...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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...“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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...several dilemmas in the futuristic society of Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451. Relationship seems to be missing their true essence, and actions seem worthless and done carelessly. In other words, everything is meaningless. Because of his conflict with society, Guy Montag undergoes a number of trials that ultimately make him understand the value of knowledge, nature and human interactions. At 17, Clarisse McClellan is aloof, and without any close friends. Although she may be viewed as an outcast by her peers and overall community, Clarisse holds strongly to her own unique ideology, which Montag finds intriguing. Her radical questions, such as “ Have you ever tasted rain?”, (Bradbury p.21) and “Are you happy?” (Bradbury p.7) , open Montag’s eyes to his own feelings about life. He then begins to ask questions about his society, and reflect on his own life. Another challenge which causes Montag’s internal conflict to rise, is seeing a woman burn in a fire, by choice. During a firefighter assignment, Montag and the rest of his crew come to a house with an attic filled with books, and one very strong, determined lady. After setting the attic into flames, the crew informs the lady to leave. However the lady refuses to listen, not making any signs of departure. Betty, montag's boss, then begins to count down while Montag stands near,...
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...Technology played a major role in how the citizens within Montag’s society in Fahrenheit 451 interacted with each other and how they responded to certain situations. The same can be said for today’s society. Mildred and her friends’ relationships with their husbands and children, or lack, thereof, are key examples of the effect of technology on their correlations with others. Seashells and the “parlor walls” are also used to help the user forget about everything else around them, which is not too far from today’s reality. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury makes comments on how technology affects relationships with others, which in turn affects how well the society functions. Mildred’s use of her Seashells― little earplugs that play a continuous...
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...Colour Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 This world can sometimes be seen as impure, but occasionally, someone can make it pure again. The novel Fahrenheit 451 shows this throughout its many pages. In the dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, colour symbolism can be used to show purity and impurity. Montag and the firemen, Faber, and Clarisse are three characters used in the symbolism. Bradbury’s characters, Montag and the firemen, are represented by the colour black. The novel reads that Montag “hung up his black beetle-coloured helmet and shined it…” (Bradbury 2). The colour black in this novel represents impurity, power, and evil. The firemen in this novel do not stop fires. Instead, they start them to burn books. The dark colour can be seen a few pages later when Montag is talking to Clarisse for the first time and he says, “’Well, doesn’t this mean anything to you?’ He tapped the numerals 451 stitched on his char- coloured sleeve.” (Bradbury 6). Montag is curious as to why the girl is not afraid...
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...Дневник читателя READER’S JOURNAL Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea (1952). Joseph Heller. Catch-22 (1961). Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (1959). Iris Murdoch. The Black Prince (1973). Jerome David Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Michael Ondaatje. The English Patient (1992). Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 (1953). Ken Kesey. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962). Edward Albee. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962). Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman (1949). ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea (1952). ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- FULL TITLE · The Old Man and the Sea ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR · Ernest Hemingway ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- TYPE OF WORK · Novella ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- GENRE · Parable; tragedy ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- LANGUAGE · English ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN · 1951, Cuba ------------------------------------------------- ...
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