...Ray Bradbury is a master of characterization techniques. He uses his expertise, such as 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...
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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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...In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, it is about Guy Montag the main character that takes pleasure in his profession as a fireman, by burning illegally owned books and the houses of the owners. Fahrenheit 451 was taken place in the future more focused on the year 2053, and said to be in a big city for example chicago or new york where there's a lot of crime. Some information about Guy Montag is that he is that he is a fireman, and is the third generation fireman in his family. He has “black hair”,black eyebrows, and a blue shaved but unshaved look.He also take pride as a hard worker and is looked up to as a role model. Besides he loves to dress in his firefighter uniform. Montag also thinks of his job as a sport and has heaps of fun while doing his job as a firefighter. Lastly he also has a marriage that is very flunky because it kinda arrays how each of the couple doesn't show their love....
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...In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, fire plays a huge symbolic role in the story and on the lives of the characters within. Fire takes on multiple different symbolic meanings as the story progresses. In the beginning, fire is looked at as destructive, with Montag and the Firemen enjoying using its destructive properties. It is not until the story is nearing its end that Montag realizes that fire has the potential to be protective, and provide warmth, not just destruction. Montag is also told by Granger that fire is like a phoenix, being representative of both destruction and renewal. Fire's symbolism changes drastically throughout the story depending on the situation and the perspective of the people involved. Initially in the story, fire is portrayed as destructive and violent, only being used to cleanse and destroy. The main protagonist, Guy Montag, even begins the book by saying, "It was a pleasure to burn." (Bradbury 1). Montag's entire career revolved around the use of fire's destructive properties, and he enjoyed doing it. While Montag was still a Fireman, he understood that fire's...
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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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...Ray Bradbury Research Paper The short novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 is a story that revolves around the near future where books and literature and banned and burned. Many aspects of this book where heavily influenced by events that happened in Ray’s life when he was a child and throughout his adulthood. The location of Fahrenheit 451 takes place in an urban American city, no specific name or location given, surrounded by suburban houses in the outskirts of the city. Ray had been living in southern California near Santa Ana around the time had begun writing Fahrenheit 451. It was around 1940 “…Ray wrote what he would later call ‘five ladyfinger firecracker’ which led to the ‘explosion’ of Fahrenheit 451.” (Weller 199) The story takes place in the 20th century with no specific year given where two nuclear wars had taken place since 1990. Ray was inspired by the events taking place at the time such as the rise of Nazi Germany, McCarthyism and the “witch hunt set out by the House Un-American Activities Committee in Hollywood in 1947…” (Weller 199) In addition to the setting, a few, but not all of the characters from Fahrenheit were influenced by certain events from Ray’s life. On a windy autumn night in Los Angeles, Ray had been out on a walk with a friend of his, when “A police car wheeled up beside them. The officer stepped out and approached the two men. He asked what they were doing” (Weller 199) in which Ray responded, “Putting one foot in front...
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...One of the worlds greatest literary figures, William Shakespeare, voiced the truth about desired knowledge by saying that “ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven”. One must presume that Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451, learned from this. Ray Bradbury’s distopian novel shares a similar representations towards knowledge. In the novel the protagonist, Guy Montag, becomes aware of the fact that he is living in a world were knowledge and individuality is lost. People tolerate and abide by the rules and limitations specified by the government. There is nothing except for books in this society to cause people to wonder about how valuable and important knowledge and identity are. Guy Montag is a fireman whose job is to search for books and burn them. Most of the people in Fahrenheit 451 are convinced that books are a waste of time and are useless. Montag also believes this up until a change of...
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...Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) The story under discussion is written by Ray Bradbury. The title of the story is Fahrenheit 451. The title is in the strong position there. It refers to the temperature that Bradbury understood to be the auto ignition of paper. The main idea of the novel is to show a future American totalitarian society where books are outlawed. Human relationships are portrayed as dying ones. Author shows people who have lost communication with each other, with nature, with the intellectual heritage of mankind. People rush to or from work, never talk about what they think or feel, but rant about pointless things and admire only material values and "firemen" who burn any book that are found with their owners. They surround themselves with interactive television which is projected directly on the walls and fill their free time watching television, watching endless and useless TV-series. The state is on the verge of a total destructive war, which is happened in the end of the book. Now we get to know the main characters of the story. The plot of the novel is built around life and destiny of Guy Montag. Guy Montag is a "fireman" hired to burn the things of those who read outlawed books. The author doesn’t give us a good portrait of the character: he makes him act, speak, think – and lets the reader judge for himself. Throughout the entire narration there are a lot of dialogues which serve the purpose of characterization. The reader understands that Guy is he...
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...A Study of the Allusions in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 Author(s): Peter Sisario[->0] [(essay date February 1970) In the following essay, Sisario examines the source and significance of literary allusions in Fahrenheit 451 and considers their didactic potential for the beginning student of literature.] Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is more than just a readable and teachable short novel that generates much classroom discussion about the dangers of a mass culture, as Charles Hamblen points out in his article "Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in the Classroom." It is an excellent source for showing students the value of studying an author's use of specific allusions in a work of fiction. While writing excellent social criticism, Bradbury uses several direct quotations from works of literature, including the Bible; a careful analysis of the patterning of these allusions shows their function of adding subtle depth to the ideas of the novel. Fahrenheit 451 is set five centuries from now in an anti-intellectual world where firemen serve the reverse role of setting fires, in this case to books that people have been illegally hoarding and reading. Literature is banned because it might potentially incite people to think or to question the status quo of happiness and freedom from worry through the elimination of controversy. "Intellectual" entertainment is provided by tapioca-bland television that broadcasts sentimental mush on all four walls. The novel, first written in a shorter version...
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...New Historicism: Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury is a well-known author of stories, screenplays, and multiple novels that have left a lasting influence on American fiction. He left legions of devoted readers and a vast oeuvre that, at its best, combined Hobbesian fears with emotionally resonant hopes for his country and for the human race(Weiner 79). Bradbury’s work contained themes stemming from events and circumstances of the 1950’s. Such as the history of past wars, the times of an irrepressible movement of technological developments, and the censoring of offensive material. Ray Bradbury’s classic novel, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, is a cultural time marker, helping us to locate the past, evaluate the present, and imagine the future (Smolla...
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...RAY DOUGLAS BRADBURY He was an American novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and poet. Although the genre of many of Ray Bradbury’s stories is fiction, he rejected being categorized as a science fiction author, claiming that the only story he has ever written that is a science fiction story is Fahrenheit 451. BIOGRAPHY Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. He enjoyed a relatively idyllic childhood in Waukegan, which he later incorporated into several semi-autobiographical novels and short stories. Bradbury's life revolved around magic, magicians, circuses, and other such fantasies. He decided to become a writer at about age 12 or 13. He later said that he made this decision to "live forever" through his fiction. His first official pay as a writer came for contributing a joke to George Burns's Burns & Allen Show. In 1937, he became a member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction League, whose help enabled him to publish four issues of his own science-fiction fan magazine, or "fanzine," Futuria Fantasia. He graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938. His formal education ended there because they had no money to send him to college due to the Depression. However, he became a "student of life," selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942. He published his first short story in a fan magazine in 1938. Bradbury says that he learned to write by recalling his own experiences. Many...
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...Fahrenheit 451 Quotes Identity Quotes: 1) "You're one of the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a fireman, it just doesn't seem right for you, somehow." Montag’s identity crisis begins during his conversations with Clarisse. We immediately sense conflict between his desire to be a dutiful member of society and his inner belief that something is wrong. 2)"I mean," he said, "in the old days, before homes were completely fireproofed–" Suddenly it seemed a much younger voice was speaking for him. He opened his mouth and it was Clarisse McClellan saying, "Didn't firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going?" Montag escapes the guilt of betraying his duty by ascribing his actions to other things: in this case, to another person 3) The numbness will go away, he thought. It'll take time, but I'll do it, or Faber will do it for me. Someone somewhere will give me back the old face and the old hands the way they were. Even the smile, he thought, the old burnt-in smile, that's gone. I'm lost without it. Montag isn’t just talking about the numbness in his legs; he’s afraid of his new rebellious, fugitive self. 4) "All of those chemical balances and percentages on all of us here in the house are recorded in the master file downstairs. It would be easy for someone to set up a partial combination on the Hound's ‘memory,’ a touch of amino acids, perhaps. That would account for what the animal did just now. Reacted...
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...like everything's okay. Similarly in the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character Guy Montag is a firefighter in his civilization, his job is to start fires instead of putting out fires, but later on he realizes how wrong it was. This nation has been manipulated by the government for the past decades, they show and teach the community what they want them to believe. Although Montag...
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...firemen start fires rather than put them out. Houses have built-in alarms that ring when someone has a book in his possession, alerting the firemen to go there and begin the burning. There are so many suicide attempts that traveling orderlies are always on hand to pump stomachs or stitch self-inflicted wounds. In the craziness of this futuristic world, it is comforting to find that beds still have to be made and breakfast still has to be eaten. In short, Bradbury has created a world alien enough to be exotic and threatening, but familiar enough to seem real. LIST OF CHARACTERS Major Characters Guy Montag A fireman in the 24th century who burns books and the homes of the people that own them. He begins to question his life when he meets an extraordinary and fresh young girl. His new sense of purpose propels him headlong into life-threatening danger. Mildred "Millie" Montag Montag's wife....
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...Fahrenheit 451 revolves in the bizarre era where everyone and everything is controlled by the government. From the beginning, since Montag and Clarisse met, he thought that Clarisse was different from the rest of the people even himself. He mentioned that Clarisse had a very thin face like the dial of the small clock which tells the time, the hour, minute, and second. Clarisse knows the time, she knows the truth, the facts, and she is like a mirror that reflects deep thoughts of the people. She made Montag curious about what happiness really is, true love, pure emotions, and knowledge, in which is not embraced in their society, making him the outsider. In this society, ignorance is a bliss;reigning across their culture, and what is thought to be the answer for happiness. There are many reasons why ignorance revolves in the society where this story took place. The fireman's job is to burn books, which contains the facts and the information, therefore burning knowledge. Books are no longer able to be read, not only because they might offend...
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