After finishing reading Fahrenheit 451, I still feel that Clarisse's death or missing status is still not very clear. What I want to know is what really happened to her. Even if she was killed in a car accident, was it the government's doing or was it just freak accident? On page 128 of Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag asked, "I wonder if they were the ones who killed Clarisse?" This really got me thinking, if the government did not like the way Clarisse was not conforming to their "norms", they would have to get rid of her to maintain the conformed state of the society.
Another part that I felt the story was missing was a clear ending. So Guy ends up traveling with other book readers after escaping the authorities and they all talk/explain how they read books and keep the information in their brains to preserve the content of the books for the future. After this, they travel until they reach the "city." What city is it? Is it St. Louise where Faber and Guy had promised to get in touch? What will they do in the city and is there a purpose for them to be there? Do they have to avoid being noticed? Since the book ends here, I will never know. I did read the "Afterword" part of the book and saw that the author mentioned how he didn't want to change anything in Fahrenheit 451. As I do respect that decision, I still wished that he would have at least written a clearer ending.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Expanding Perspectives & A Key Moment
Now that I have finished reading Fahrenheit 451, I realize how important books really are. I used to think that books were important, but now I realize that they are even more important than I what I had initially thought. After reading this book, I will now appreciate how in this world, books aren't illegal. In this book, Ray Bradbury portray the future as highly conformed and different yet there were many outdated terms and objects mixed into to story. For example, there was a mention of a typewriter. This is understandable because Ray Bradbury had written this book many years ago. While reading Fahrenheit 451, I hoped that in the future of our society that it will not be conformed in a bad way.
A key moment in Fahrenheit 451 was, "I'm one of the innocents who could have spoken out and when no one would listen to the 'guilty,' but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself. And when finally except the structure to burn the books, using the fireman, I grunted a few times and subsided, for there were no others grunting or yelling with me, bye then. Now it's too late." (Bradbury, 82) I thought that this moment was important because it shows Faber regretting being a coward and that he didn't want this to happen. It's also important because it shows Guy Montag that Faber was on his side. I'm pretty sure that this moment helped Guy to decide if he could trust Faber with his plans and the information. If this moment had not happened, I'm sure that Faber wouldn't have been a reoccurring character and that he wouldn't play such a big part in Guy's escape and future actions.
A key moment in Fahrenheit 451 was, "I'm one of the innocents who could have spoken out and when no one would listen to the 'guilty,' but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself. And when finally except the structure to burn the books, using the fireman, I grunted a few times and subsided, for there were no others grunting or yelling with me, bye then. Now it's too late." (Bradbury, 82) I thought that this moment was important because it shows Faber regretting being a coward and that he didn't want this to happen. It's also important because it shows Guy Montag that Faber was on his side. I'm pretty sure that this moment helped Guy to decide if he could trust Faber with his plans and the information. If this moment had not happened, I'm sure that Faber wouldn't have been a reoccurring character and that he wouldn't play such a big part in Guy's escape and future actions.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Research Question Process
Today in class, we were practicing to generate research questions. It wasn't hard, but it definitely wasn't easy. We first started with coming up with 3 topics and/or subjects to think about from our independent reading books. I chose the topics/subjects of fear, conformity, and pressure. Then, we gave our definitions of each topic/subject. Next, I formulated universal questions that are related to the topics/subjects. Afterwards, I tried to connect each of the topics/subjects to myself in one way or another. Lastly, I tried to convert the universal questions into research questions, which are more specific than universal questions.
One of the questions I came up with was, "How does fear guide the government's actions and decisions in the U.S.?" The reason why this was one of my possible research questions is because the topics of fear and conformity triggered a thought in my mind. Those topics reminded me of how in Fahrenheit 451, the government enforces its power on its people to create a society with conformity and fear. The fear comes from the threats that the government promises to inflict on the citizens if they were to break the rules. I felt that this question was interesting because I wonder what will determine the fate of the United States. I also felt that if this were to be true, when did this happen and what happened. I think that many people wonder about this subject subconsciously because it is something that is worth knowing if you live in the United States.
One of the questions I came up with was, "How does fear guide the government's actions and decisions in the U.S.?" The reason why this was one of my possible research questions is because the topics of fear and conformity triggered a thought in my mind. Those topics reminded me of how in Fahrenheit 451, the government enforces its power on its people to create a society with conformity and fear. The fear comes from the threats that the government promises to inflict on the citizens if they were to break the rules. I felt that this question was interesting because I wonder what will determine the fate of the United States. I also felt that if this were to be true, when did this happen and what happened. I think that many people wonder about this subject subconsciously because it is something that is worth knowing if you live in the United States.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Themes
Themes of Fahrenheit 451:
1. There will always be people who will disagree with the government and rebel.
2. Governmental oppression leads to fear for its people.
3. It's important to question the world in order to avoid unnecessary conformity.
Theme 1:
The main character of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montag who ends up rebelling against the government because he disagrees with their rules and laws. He is influenced to question/think differently by characters such as Clarisse McClellan and Faber. For example, Clarisse says, "Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames." (Bradbury, 8) This made Guy start to wonder about his profession and he asks Beatty the fire chief, "Was- was it always like this?" (Bradbury, 34) This shows that he started to disagree with the way things were with his government. Even before, Guy was collecting books and even let Faber go when he was in possession of a book. This showed that Guy didn't really care much about the laws or at least that he didn't seem very interested in enforcing them. His hesitation to burn the woman and her collection of books showed me that he felt something was wrong with the rules in his society and that he didn't feel comfortable following such laws.
Theme 2:
In Fahrenheit 451, the government bans the use and possession of books. This oppresses the people in their society because the government is trying to control them by preventing them to learn from books. Books are a great source of knowledge so taking them anyway would be like taking their knowledge away. This makes me picture a scene from a movie where the villain says, "The less they know, the better." It's easier to control a large population of people if they don't know what's going on or know if the situation is right or wrong. Due to this oppression in Fahrenheit 451, a character named Faber and his colleagues are afraid of getting caught because there will be consequences. An example of this would be when the alarm sounded for the first time in the book and they had to burn the woman's book collection and she committed suicide along with her books. Faber even says, "Mr. Montag, you are looking for a coward...I'm one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the 'guilty,' but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself." (Bradbury, 82) He calls himself a coward and talked about how he didn't speak up, most likely out of fear as to what the government would do to him if he did so. Actors in plays are also oppressed by the government according to what Faber states, "Oh, there are many actors alone who haven't acted Pirandello or Shaw or Shakespeare for years because their plays are too aware of the world." (Bradbury, 87)
Theme 3:
When Guy Montag questions, "Was- was it always like this?" (Bradbury, 34) It was only the beginning of his troubles and changes, he turning point if you will. He starts to wonder why they had to burn books and why they were illegal. Beatty the fire chief tells him the reasons, saying lines like, "...the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be" (Bradbury, 58), "You always dread the unfamiliar," (Bradbury, 58), and "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." (Bradbury, 58) This only fueled Guy's curiosity so he continued to learn by reading from some of the books he had collected and hidden and from a man named Faber, which he had met in a park several years back. Faber asks Guy, "How did you get shaken up? What knocked the torch out of your hands?" (Bradbury, 82) He was questioning how Guy realized what was going on around him and how he broke the "hand-cuffs of conformity." He and Faber devise a plan to destroy the fire houses so that the threat to books will disappear. This plan doesn't work out too well and Guy ended up having to stain his hands with blood. Guy runs away from the authorities and groups up with several men who are going through the same situation as he is. They all carry the knowledge/content of books in their brains and states that they must past down this information to their children to make sure that the knowledge isn't lost. If Guy had questioned why his society was the way it was, he would be like mostly everyone else in his world.
How Theme 2 Contributes to the Meaning/Structure of Fahrenheit 451:
The theme of governmental oppression leading to fear in its people contributes to the overall meaning of this story by being very universal/relatable and by giving the world another dystopian fiction novel for said genre. It also gives Fahrenheit 451 a very unique conflict. Another lesson that this book can imply can be to value books. Many governments in today's world could be oppressing too, this make Fahrenheit 451 interesting to read in many parts of the world because readers would be able to understand/comprehend the events that are happening in the book. Also, if the reader can relate to the book, they are more likely to enjoy the book and see the deeper meanings and implied themes.
The genre of dystopian fiction proudly displays Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The government is usually there to protect you and eliminate fear in the hearts of its people. In this story, that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, their involvement makes certain citizens fear for their lives and their right to obtain knowledge. There are many books today with happy endings but there aren't many with a grimmer tale. Some readers prefer the grimmer versions of tired out story cliches so Fahrenheit 451 is something they'd enjoy. The unique conflict makes the author successful in crafting a good piece of literature because it is something new that no one has read about before. Another reason why this theme contributes to the meaning of the book is the message of valuing books. The characters who live in fear from the government's wrath due to their strong belief and passion for books definitely value books so much that they would give up their lives. This implies that books are very important and valuable.
1. There will always be people who will disagree with the government and rebel.
2. Governmental oppression leads to fear for its people.
3. It's important to question the world in order to avoid unnecessary conformity.
Theme 1:
The main character of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montag who ends up rebelling against the government because he disagrees with their rules and laws. He is influenced to question/think differently by characters such as Clarisse McClellan and Faber. For example, Clarisse says, "Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames." (Bradbury, 8) This made Guy start to wonder about his profession and he asks Beatty the fire chief, "Was- was it always like this?" (Bradbury, 34) This shows that he started to disagree with the way things were with his government. Even before, Guy was collecting books and even let Faber go when he was in possession of a book. This showed that Guy didn't really care much about the laws or at least that he didn't seem very interested in enforcing them. His hesitation to burn the woman and her collection of books showed me that he felt something was wrong with the rules in his society and that he didn't feel comfortable following such laws.
Theme 2:
In Fahrenheit 451, the government bans the use and possession of books. This oppresses the people in their society because the government is trying to control them by preventing them to learn from books. Books are a great source of knowledge so taking them anyway would be like taking their knowledge away. This makes me picture a scene from a movie where the villain says, "The less they know, the better." It's easier to control a large population of people if they don't know what's going on or know if the situation is right or wrong. Due to this oppression in Fahrenheit 451, a character named Faber and his colleagues are afraid of getting caught because there will be consequences. An example of this would be when the alarm sounded for the first time in the book and they had to burn the woman's book collection and she committed suicide along with her books. Faber even says, "Mr. Montag, you are looking for a coward...I'm one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the 'guilty,' but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself." (Bradbury, 82) He calls himself a coward and talked about how he didn't speak up, most likely out of fear as to what the government would do to him if he did so. Actors in plays are also oppressed by the government according to what Faber states, "Oh, there are many actors alone who haven't acted Pirandello or Shaw or Shakespeare for years because their plays are too aware of the world." (Bradbury, 87)
Theme 3:
When Guy Montag questions, "Was- was it always like this?" (Bradbury, 34) It was only the beginning of his troubles and changes, he turning point if you will. He starts to wonder why they had to burn books and why they were illegal. Beatty the fire chief tells him the reasons, saying lines like, "...the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be" (Bradbury, 58), "You always dread the unfamiliar," (Bradbury, 58), and "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." (Bradbury, 58) This only fueled Guy's curiosity so he continued to learn by reading from some of the books he had collected and hidden and from a man named Faber, which he had met in a park several years back. Faber asks Guy, "How did you get shaken up? What knocked the torch out of your hands?" (Bradbury, 82) He was questioning how Guy realized what was going on around him and how he broke the "hand-cuffs of conformity." He and Faber devise a plan to destroy the fire houses so that the threat to books will disappear. This plan doesn't work out too well and Guy ended up having to stain his hands with blood. Guy runs away from the authorities and groups up with several men who are going through the same situation as he is. They all carry the knowledge/content of books in their brains and states that they must past down this information to their children to make sure that the knowledge isn't lost. If Guy had questioned why his society was the way it was, he would be like mostly everyone else in his world.
How Theme 2 Contributes to the Meaning/Structure of Fahrenheit 451:
The theme of governmental oppression leading to fear in its people contributes to the overall meaning of this story by being very universal/relatable and by giving the world another dystopian fiction novel for said genre. It also gives Fahrenheit 451 a very unique conflict. Another lesson that this book can imply can be to value books. Many governments in today's world could be oppressing too, this make Fahrenheit 451 interesting to read in many parts of the world because readers would be able to understand/comprehend the events that are happening in the book. Also, if the reader can relate to the book, they are more likely to enjoy the book and see the deeper meanings and implied themes.
The genre of dystopian fiction proudly displays Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The government is usually there to protect you and eliminate fear in the hearts of its people. In this story, that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, their involvement makes certain citizens fear for their lives and their right to obtain knowledge. There are many books today with happy endings but there aren't many with a grimmer tale. Some readers prefer the grimmer versions of tired out story cliches so Fahrenheit 451 is something they'd enjoy. The unique conflict makes the author successful in crafting a good piece of literature because it is something new that no one has read about before. Another reason why this theme contributes to the meaning of the book is the message of valuing books. The characters who live in fear from the government's wrath due to their strong belief and passion for books definitely value books so much that they would give up their lives. This implies that books are very important and valuable.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Character Development: Beatty
Beatty started out as a father figure in my opinion because he was the fire chief. This meant that he was the one who was in charge of the unit that Guy Montag is in so he must watch everyone to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to, similar to how a father would watch over and guide his children. When Guy was sick, Beatty came to visit him to make sure that he was okay. He is also very wise like a father. He told Guy about the firemen's origins and why their job was to burn books. He also talks about why books are illegal and why they're "dangerous." Beatty even tried really hard to help Guy out by warning him about the consequences and sending the Hound over as a warning one night.
Beatty changed a lot when he found out about Guy and his books. He even said, "I like your look of panic," to Guy when he started getting nervous about being found out. He seemed to changed into a kind of sadistic and scary man. He somewhat forced/convinced Guy to burn down his house with a flame thrower and then told him that he were to be arrested afterwards. When it came time for Guy to be taken away, Beatty agitated and encourage Guy to kill him and run away. Guy was finally pushed passed his limit of tolerance and killed Beatty with the flame thrower. Maybe in the end, Beatty became that father figure again and tried to protect Guy. Guy went on to say, "He wanted to die." This made me think, maybe Beatty loved books too since he have mentioned that he has read a lot of them and that the torture of being in a world where books were illegal was too much for him. It's only a theory but, I can see that to be a possible explanation.
Beatty changed a lot when he found out about Guy and his books. He even said, "I like your look of panic," to Guy when he started getting nervous about being found out. He seemed to changed into a kind of sadistic and scary man. He somewhat forced/convinced Guy to burn down his house with a flame thrower and then told him that he were to be arrested afterwards. When it came time for Guy to be taken away, Beatty agitated and encourage Guy to kill him and run away. Guy was finally pushed passed his limit of tolerance and killed Beatty with the flame thrower. Maybe in the end, Beatty became that father figure again and tried to protect Guy. Guy went on to say, "He wanted to die." This made me think, maybe Beatty loved books too since he have mentioned that he has read a lot of them and that the torture of being in a world where books were illegal was too much for him. It's only a theory but, I can see that to be a possible explanation.
Found Poem: Guy Montag
It was a pleasure to burn
He was not happy
Does it have a happy ending?
A shame
It's all he'll ever know
Was it always like this?
He wasn't hurting anyone
Only things
Cried not at death
But at the thought of not crying at death
What a shame
You're not in love with anyone
They fight a lot
They're married
She's gone
He realized
There was a man behind each book
A loaded gun
In the house next door
Came away lost
Stop us from making the same
Insane mistakes
To see
The cycle back to reality
Hide your ignorance
Destroy authority
Muddying the waters
Dangerous to truth
Keep the world happy
Fly near the sun
Burnt his wings
An awful fool
An idiot
Don't face a problem
Burn it
Done both
Nothing to lose
Run any risk
Plunged in acid
Get up!
He was not happy
Does it have a happy ending?
A shame
It's all he'll ever know
Was it always like this?
He wasn't hurting anyone
Only things
Cried not at death
But at the thought of not crying at death
What a shame
You're not in love with anyone
They fight a lot
They're married
She's gone
He realized
There was a man behind each book
A loaded gun
In the house next door
Came away lost
Stop us from making the same
Insane mistakes
To see
The cycle back to reality
Hide your ignorance
Destroy authority
Muddying the waters
Dangerous to truth
Keep the world happy
Fly near the sun
Burnt his wings
An awful fool
An idiot
Don't face a problem
Burn it
Done both
Nothing to lose
Run any risk
Plunged in acid
Get up!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Symbolism
Today in class, we had a project on symbolism based on our independent reading books and were able to work as a team from our personal reading circles. A symbol my team and I chose for Fahrenheit 451 was books because they can represent knowledge/wisdom, awareness, and can be a source of entertainment. To convey these thoughts, we made a book out of stock/construction paper and on the inside of this book we had the word "knowledge," a pair of googly-eyes, and an elephant made of clay. The word "knowledge" is what it is, the googly-eyes represented awareness, and the clay elephant represented entertainment. On the front cover of the book, there were words like life, emotions, truth, imagination, leisure, and inform. These words were placed on the cover because that was what my team and I though books did / effected / triggered / conveyed.
On the outside of the book (in front of it), we had three small protest signs with a book with a banned circle on one, the word "fear" on another, and the word "conformity" on the third. The book with the banned circle on it showed that books were illegal in the story. The word "fear" represented one of the topics/subjects in Fahrenheit 451 because Guy Montag is afraid of being caught and the government is afraid of books because they were worried about what the books might incite. The word "conformity" is important because that was a conflict in Fahrenheit 451 since the government doesn't want anyone to learn from what are inside the books. We believed this because some of Faber's old friends were taken away because they were too aware due to their studies with books.
On the outside of the book (in front of it), we had three small protest signs with a book with a banned circle on one, the word "fear" on another, and the word "conformity" on the third. The book with the banned circle on it showed that books were illegal in the story. The word "fear" represented one of the topics/subjects in Fahrenheit 451 because Guy Montag is afraid of being caught and the government is afraid of books because they were worried about what the books might incite. The word "conformity" is important because that was a conflict in Fahrenheit 451 since the government doesn't want anyone to learn from what are inside the books. We believed this because some of Faber's old friends were taken away because they were too aware due to their studies with books.
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