...altering the course of life for people for the better or worse. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury gives a story to the reader which explores the life of Guy Montag - the protagonist, whose nature and way of life was altered by several characters that he encounters throughout the course of the novel, most notably- Clarisse McClellan. As brief as her appearance in the novel was, she proves to be one of the major characters to have a disruptive effect on Montag throughout her direct interaction with...
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...The character Montag from Fahrenheit 451 goes through many changes as he questions not only himself, but the reasoning behind the actions he takes with no second thought. In their society, knowledge is the common enemy, and it is the goal of the fire men to destroy all traces. But why is it that knowledge is a problem to anyone’s well being? This is the question that Montag had been unaware of until he met the character Clarisse. She changed his views from, “I love to burn” to “why do we burn books” (Orwell). A dynamic change where Montag realizes that what he is doing is actually hurting their society, but he was so influenced to do his job that he burned thousands of books with no questions asked. With this question being asked, Montag’s...
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...indirect characterization, in the creation of Fahrenheit 451. In addition to learning about the explicit qualities of Bradbury’s characters, readers receive deeper insight as we carefully read his stories. In Fahrenheit 451, we learn more indirect information about the protagonist, Guy Montag, through the words used to introduce this character. We have a clear view of Montag’s thoughts and feelings that lead him into his own transformation. When the novel begins, we learn that Montag’s values are similar to that of the society he lives in. The culture in which Montag is accustomed to is one without cogitation or analysis. Their society believes that books cause pain and should not exist. Everyone in this society believes they live in a carefree, painless world beyond having burdens. In the first sentence of the novel, Montag shows how much he loves his work as a fireman: “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). The job of a fireman in this society is to set fires, not to eradicate them. Houses that are revealed to contain books, by those who set off the alarms, are destroyed by firemen. Montag enjoys watching books wither and disintegrate in front of his eyes, but never thinks why he does it. His ideas begin to change when he walks home one evening and runs into a young woman named Clarisse McClellan, who lives on the same street as Montag. She initiates a conversation with Montag that makes him feel uncomfortable. All of...
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...In the books Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 by Ayn Rand and Ray Bradbury, both of the main characters live in societies much different than ours. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Guy Montag, lives in a society where reading is considered sin and books are considered illegal. In Anthem, the main character, Equality 7-2521, lives in a society where everyone's lives are decided for them. In this dystopian society, there is also a lack of knowledge due to how Equality 7-2521’s government is. Equality 7-2521’s council basically considers it a sin to learn anything their teachers have not taught them. It is also practically considered sin to ask questions and to be curious. Both of these societies face different problems such as a corrupt and oppressive government, inner conflict, and rebellion. In both books, the oppressive governments restrict learning and keep their society dystopian. In Anthem, Equality 7-2521’s...
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...significant quotes by Ray Bradbury in the novel Fahrenheit 451. The book Fahrenheit 451 was written in the 50’s during the time where book banning and censorship was realistic. It was written because of Bradbury’s belief that the world would look tyrannical in the future. The civilians in the book do not think divergently or question anything, and books are prohibited. Anybody who owns a book or has possession of them will face consequences that include arson of their home and imprisonment, which is the fireman's job to take care of. The firemen, including Montag the main character, find the citizens who have books and light their homes on fire. However, once Montag meets a girl named Clarisse, a “bizarre person” according to society because she has curiosity, everything changes. He begins to have his own beliefs...
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...“the incineration of knowledge and wisdom” Fahrenheit 451 Kati Hernandez 10/28/14 AP English 12 Period 1 Three Questions 1. When the story starts, what are the forces acting on Montag? 2. Why would Montag read the poem “Dover Beach,” by Matthew Arnold to Mildred and her friends and how is it significant to the novel? 3. Once Montag becomes an insubordinate, why does the government capture an innocent man instead of tracking down Montag? Literary Criticism Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 follows the protagonist Guy Montag, a fireman living in a dystopic society where books are illegal and burnt if found. Instead of reading citizens watch copious amounts of television . Conversations with pedestrians are unheard of until Montag meets Clarisse, “seventeen and insane”(Bradbury 7). She asks multiple questions about his life, one question which changes his outlook on his entire life, “Are you happy?”(Bradbury 10). After his conversation with Clarisse, Montag is conflicted with his job, his disposition, and his desire for knowledge and wisdom. Using a variety of literary elements throughout Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury emphasizes that wisdom and knowledge are acquired through experience and critical thinking. Bradbury uses allegory and alliteration to develop the idea that the censorship and the distractions of society leads to the gradual decay of knowledge. While on the subway, Montag remembers his childhood memory of himself sitting on a yellow...
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...Objects,” Sarah Ahmed explains how “happiness functions as a promise that directs us toward certain objects, which then circulate as social goods” (Ahmed 29). These social goods, in this case books, preserve the connection between ideas, values, and the objects that develop the attributes of our culture. Ahmed’s description of this connection as being “sticky” provides meaning to the positive or negative effects that objects acquire over time. In his novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses a dystopian society deprived of books and literature to critique the hypocritical mass media transition and conformist...
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...Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury is a futuristic novel that incorporates symbolism to represent specific meanings which are in the novel. Bradbury's use of symbolism throughout the novel, makes the book moving and powerful by using symbolism to reinforce the ideas of anti-censorship. The title of the novel: Fahrenheit 451 is a symbol itself. If you break it down and understand the hidden meaning of it, readers can see why Bradbury decided this specific title for his book. Paper burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit and as readers read the novel they will understand what the book is about and how the title represents it. The Hearth and the Salamander, the title of part one, is the second example of symbolism. The title suggests two things which have to do with fire. Hearth, which people would think of a fire place, can be represented by warmth and goodness. It shows how fire can be used for good and in a non-destructive way. As for Salamander, this can be defined as a small lizard type amphibian which in mythology is known to tolerate fire without getting burned by it. As readers get through part one, they can see how Bradbury uses the salamander as a symbolic meaning for Guy Montag. Guy Montag’s character can be portrayed as a salamander because he works with fire, tolerating its danger yet he continuously believes that he can escape the fire and survive, much like a salamander does. The third symbol which is demonstrated in the novel is the phoenix. A phoenix can be defined as:...
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...Limitations to Happiness Fahrenheit 451 does society have true happiness? Society goes through different experiences to achieve happiness. Montag starts to question different aspects of life by what is deemed as unusual. Ray Bradbury shows that happiness is trying to be achieved through the banning and burning of books. The concept of technology and conformity shows how happiness can or cannot be achieved. Bradbury uses figurative language and symbolism to express the theme of technology. In the “Hearth of the Salamander” Montag expresses that there were “two machines really. One of them slid down into her stomach like a black cobra, an echoing well looking for all the old water and old time gathered there”...
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...In the book, Fahrenheit 451, they use a lot of symbolism,and most of the symbols have deeper meanings than what they use it as in the book. In Fahrenheit 451 the government wants the city, town, and people to be all the same. The government also does these action pretty harshly by burning house, book, and even sometimes people. So eventually they don't really have any freedom or the chance to actually “live” like normal people. Some of the symbols that are represented are the phoenix, the mirrors, and the mechanical hound. One of the many symbols in the book is the Phoenix. When Ray Bradbury uses it in the book he writes,”“There was a silly damn bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up.But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again,” (163). So basically the deeper meaning is that the government, society, or even just the city...
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..."Sometimes writers write about a world that does not yet exist. We do it for a hundred reasons" (Gaiman xi). Neil Gaiman says it best in the introduction to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, whether it be to warn the public, or to encourage, examine, or imagine, writers continue to describe dystopian worlds that may not be real. Gaiman tells the readers of Fahrenheit 451 that "there are three phrases that make possible writing about the world of not-yet[…]and they are simple phrases: What if…? If only…? If this goes on…" (Gaiman xi). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 utilizes the latter of these three phrases. Bradbury pictures that if our society continues to substitute knowledge with instant, mindless gratification, the product would be similar to that of Guy Montag's world. Likewise, "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is created around the phrase, "What if...?" Vonnegut's story was developed while thinking about how the world would be if people were handicapped based on their strengths and weaknesses. The genre of science fiction conveys an author's feelings towards our community, and typically towards our community's future. Both of these texts demonstrate a strong theme, while simultaneously allowing these themes to reveal truths about our society. Firstly, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury demonstrates a theme of how one must be aware and knowledgeable to...
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...How does our society know if we have people hiding their true emotions? How do we pick out the people masking their hearts as perfectly as they cover up their faces? But most of all, how can we stop them from doing something drastic to wipe away the pain stained in their spirit forever? People, young and old, have insecurities or desires to be like other people to a point where it destroys their real personality completely. There is a book, Fahrenheit 451 that connects to our society through the extremely limited emotional expression they have in their world. Even other novels have emotional issues based on whether or not a boy likes them or whether or not they will be in trouble with the authorities for being different. Men, women, and children...
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...” is what Ray Bradbury said in his book, Fahrenheit 451. This ignorance, when discovered and learned from, can cause a surplus of wisdom and knowledge to appear. The resulting knowledge and wisdom that appear can cause a flurry of new ideas and different perspective to appear in people. Those who remain ignorant, however, are beguiled into remaining in their own world of false bliss. In Fahrenheit 451, several characters have displayed their ignorance, but not all of them have learned from their ignorance. Characters such as Montag and Faber did not hide their ignorance and therefore learned from it whereas characters such as Mildred remained hidden within their own ignorance....
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...witness other people to have a better understanding of themselves. In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 the main character Montag is still in a slump trying to find his personality. Three of Montag’s many personalities that will be said throughout the essay are rebellious, courageous and anti social. Bradbury uses Montag’s apprehension of both Mildred and Clarisse as an indirect way of conceding Montag’s personality. Montag throughout the book was not all that courageous. At first he was with the crowd not really having his own mind, society was his mind. He was brainwashed by society and by all the technology that surrounded him. When Clarisse tells Montag “They want to know what I do with my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think. But I wont tell them what. I’ve got them running. And sometimes, I tell them, I like to put my head back, like this, and let rain fall in my mouth. It tastes just like wine. Have you ever tried it?”(Bradbury 23). This shows what Montag wants to be and at the end of the novel he does change into surveying the area and his surroundings and to really understand that the world is beautiful, not something to just look briefly at. When Clarisse says that Montag goes through his own courageous journey into trying to be more like Clarisse and less like Mildred. Clarisse is like a sunny day and Mildred is the juxtaposition of that. When Montag walked in on her “Her face was like a snow-covered island upon rain might fall, but it...
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...In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the author Ray Bradbury paints a picture of a science fiction dystopian world that warns people of the dangers of becoming too hopelessly dependent on society and its rules. He does this mostly through the descriptions and lives of his characters, none more so than his main protagonist of Guy Montag, who is a fireman whose role in life is to burn books until he starts to question this role and his place in the world. Guy Montag is the main protagonist in the novel Fahrenheit 451. When we meet him in the book he seems to be a man who is carefree and living in society exactly as he should. He is a fireman who’s only job in life is to burn the books that make people ask questions that might otherwise upset the natural...
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