Fahrenheit 451
By
Ray Bradbury
Essential Questions
1. Why might a society censor certain books, CDs,
DVDs, etc.?
2. In what, if any, circumstances is censorship
okay?
3. Who can you trust?
4. How do you rebuild trust once it’s been
violated?
5. Do we each have it in us to stand up for what is
right, even if it puts ourselves or our family in
danger?
Major Themes
• Censorship
• Entertainment
• Political Correctness
• Happiness
Censorship: Cut, Cut, Cut!
• What is it? Suppressing or limiting knowledge
• Who censors?
– The government?
– The people?
• What is censored? Speech, Music, Books, Films,
Television, Internet…
Entertainment: Sit Back and Relax
Questions we should consider:
1. Are we amusing ourselves to death?
2. Can it be addicting?
3. Is it used as a distraction?
4. Is it imposed upon us?
5. Do we seek it?
6. Should it be limited? How?
Political Correctness: Watch Your Mouth!
• Used to describe language, ideas, or behaviors
intended to avoid offending racial, cultural, or
other identity groups (being “PC”)
• Connects to idea of censorship
• Where are the limitations?
Happiness: Don’t Worry, Be Happy
• Related to entertainment theme
– Do we just occupy our time with meaningless
activities?
– What does this keep us from doing?
• How is happiness defined?
F451 Theme Response
Directions: answer the following two questions:
1. Do you think that being happy means being
without problems?
2. Is it possible to be happy even while you are
struggling?
Write down your personal responses on paper.
Fahrenheit 451: General Info
• Genre – Science Fiction
• Setting – sometime during the 21st century
– unknown city in the United States
• Narrator – 3rd person limited omniscient,
essentially follows Montag’s point of view
• Organization – Novel is set-up in three sections:
– Book 1 – The Hearth and the Salamander
– Book 2 – The Sieve and the Sand
– Book 3 – Burning Bright
Author Information
• Born in 1920 in Waukegan,
Illinois
• Graduated from a Los Angeles
high school in 1938
• Did not attend college
• Became “student of life”
• Fulltime writer as of 1943
• Has worked in film and
television
Historical Context
1. 1930s: Nazis burned books in Germany
a. Newsreels appalled teenage Bradbury
2. 1940s: House (Congress) Un-American
Activities Committee investigated the
movie industry
3. WWII: Atomic bombs dropped by USA
4. 1950s: Popularity of TV greatly increased
5. 1953: Fahrenheit 451 published
Fahrenheit 451 Information
• Information necessary to understanding the
novel:
– Firemen do not put out fires – they start them
– Firemen start fires – they are called to the homes of
people who own and read books. For committing
this heinous crime, their houses are burned and they
are taken to jail.
– Houses are fireproof but belongings are not
– Firemen are told that this has always been the scope
of their job. In fact, they are told that Benjamin
Franklin was the first fireman and book burner.
Fahrenheit 451: Characters
 Guy Montag –




Protagonist
3rd generation fireman
Looking for knowledge and truth
Unhappy with society and wants to break free from oppression
 Mildred Montag –
 Guy’s wife
 Small minded, childish, selfish, and obsessed with watching television
 Perfect example of what people in this society are like
 Captain Beatty  Captain of Montag’s firehouse
 Well read but hates book and anyone who wants to/ does read them
 Perceptive, devious, cunning
 Clarisse –




Neighbor of the Montag’s
17 years old
Genuinely happy with her family, curious, intelligent, questioning
An outcast because she likes to ask questions, examine nature, take walks
Fahrenheit 451: Characters
 Professor Faber –
 Retired English Professor
 Loves books and would like to own some
 Believes himself to be a coward because he never stood up to the censorship
when it started
 First meets Montag 1 year before the beginning of the book
 Granger –
 Leader of the Book People: people who have escaped society in order to
preserve literature
 Brave, intelligent
 Believes in the strength of the human spirit
 Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles –
 Friends of Mildred’s
 Perfect examples of society at large
 Stoneman and Black –
 Two firemen who work with Montag
Vocabulary Directions
Directions: The following five slides have all of the
vocabulary words that you will be learning while
reading this Fahrenheit 451. Your job is to place
these words, definitions, and sentences in the
vocabulary pages (60-70) of your green book.
Vocabulary List # 1
1. stolid (adj.) – having or revealing little emotion
John’s stolid face did not reveal his inner turmoil.
2. imperceptible (adj.) – impossible to detect with senses
The lioness was imperceptible as she hunted. Her prey had no
idea what was in store for him.
3. pulverize (v.) – reduced to powder
The rock was pulverized by the rock crusher. Before leaving the
construction site, it looked like sand.
4. melancholy (n.) – sadness or gloominess
My sister is melancholy since the death of her cat.
5. capillary (adj.) – fine; small in diameter
Capillary veins are much smaller than arteries.
Vocabulary List # 2
6. multifaceted (adj.) – having many faces or surfaces
High quality gemstones are always multifaceted. The facets are
what reflects the light and creates sparkle.
7. abyss (n.) – a very deep gap or hole; a chasm
The Grand Canyon is an abyss.
8. cacophony (n.) – harsh, jarring sound; noise
The cacophony of the glass jar striking the floor made everyone
jump.
9. conjure (v.) – to summon, or call up, as if by magic
The cat appeared so quickly it seemed to have been conjured from
nothing.
10. cower (v.) – to cringe in fear
Jane cowered when she saw the strange dog coming her way.
Vocabulary List # 3
11. feigning (adj.) – pretending.
My sister feigns illness whenever she wants to stay home from
school.
12. luminescent (adj.) – glowing
The luminescent stars are beautiful to look at.
13. nomadic (adj.) – traveling with no home; wandering
My grandparents have become nomadic since their
retirement; they just wander the country in their RV.
14. noncombustible (adj.) – incapable of igniting and burning.
Infant pajamas are made of noncombustible materials.
15. olfactory (adj.) – relating to the sense of smell
John’s olfactory senses were off due to his cold.
Vocabulary List # 4
16. pratfall (n.) –a humiliating mishap or error
Clowns love the cliché pratfall of slipping on a banana peel.
17. proboscis (n.) – a long snout
A greyhound’s proboscis is one of the its distinctive features.
18. ravenous (adj.) – greedy; extremely hungry
After running for an hour, John was ravenous.
19. tactile (adj.) – related to the sense of touch
Whenever I get up for a midnight snack, I rely on my tactile
senses to maneuver through the house.
20. rationalize (v.) – to offer a self-serving but incorrect reason
My sister tried to rationalize with my parents to extend her
curfew; unfortunately, saying everyone else gets to stay out later
didn’t work with my parents.
Vocabulary List # 5
21. Utopia – (n.) an ideal place
22. Censorship – (v.) the practice of examining
material in order to suppress or delete anything
considered to be objectionable
23. Phoenix – (n.) mythical bird said to burn itself
only to rise from the ashes and live again
24. Science Fiction – (n.)a work of fiction that tells a
story usually set in the future where there are
advancements in science or technology
25. Imagery – (n.) description that appeals to one
or more of the five senses