Transcript NOUNS - Mr. Bulgrien's Class

FAHRENHEIT 451
by Ray Bradbury
Firemen


“It was a pleasure to burn” (p. 3)
Guy Montag is a thirty-year-old fireman in the
twenty-fourth century (keep in mind that this book
was written during the early 1950s).
Day 01 (p. 03-24)

Homes are now fireproofed so there is no longer
the demand for a fireman to do his former work –
putting out fires. Now the firemen start fires. They
burn books in order to maintain social order; they
are the official censors of the government. Books
are evil; they must be destroyed.

Without books, and without the ideas that books
contain, everyone conforms; as a consequence,
everyone is happy. When books and ideas are
available to people, conflict and unhappiness occur.

In theory, then, Montag should be happy.

But is he?
Happiness vs. Masks


“‘Are you happy?’ she said” (p. 10)
Montag smiles, but he isn’t happy. The smile, just
like his “burnt-corked” face, is a mask (4). Montag
recognizes this, as does the reader, when he meets
Clarisse McClellan (see page 12).
Day 01 (p. 03-24)



Clarisse is spontaneous and curious about nature
and life, and she has no rigid daily schedule.
Montag is a creature of habit.
She speaks to him about the beauties of life, the
man in the moon, the early morning dew, and her
liking to smell things and examine things.
Montag has never concerned himself with such
trivial matters.

Clarisse lives with her mother, father, and uncle;
Montag has no family other than his wife, and his
home life is unhappy.
Millie Montag


“There was only the singing of the thimble-wasps in
her tamped-shut ears” (p. 13)
Guy isn’t the only person who is unhappy. Although
she would never admit it, Millie is not happy either.
Day 01 (p. 03-24)


The reader discovers that Mildred places small,
seashell-like radios into her ears, and the music
whisks her away from the dreariness of her
everyday reality. Millie also relies on the three
wall-size TVs in their home in order to escape from
her meaningless existence.
She has abandoned reality through the use of
technology.


And she doesn’t stop there. Millie is also addicted
to tranquilizers and sleeping pills.
On this night, in particular, Montag discovers that
she has taken an overdose of pills and calls the
emergency hospital.
 The
reader never discovers if this was an attempted
suicide or just a result of sheer mindlessness.
Something to Hide


“He stood looking up at the ventilator grille…” (p.
10)
Apparently Montag has something to hide. This
section mentions it twice: once on page 10, and
briefly on page 19, when Montag is peering up in
the air-conditioning vent.
Day 01 (p. 03-24)
Taste the Rain


“[H]e tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few
moments, and opened his mouth…” (p. 24)
Clarisse awakens in Montag a love and a desire to
enjoy the simple and innocent things in life. After
she leaves, Guy, for the first time in his life, tilts his
head up and tastes the rain.
Day 01 (p. 03-24)

It is significant that Montag drinks water.

Water is cleansing and purifying.

Bradbury uses water imagery in order to imply a
rebirth or regeneration for Montag.
 This
won’t be the last time water imagery is used for this
purpose in the novel
Firemen’s Symbols (p. 6)


The Salamander
a lizard-like animal
representation of fire.
In mythology, it
endures flames without
burning.
Day 01 (p. 03-24)


and the Phoenix
a mythical bird that
supposedly lives 500
years, burns itself to
ashes on a pyre, and
rises alive from the
ashes to live again. It
continues this cycle
indefinitely.
Worthless Marriage


“When did we meet? And where?” (p. 42)
Montag comes to realize that his marriage to Millie
is in shambles
 He
can’t even remember when, where, or how they met.
Millie can’t remember either; she is more interested in
her “family” – the images on her three-walled TV.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)



She also drives their car recklessly and overdoses
on sleeping pills
These are all indicators to Montag that their life is
both meaningless and purposeless.
They don’t love one another; in fact, if they love
anything at all, it would be burning (for Montag)
and the TV “relatives” (for Millie).
Guilt


“The growl simmered in the beast and it looked at
him” (p. 26)
Montag is afraid that the Hound dislikes him. He
has a guilty conscience.
 He
thinks that somehow this Hound knows that he has
confiscated some books during one of his raids.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)
Captain Beatty



“None of those books agree with each other…
Snap out of it! The people in those books never
lived” (p. 38)
Beatty is a well-read man, but he still goes along
with society’s path. Reading books isn’t the problem
– the problem is when they affect one’s actions.
Beatty is intelligent and has read a lot, but he sees
no value in books – so he burns them.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)

Beatty even goes along with perversions of history,
as it appears in the history of Firemen in America,
which states that the first fire station was founded in
1790 by Benjamin Franklin in order to “burn
English-influenced books in the Colonies.”
 Interestingly,
Ben Franklin did start the first fire
department (in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1736), but
they put fires out, of course! Ben died in 1790.
 It’s very important to know history, so others cannot
change it to suit their purposes.
The Old Woman Martyr


“You can’t ever have my books” (p. 38)
This old woman refuses to leave her home after she
is caught with books. She would rather die than live
without her books. Her words are very interesting.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)


She quotes Hugh Latimer, an early martyr for the
Protestant faith: “Play the man, Master Ridley; we
shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in
England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
This quote is very significant. Latimer and Ridley
were burned at the stake as heretics because they
dared challenge the established authority (the
Catholic Church), and their deaths drew others to
their cause.



Here, this woman dies for her cause, and Montag
becomes intrigued and decides to investigate what
books really are, what they contain, and what
fulfillment they offer.
He wants to find out why they’re worth dying for.
This is a major turning point for Guy, as is Clarisse’s
death.
More About the Old Woman and Her
Match


Why did Bradbury choose to make this character a
woman, and why did she strike a match?
Traditionally, “Knowledge” has been portrayed as
a woman. Just think about the Greek goddess
Athena (born from Zeus’ head) who represents
wisdom.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)


Also, wisdom is often portrayed as a light or torch.
Think about Prometheus, the god who stole fire from
Zeus and gave it to mankind.
The Hound



“He did not open the window” (p. 48)
At the end of this section, Montag has a premonition
that the Hound is stalking him and that it is just
outside his house.
Either it’s all in his head and no one suspects
anything, or someone knows what he’s hiding and
has tipped off the captain.
Day 02 (p. 24-48)
Realization


“I’m not going to work tonight” (p. 49)
Montag feigns illness and goes to bed for a couple
reasons…
Day 03 (p. 48-68)

First, Millie, his wife, offers him no sympathetic
understanding about his changing beliefs about
books, and he is realizing that he can’t talk to her
about anything substantial and that their
relationship is worthless.

Second, Montag is coming to grips with the fact that
he has not only played a part in burning and
executing an old woman the night before, he has
been burning and killing people’s lives and ideas (in
the form of their books) for his entire career.
Books


“There must be something in books, things we can’t
imagine” (p. 51)
Montag knows there must be something special
about books, something so great that it made the
old woman want to remain in the burning house with
her books rather than leave them.
Day 03 (p. 48-68)

He tries to convey this to Millie, but she is incapable
of understanding what he means. All she knows is
that books are illegal and that anyone who breaks
the law must be punished.
The Pep Talk



“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door.
Burn it” (p. 58)
Captain Beatty has been suspicious of Montag’s
recent behavior and has been aware of the
intellectual and moral changes going on in Montag.
He has already recognized Montag’s discontent,
and so he makes a sick call to Montag’s home.
Day 03 (p. 48-68)


He explains that every fireman sooner or later goes
through a period of intellectual curiosity and steals
a book. (He miraculously seems to know that
Montag has, in fact, stolen a book.)
Beatty stresses that books contain nothing
believable. “[B]ooks say nothing! Nothing you can
teach or believe. They’re about nonexistent people,
figments of imagination” (62).
The Problem with Books



“People want to be happy, isn’t that right?” (p. 59)
Everyone is angered by at least some kinds of
literature; the simplest solution is to get rid of all the
books. Books spread ideas, opinions, and
controversy. Eliminating them eliminates controversy
and conflict.
Politically Correct
Day 03 (p. 48-68)


Beatty is promoting a perverse democratic ideal:
ridding the world of all controversial books and
ideas makes all men equal.
“You can’t build a house without nails and wood. If
you don’t want a house built, hide the nails and
wood. If you don’t want a man unhappy politically,
don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him;
give him one. Better yet, give him none” (60-1).
Part One


The Hearth and the Salamander (p. 2)
Fire has a dual image; it can be destructive and
purifying. It can destroy, but it can also warm.
A
hearth is a comforting fireplace.
Day 03 (p. 48-68)


A salamander is a creature that can survive in fire.
Possibly Montag himself is being described through
the mention of the salamander.
His job has dictated that he live in an environment
of fire and destruction, but Montag now realizes
that the salamander is able to remove itself from
fire and survive.
What Book?


“It is computed that eleven thousand persons have
at several times suffered death rather than submit
to break their eggs at the smaller end” (p. 68)
Jonathan Swift wrote these words in Book I of
Gulliver’s Travels. This is where Gulliver is on the
island of Lilliput, and the Little-Endians and BigEndians are fighting about which side of an egg
should be broken.
Day 03 (p. 48-68)


This is about a society that will go to extreme
lengths (fighting and killing one another) to enforce
conformity.
Sound familiar?
Noise at the Door



“It’s only a dog, that’s what!” (p. 72)
While Montag and Millie are reading books, there
is a noise at the door. Millie says it is only a dog.
Which leads us to guess that it’s the Mechanical
Hound and that it has been sent by Beatty to obtain
evidence against Montag.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)
Teachers



“Poor Montag, it’s mud to you” (p. 74)
Montag realizes that he needs a teacher to help
him understand better what he reads in books.
Most of us do until we learn how to read well and
can do it on our own.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)
The Sieve and the Sand


“[I]f you read fast and read all, maybe some of the
sand will stay in the sieve” (p. 78)
The title of this section refers to a childhood
memory where Montag tried to fill up a sieve (a
utensil of wire mesh or closely perforated metal,
used for straining) with sand.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)



It is, of course, impossible to fill up a sieve with sand
because the sand keeps slipping through the holes.
This same thing is happening as he’s reading this
book (the Bible); the words are all slipping through
his thoughts and not sticking.
And those loud, interrupting commercials for
Denham’s Dentifrice (toothpaste) sure aren’t helping
his memory…
The Three Missing Things


“It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that
once were in books” (p. 82)
The three things missing in this future dystopia (an
imaginary place in which the condition of life is
extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or
terror) are
 quality
of information
 leisure to digest information
 and the right to carry out actions.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)


Books “show the pores in the face of life” (83).
They expose problems and spread ideas.
In the novel, the people’s quality of information is
awful. Not only are the stories and news articles
the people receive completely watered down and
stripped of anything controversial or thought
provoking, they are laced with lies and deceit.

For example, just think about what the general
public thinks about the history of firemen. They
think that houses have always been fireproof and
that firemen have always started fires as opposed
to put them out.

Leisure is not TV time; TV is a distraction most of
the time – television “tells you what to think and
blasts it in” (84). Leisure is time to reflect upon
what you read or what new ideas or thoughts you
come to.


Lastly, books (and the ideas in them) are of no
value unless people have the right to carry out
actions based on things learned from books.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look too promising for
Montag and Faber that they’ll have much freedom
the way things are going.
Montag’s Plan



“I’ve a list of firemen’s residences everywhere” (p.
86)
Montag thinks he and Faber could frame the
firemen by planting books in their houses or fire
departments and then calling in an alarm on them.
Faber doesn’t think this would be very effective in
bringing books back into people’s lives because
most people don’t even want books anymore.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)
Faber’s Plan


“I’m the Queen Bee, safe in the hive. You will be the
drone, the traveling ear” (p. 90)
Faber has made some two-way communicating
devices so that Montag and he can be in constant
contact. This way the two of them can work
together to confront Beatty.
Day 04 (p. 71-91)


This is especially important because Faber is wise
and learned while Montag is uneducated
Faber is a coward while Montag is fearless.
Why the Book of Job?

“I’ll read so you can remember” (p. 92)

It is significant that Faber selects this book from the
Old Testament.
This book is about a man named Job, who is tested
by God. Job suffers many tragedies and, in the
end, learns to trust God completely.

Montag is about to be tested severely

Day 05 (p. 91-110)
Relationships


“You heave them into the ‘parlor’ and turn the
switch… They’d just as soon kick as kiss me ” (p. 96)
Bradbury paints a pretty depressing vision of future
relationships. These relationships are seen as
shallow and worthless.
Day 05 (p. 91-110)



Millie’s friends’ fake smiles are an indication of the
illusion of happiness that they are under.
Millie’s friends are very much like her; they are all
more interested and involved in their TV “families”
than they are in their real ones.
They don’t really care about their kids (if they have
them), and they don’t really seem to care much
about their husbands, who are gone to war.


Many of Bradbury’s works include this theme that
better technology doesn’t necessarily increase (and
may decrease) the quality of life.
Faber: “Montag, you mustn’t go back to being just a
fireman. All isn’t well with the world” (104).

In this world where people are supposed to be
happy and content, the ladies can’t think of anyone
who was killed in a war, but they can think of plenty
who committed suicide (94).
The Alliance



“He would be Montag-plus-Faber, fire plus water,
and then, one day… there would be neither fire nor
water, but wine” (p. 103)
Fire (Montag) and water (Faber) images blend, and
the product resulting from the union of theses two
separate and opposite items is a third – wine.
Wine looks like water, but it burns like fire. Montag
and Faber, fire and water – together they work
because all is far from well in the world
Day 05 (p. 91-110)
“Dover Beach”


“Where ignorant armies clash by night” (p. 100)
“Dover Beach” is a poem by Matthew Arnold, and
even though these ladies are all very shallow, it
affects them all in some way (even though they can’t
explain why).
Day 05 (p. 91-110)

Mrs. Bowles becomes upset and leaves in a fury;
Mrs. Phelps becomes sad and leaves, crying (her
husband is the one in the war); and Millie escapes
this scene by rushing to the bathroom and downing
several sleeping pills.
The Captain


“[T]he Captain belongs to the most dangerous
enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving
cattle of the majority” (p. 108)
Beatty is revealed to be extremely well-read; he
quotes, accurately, authors from a wide range of
historical periods (quoting extensively from the
Bible, John Donne, Sir Philip Sidney, Alexander
Pope, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Ben Johnson, Francis
Bacon, Robert Burton, Sir Isaac Newton, and lots of
Shakespeare) and is able to apply what he has
read.
Day 05 (p. 91-110)


He has obviously thought about what the works
mean, and, in a curious way, uses them to good
effect against Montag.
He is aware of Montag’s new-found zealousness:
“Read a few lines and off you go over the cliff.
Bang, you’re ready to blow up the world, chop off
heads, knock down women and children, destroy
authority” (106).
Irony



“[W]e’ve stopped in front of my house” (p. 110)
Before Montag can respond to Beatty, the fire
alarm sounds, and the firemen rush off to work.
Montag then realizes that his own home is the target
for the firemen.
This is a reversal of his plans; instead of
implementing a plan to undermine the firemen by
planting books in their houses, Montag, in a
grotesque reversal of expectations, becomes a
victim himself
Day 05 (p. 91-110)
It’s Personal


“Your house, your cleanup” (p. 116)
Beatty apparently didn’t really want to arrest
Montag for breaking the law
 He
claims to have sent the Hound around Montag’s
house as a warning.
Day 06 (p. 113-136)


Beatty compares Montag to Icarus, the boy from
Greek mythology whose father made wings so he
could fly.
Icarus fell to his death when he flew too close to the
sun because the wings, which were made of wax,
melted.



Beatty further reveals his active imagination and
knowledge of illegal books.
When Beatty forces Montag to set fire to his own
house, Montag almost seems to enjoy burning this
house that he and Millie shared.
She was basically a stranger to him, and he gets
revenge on the TV screens that he hates so strongly.
Values


“We never burned right…” (p. 119)
The meaning of these words is open to speculation.
Montag could be saying that the firemen should
know what it is they are burning; they should know
what the subjects of the books are and what they
contain.
Day 06 (p. 113-136)


Or, possibly, burning shouldn’t be done simply as a
mindless job that one does out of force of habit or
routine, but out of political or ideological
convictions.
Given the context, however, he says it with the
implication that Beatty was wrong to encourage
book burning when he, Beatty, knew the value of
the books.
Look Both Ways


“The beetle came in a single whistling trajectory,
fired from an invisible rifle” (p. 127)
In his journey to Faber’s, Montag confronts an
unforeseen danger: crossing a boulevard. Because
cars travel at such high speeds, crossing the street is
extremely dangerous – plus, the fact that so little
value is given to a person’s life makes it a sport to
run over pedestrians.
Day 06 (p. 113-136)


(Remember that Clarisse was killed by a hit-and-run
driver.)
This crossing is especially dangerous because
Montag has a crippled leg, deadened with
procaine.
Personal and Public Parallels


“You know the war’s on?” (p. 131)
On his way to Faber’s house, Montag discovers that
war has been declared. This hint of doom, which
has been looming on the horizon during the entire
novel, is now reaching a climax.
Day 06 (p. 113-136)

This new development again serves as a parallel to
the situation in which Montag finds himself. He is at
war against his former self and against the society
that he disagrees with.
Montag’s Problem: Beatty


“Don’t face a problem, burn it” (p. 121)
It’s poetic justice that Beatty is burned as a solution
to Montag’s problem. Soon after killing him,
Montag comes to the realization that Beatty wanted
to die – he seemed to provoke Montag into ending
his life.
Day 06 (p. 113-136)


This helps (or forces) the reader to look at Beatty in
a very different way than he was seen before.
What Montag had always imagined, that all
firemen were happy, has no basis now – neither he
nor Beatty was happy.
In a strange way, Beatty had wanted to commit
suicide, but evidently had been too cowardly to
carry it out.

This is the fourth instance of characters in this
futuristic society being unhappy to the point of
being suicidal:
 Millie
overdosing on sleeping pills
 the fireman in Seattle who purposely set a Mechanical
Hound to search for his own chemical composition and
set it loose
 and the unidentified woman who chose to go up in
flames with her books.


People in Montag’s society simply aren’t happy.
Their desire for death reflects a social depression
and sense of meaningless and purposelessness
Cleansing



“[H]e walked out in the river until there was no
bottom and he was swept away in the dark” (p.
139)
While the chase is continuing elsewhere, Montag
floats in the river toward the far shore and safety.
The imagery of water, a traditional symbol of
regeneration and renewal, suggests a
transformation in Montag.
Day 07 (p. 137-160)
Epiphany


“[H]e knew why he must never burn again in his life”
(p. 141)
His time spent in the water also helps Montag to
think and reflect. He thinks about his dual roles as a
fireman…
Day 07 (p. 137-160)


“The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time… So if he
burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time,
that meant that everything burnt… One of them had
to stop burning ” (141).
Only human beings are capable of making choices
(and therefore are moral), and his moral choice is to
stop burning.
Duality of Fire



“It was not burning. It was warming” (p. 145)
To signal the profound change that Montag has
undergone, we learn now that he sees fire as
strange.
This is not a fire that destroys, but heals, and by so
doing, it draws Montag to the company of his fellow
outcasts, book burners of a different sort.
Day 07 (p. 137-160)
Body Odor


“Drink this, too. It’ll change the chemical index of
your perspiration” (p. 147)
The leader of the outcasts is Granger, a former
author and intellectual. Curiously, Granger seems to
have expected Montag and reveals his good will by
offering Montag “a small bottle of colorless fluid”
to change his scent and protect him from the Hound
(147).
Day 07 (p. 137-160)



Not only is Montag dressed in clothes that are not
his, the chemical which Granger offers now changes
his perspiration, his chemical signature.
Montag’s thoughts and beliefs have changed along
with his physical qualities.
He has become, literally, a different man.
Cover-up


“They’re faking… They can’t admit it” (p. 148)
The government cannot allow the public to know of
their failure, so they enact a hoax: an innocent man
is chosen as a victim for the TV cameras.
Day 07 (p. 137-160)


The populace is deceived into thinking that Montag
is dead because their wall televisions actually
depict the murder of a man, even though this man is
not Montag (whom the populace, of course, has
never seen).
Don’t believe everything you see on TV…
Human Books


“We’re nothing more than dust jackets for books”
(p. 153)
Granger explains to Montag the nature of the
commune and how each member chooses a book
and memorizes it. When the entire book has been
memorized, it is then burned to prevent the
individual from being arrested by the authorities.
Day 07 (p. 137-160)


From that time on, it is transmitted verbally from one
generation to another.
Now, not only has Montag learned the value of a
book, but he has also learned that he can become
the book itself.

One of the neatest quotes from the book occurs
when Montag is examining the faces of the group
and one of them says, “Don’t judge a book by its
cover” (155).


Another great one is when Granger quotes his
grandfather as saying, “I hate a Roman named
Status Quo” (157).
Status quo is a Latin phrase meaning “the existing
state of affairs,” or “the way things are now.”
Realization



“Mildred!” (p. 159)
While the bombs are dropping, Montag’s thoughts
turn to Millie, and he imagines how the last moments
of her life must have been.
He pictures her looking at her wall TV set. In an
instant, the TV screen goes blank, and Millie is left
seeing only a mirror image of herself.
Day 07 (p. 137-160)


Montag imagines that just before her death, Millie
finally sees and knows for herself just how
superficial and empty her life has been.
Who knows if that happened or not.
 Your
thoughts?
Discussion Questions, p. 137-160




On 140, it says the river was going away from the
people who ate Shadows, Steam, and Vapor. What
does this mean?
On 141, what does the sun burn? How?
On 142, Montag imagined a farmhouse. With
whom in it? Why?
On 144, there is more than enough to fill him.
Enough what? Why?
Discussion Questions, p. 137-160




How could it be ironic that now Montag is finding his
way along the railroad track?
And then, Montag saw a fire. What was different
about this fire than all other fires he had seen?
On 149, Montag watches himself get killed. How?
On 151, Montag is talking to some men. They are
all confident that Montag can recite the book of
Ecclesiastes. Why are they so confident?
Discussion Questions, p. 137-160




On 152, it is explained why these men have to
keep their mouths shut for now. Why? What are
they waiting for? Why?
On 153, it is explained that these men cannot feel
superior to anybody. Why not?
On 156, Montag explains what is so sad about
Millie. What is? Why is that sad?
On 157, how is nature superior to man, even with
man's bombs?
Discussion Questions, p. 137-160


On 157, still, there is a line that says, “I hate a
Roman named Status Quo!” What's wrong with the
Roman named Status Quo?
On 159, how does Montag imagine Mildred's end?
History Repeats Itself


“Phoenix” (p. 163)
After thinking about the war and looking into the
fire, Granger says the word “phoenix.” The
phoenix, he says, was “a silly damn bird” which
“every few hundred years” built a pyre “and
burned himself up.”
Day 08 (p. 160-179)


Granger imagines the bird as “first cousin to Man”
because the bird was continually going through
rebirth only to destroy himself again.
There’s a famous saying that history repeats itself.
We keep making the same mistakes over and over
– to the detriment of our very lives – only to learn
for a short time and repeat the process later.
Altruism


“They’ll be needing us up that way” (p. 163)
As soon as the city is destroyed, Granger, Montag,
and the rest of the exiles feel compelled to return
to the city and lend aid to any survivors.
Day 08 (p. 160-179)



Right at the end of the book, Montag recalls the
words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which says, “To
everything there is a season… A time to break
down, a time to build up.”
This passage reminds him that there is a time for
dying or killing, and there is a time for living and
healing.
He also thinks about a prophetic passage from
Revelation 22 that talks about trees whose fruit
would heal the nations.
Part Three



Burning Bright (p. 111)
The title given to Part Three alludes to William
Blake’s poem “The Tyger.” This poem, from Blake’s
Songs of Innocence and Experience, is often
interpreted as a meditation about the origin of evil
in the world.
The first four lines of the poem are: “Tyger, Tyger,
burning bright, / In the forests of the night: / What
immortal hand or eye, / Could frame they fearful
symmetry?
Day 08 (p. 160-179)

In Blake’s poem, the tiger is often considered a
symbol for a world in which evil is at work; it
speaks also of the dual nature of all existence.


Appropriately, Part Three’s title, “Burning Bright,”
serves a dual function: it summarizes the situation at
the conclusion of the book:
Even while the city is still burning brightly from the
war’s destruction, the spirit of the commune is also
brightly burning, signifying a future of hope and
optimism.
The Moral


“There is more than one way to burn a book” (p.
176)
Fahrenheit 451 is clear in its warnings and moral
lessons aimed at the present. Bradbury believes
that our social organization can easily become
oppressive and regimented unless it changes its
present course of suppression of an individual’s
innate rights (freedom from censorship or other
forms of control, for example).
Day 08 (p. 160-179)


The degenerated future depicted in Fahrenheit 451
represents the culmination of dangerous tendencies
that are submerged in our own society.
At the very least, the book asserts that an
individual’s freedoms include his or her freedom of
imagination.
They Just Don’t Get It



“I discovered that…editors…censored some 75
different sections from [Fahrenheit 451]” (p. 177)
The ultimate irony is that this book whose main
theme is about the existence and dangers of
censorship has been censored.
Again: “There is more than one way to burn a book”
(176).
If you liked Fahrenheit 451, you might also
like the following:


Books – Brave New World by Aldus Huxley, 1984
by George Orwell, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Movies – Kurt Wimmer’s Equilibrium (2002) and
George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971)
Day 08 (p. 160-179)