise awareness of Communism in China and eastern Europe.
• McCarthy-ism started when McCarthy claimed that there were 200
Communists hidden in the U.S. government.
• One of the biggest outside influences that caused McCarthy-ism to
become popular was the nation’s weariness from the Korean War.
• The government held a 36 day long hearing on McCarthy’s charges
involving his interrogation tactics towards the accused communist.
• McCarthy’s paranoia of the communists infiltrating the American
government is now looked at as one of the most shameful past
times in American history.
McCarthy-ism, cont’d
• McCarthy-ism took place in the 1940’s and 1950’s
• Joseph McCarthy started the House Un-American
Committee in 1938 to expose communists
• McCarthy destroyed many writers’ and entertainers’
careers because he tried to convict them of being
communists, but never successfully convicted any
American as being a communist.
• McCarthy was one of only three senators to be
censored by the Senate, condemning his McCarthy-ism
conduct.
• More than 2000 government employees lost their jobs
as a result of McCarthy-ism
McCarthy-ism, cont’d
• McCarthy himself never successfully convicted an American of
communism.
• President Dwight D. Eisenhower was strongly against Joseph
McCarthy.
• After he was cross-examined by McCarthy, Alger Hiss’
reputation was ruined, even though there wasn’t any proof of
him being a communist.
• After the end of McCarthy-ism, it was later proven that some
of the people investigated by McCarthy were in fact foreign
spies.
• Not only did people lose their jobs due to McCarthy-ism, they
also found it hard to find other work down the road.
McCarthy-ism, cont’d
• McCarthy served for 3 years as a circuit judge
before enlisting in the Marine Corps.
• In 1946, McCarthy won the Republican
nomination for the Senate.
• He believed that at least 200 Communists had
infiltrated the U.S.
• “McCarthyism” was coined for “trying to find
communists in the U.S.
• The Senate condemned McCarthy for all the
reputations he ruined and people he tried to
convict as Senator.
Compare Governments
Communism
Totalitarianism
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All fictional Utopian Societies are
communist.
Communism inspired many monks to
give of themselves to the people.
Communism is taking control of
private property and economic profit,
and giving it to the Government.
Communist Countries in today’s
world are among the poorest in the
world. i.e. Cuba and North Korea
Communism is often warped from
benefits for everyone, to a
dictatorship benefitting the leader.
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In the early 19th century the idea of
communist society was a response of
the poor and dislocated to the
beginnings of modern capitalism
Communism involves the abolition of
private property by revolutionary
movement
Communism was the basis for a
number of settlements; most of them
failed
Karl Marx published “Communist
Manifesto” in 1848 which functioned
as the rule book of communism
Compare Governments, cont’d
Totalitarian
•
From reigning almost half of the
world, communism has dropped to
just a few self-declared states with
communist governments
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The Totalitarian system controlled all
aspects of public and private life
through the states of propaganda,
terror and technology.
Totalitarians took over television,
radios, the press, and even
education.
Some examples would be Nazi
Germany under Adolf Hitler and the
Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.
This chaos caused World War I to
establish.
Compare Governments, cont’d
Communism
• Communist revolutions
triumphed in heavily
agricultural societies
• The theories of communism
come from Karl Marx
• Communism aims for all goods
to be socially owned
• A communist society is a
society that has no class
divisions
• In communist societies the
government owns all the
means of production
Censorship & Book-Banning
• Censorship is the control of the information and ideas circulated within a
society for the purpose of alternating or suppressing ideas found to be
offensive or objectionable.
• The censorship can be traced back to ancient time and Plato was the first
recorded thinker to formulate a rationale for intellectual, religious, and
artistic censorship.
• The primary reasons behind book banning fall into four categories: The
book is deemed to be obscene. The book promotes secular humanism or
is anti-religion. Self-censorship in the publishing business or government.
Subordination of individuals belonging to particular racial or sexual group.
• The modern era of book censorship and book banning commenced after
the Civil War which banned any book that seemed to be obscene.
• The burning of books represents an element of censorship and book
banning and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or political
opposition to the materials in question
Censorship & Book-Banning,
con’t
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One of the examples of censorship is that some Christians believe that other
Christians shouldn’t watch the Harry Potter series because it doesn’t have a God
and the characters practice Wizardry
Some people thought it was offensive when Robert Griffin III wore a shirt in favor
of God to a press conference
Others also take offense to the prayer circles before football games.
Tom and Jerry have been censored ever since a character was hit by an explosion
and their face turned black and people took that offensively
Another example of censorship is that some cartoons producers have to pre-warn
the audience that the show might have racism in it
In 1950’s the word pregnant was banned from TV shows.
A lot of people hate the bible for what it stands for
Some people say that SpongeBob is inappropriate because he is gay
A website thought Tyson Gay’s name was offensive and changed it to Tyson
Homosexual
Censorship & Book-Banning,
con’t
• The main reasons for censorship or book banning
would be religion, violence, sex, and profanity.
• The first catalog of forbidden books was issued by
Pope Gelasius in 496
• An example of books that people have wanted
banned are Harry Potter series and the Twilight
series
• The 1st amendment forbids congress from enacting laws that regulate speech or press
• State censorship is still a big issue in China, where
political opposition is suppressed
1950s America?
• Segregation in public school system was
outlawed
• 16% of married women were employed
• Women were told their main goal in life was
to be the perfect housewife
• Debt within the American family doubled
• NASA was founded in 1957 after Sputnik
launch
1950s America?, cont’d
• Most grocery products at the time were
cheaper (a gallon of milk for $0.25)
• The labor force of male to female was 5/2
• Most toys for kids were specifically gender
designed
• The Colored TV was first introduced in this era
• Elvis Presley was one the best singers at this
time period
1950s America?, cont’d
• The airplane was the newest form of transportation and
travel on plane was very expensive
• Women played a crucial part during the war, because
with men at war, they had to fill jobs most occupied by
men
• The 1950s saw a dramatic change in the variety of toys
for children, and you started to see more expensive toys
• Underground train systems became popular in the 1950s
• The 1950s are often identified as the pinnacle of gender
inequality
1950s AmericA?, cont’d
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Top rated show: “I Love Lucy” and “The Twilight Zone”
Flights were way more dangerous with 5.2 deaths every 100,000 hours
Mid air collisions, landing crashes, and engines dropped out of planes
Smoking was allowed on flights as well as pipes and cigars.
When turbulence occurred the plane dropped 500 feet.
“Happi-Time” Camera was available for 1.59 and was able to take 12
photos.
• First Playboy magazine came out in the 50’s.
• TV made it out that all men went to work in a suit and tie , were apart of
the American rat race, then came home to be a good husband and father.
• Often times caused men to degrade women and caused some men to be
violent.
Fire
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Used as a weapon in wars
Gives warmth
Purifies unclean water
The Greek god Prometheus stole fire from
Olympus and gave it to mankind.
• Gives us light
Fire, cont’d
• Prometheus is a Titan who lived on earth.
• He saw man suffering and he wanted to help.
• He ask Zeus for just a small spark to help make
fire. He said no.
• Prometheus stole a spark from Zeus and
showed man how to make fire.
• Zeus learned of this and chained Prometheus
to a mountain and was happy that man was
happy.
Fire, cont’d
• When Prometheus was chained to the
mountain an eagle ate his liver.
• When Prometheus was finally freed he was
forced to make a ring out of his chains.
• Fire cooks food
• Fire destroys cities
• Nothing fire consumes can be retrieved
Fire, cont’d
• The Greek Titan, Prometheus, stole fire from the sun to gift to
the humans
• Prometheus got in trouble for doing this, and was chained to a
rock on Caucasus until Hercules freed him.
• Fire is one of the four main elements of the world: Fire, water,
air, and earth
• Fire is worshipped by many, and it is believed to purify and
keep away evil.
• Fire can be used as protection. It is a tool that can greatly
destroy, but also can bring life.
Salamanders
Habitat
They live in or near water, or find
shelter on moist ground and are
typically found in brooks, creeks,
ponds and other moist locations such
as under rocks. Some species are
aquatic throughout life, others take to
the water periodically, and a few are
completely terrestrial as adults. They
lay shell-less eggs in water.
Regeneration
Salamanders are capable of
regenerating lost limbs within in a few
weeks, including tails and toes,
allowing them to survive attacks from
predators.
Greek Myth: A phoenix is a bird that can be regenerated or reborn. A phoenix, said
to be associated with the sun, obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its
predecessor. Some say the phoenix dies in a show of flames and combustion.