...Ray Bradbury illustrates a dynamic character, Guy Montag, with his change in mood, viewpoint, and actions throughout the book. In the first part of Fahrenheit 451 he was blind to what his world was becoming and didn’t realize how static he was. The turning point or his change in mood was when Clarisse asked Guy, “ are you happy” (Bradybury, 7). This made Guy think about his job, wife, and the kind of civilization he was living in. In the end Guy recognized he wasn’t pleased and hadn’t even thought about whether he was miserable, angry, or content in so long he wasn’t sure what happiness was by that point. In addition, Guy’s viewpoint on the books and professions began to modify in part two. After Guy viewed a woman die because of the fire...
Words: 1386 - Pages: 6
...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 Montag....
Words: 1147 - Pages: 5
...Howard R. Stephens Jr. Dr. Cruz ENG 2115 11/25/14 Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 is a brilliant fictional book written by Ray Bradbury in 1954. It is about future American people that do not know or pay attention to education, but rely entirely on technology. In relation to our past generation, people would have never felt this society would relate to our world. As our generation goes on you can start to relate Fahrenheit 451 to today’s society. There are certain things that are out of reach for our society, and then there are certain things that hit our society right on the head. Our society today is more concentrated on technology as in Fahrenheit 451. By Fahrenheit 451 being a fictional book it is almost unreal that it relates so well to our society today. The main character Montag is a fireman whose job is to go around town and torch books. Books in this futuristic society are banned. Society in this book forces people to drive recklessly, watch more than enough television on wall-size sets, and listen to the radio with ear attachments to their ears. At the beginning Montag has no doubt that society is right. As the story goes along he meets a young girl named Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse McClellan helps him realize the hollowness of his job and life with her constant and intriguing questions, love of nature and people, and her gentleness. Montag goes through a tough time a few days later. Montag’s wife, Mildred, tries to commit suicide by consuming a canteen of sleeping...
Words: 1810 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 1177 - Pages: 5
...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:...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...Allusions in Fahrenheit 451 In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character Guy Montag undergoes huge changes throughout the book. In the beginning of the book he is a regular firemen who burns down book owners houses without really a thought in the world. Once he meets a girl named Clarisse he begins to think for himself and realizes that the society that he lives in is not as good as it seems to be. Throughout the book Bradbury references various people in history to allude to Guys change. These allusions help you get a better picture of Guy as a person and his changes throughout the book. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses historical allusions to justify Guy Montag’s transformation from a collectivist to an individualist. Ray Bradbury...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
...Carrie Snow, a comedian and comic writer once said, "technology...is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other." This quote describes how great, and not so great the improvements of technology are. It is amazing how much we can do with technology now a days, but sometimes we can get too wrapped up in it all. Technology has the largest impact on Montag's wife, Millie. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the technology in this dystopian world has grown so much, the characters, especially Millie, are being controlled by it and are not paying attention to nothing else. One way that Bradbury shows the reader the advancement of technology is through the television. The TVs in Fahrenheit 451 are not like the ones...
Words: 813 - Pages: 4
...“If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn,” 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....
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...“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...
Words: 2422 - Pages: 10
... Altakawy 1 Ms. Kurtz ENG2D1a 2 October 2013 War Against Society In this modern society we as people interact and 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...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...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....
Words: 676 - Pages: 3
...Throughout Fahrenheit 451, various motifs are illustrated. However, one motif stands out consistently: reflection. Montag is consistently reflecting the past to help him on his endeavor. As a result, the life lesson or theme that the reader gains is: Addressing the past is important to analyze the present. For instance, when Montag was playing cards with the other firemen he asked Captain Beatty, “Didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going?” (Bradbury 31) Montag’s questioning of the firemen’s past duties was met with hostility and a brief lecture on what was stated in the fireman's rule book. At this moment Montag was beginning to realize that he didn’t want to continue serving the firemen’s cause. Montag’s new found realization was met with opposition by Captain Beatty who tried to convince Montag that the firemen were in the right. Captain Beatty discussed the firemen’s purpose by stating, “They were given the new...
Words: 435 - Pages: 2
...huge factor that plays into creating an identity. For example, society affects identity by establishing the rules in which one lives in. The book Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Guy Montag, is living in a society where no one reads books and always entertained by the “parlor walls” or their living room entertainment systems. He is a fireman, but instead of putting out fires, he makes fires and uses them to burn books, hence the title Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which paper burns. His identity is very corrupt as he has nothing to do except burn books. In the text, Montag is always on a mission, going to houses and burning...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...The Failure of Fahrenheit 451 By Jeremy Smith 13 October 2003 I. In 1953, Ray Bradbury published a novel in which the burning of books presages the burning of the world. In the half century since, Fahrenheit 451 has emerged as a staple of high school and college syllabi and continues to chart best-seller lists. Both Simon & Schuster and Del Rey are releasing fiftieth anniversary editions this year. This past summer it was the number one best-selling science fiction/fantasy paperback in Barnes & Noble stores. While it is most often used as a way of talking about media and censorship, Fahrenheit 451 also represents a literary mode that seeks to prevent a certain future by describing it. This mode is often -- but not always -- dystopian. It is distinguished most by a moralistic and apocalyptic state of mind. Let's call it Cassandraism, after the daughter of Troy whose prophecies were not believed. Launched with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Cassandraism remains the most socially acceptable branch on the family tree of science fiction, embracing such respectably literary figures as Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Margaret Atwood, who with her 1986 novel The Handmaid's Tale became its foremost contemporary practitioner. In Atwood's new novel Oryx and Crake, digital convergence and genetic engineering are combined and carried to their logical conclusion, a media-filtered apocalypse that the characters (and, one senses, the author) simultaneously...
Words: 2630 - Pages: 11
