While reading Fahrenheit 451 we will be identifying different important aspects of the book. We will develop a claim, evidence and reasoning relating to that concept in our groups. Below I have included my group's examples for each day, and I have reworded the examples from the other groups that I think are helpful.
Day One:
Day One:
Characters: **Our group orchestrated this section - one of our examples is shown below
- Claim: Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a futuristic society where the right to freely think is prohibited.
- Evidence: "Bet I know something else you don't. There's dew on the grass in the morning" (Bradbury 6).
- Reasoning: Montag lacks the perceptive and observant thinking that we find prevelent today, perhaps because it is not encouraged in this futuristic society. Furthermore, others are not seeming to regularly share their findings, and thus their thoughts, as is common presently. Clarisse is a rare exception to this, but she speaks in such a way that it is apparent that not many people know her secret.
Figurative Language:
- Claim: Ray Bradbury uses figurative language in Fahrenheit 451 to give characters and other elements animalistic traits.
- Evidence:
- "...pigeon-winged books died..." (Bradbury 1).
- "He hung up his black-beetle-coloured helmet..." (Bradbury 1).
- Reasoning:
- The books compared to pigeons go along with the continual analogy of the hose being a python and that snake annihilating the pigeons. Pigeons are most likely used in the comparison because they could be considered unnecessary, or an animal that does not bring about any profit, because this is what books were viewed as in this time.
- The helmet may have had the reference to a beetle because beetles contains a protective shell, which is the same purpose of the helmet.
Day Two:
Motifs: **Our group orchestrated this section - some examples shown below
Role of Technology in Society:
Role of Technology in Society:
- Claim: Technology exists to perform operations that humans can already perform, making lives so easy that important ideas are lost.
- Evidence: "Toast popped out of the silver toaster, was seized by a spidery metal hand that drenched it with melted butter" (Bradbury 12).
- Reasoning: Simple tasks that can be easily performed by humans, are replaced by technology. This causes people to lose their sense of responsibility and ability to do many things. They now have instant gratification, and everything is more easy than necessary.
Themes:
- Claim: A key theme is how one must question reality, and explore deep topics, which is shown once Montag meets Clarisse.
- Evidence: One of Clarisse's question sparks doubt in Montag's head, making him consider, "Of course I'm happy. What does she think? I'm not? he asked the quiet rooms" (Bradbury 6).
- Reasoning: Clarisse forces Montag to question what was instilled as a reality in his mind, by asking questions of her own. Without these stimulating questions, Montag might never change his views on deep topics, however her interactions allow him to look further into what he believes.
- Evidence: Montag defensively answers one of Clarisse's questions, " 'I am very much in love!' He tried to conjure up a face to fit the words, but there was no face. 'I am !' " (Bradbury 16).
- Reasoning: Montag has always believed whatever seemed reasonable to be true, and never before looked deep down for the truth. With Clarisse's help, he begins to form doubts that he actually investigates, allowing him to grow in his understanding of himself.
Day Three:
Conformities and Nonconformities:
** Our group did this section
Characters:
- Claim: Montag's character begins to develop after meeting Clarisse, as he begins to think and process the world around him.
- Evidence: Montag says to Mildred late into the book, " 'Mildred, how would it be if, well, maybe, I quit my job awhile?' " (Bradbury 38).
- Reasoning: The Montag who once adored his job has now had a major shift, which occurred because of his new ways of thought.
- Claim: Mildred is a static, unchanging character throughout the novel, who refrains from thinking.
- Evidence: When asked when she met Montag, Mildred says, " 'Don't get excited, I'm trying to think.' She laughed an odd little laugh that went up and up" (Bradbury 31).
- Reasoning: Mildred feels uncomfortable thinking, which is exactly what the Government wants. She is brainwashed into their ways, and is incapable of changing. These things instilled so firmly within her makes it unlikely for her to ever completely change and to begin to think.
Futuristic/Dystopian Genre:
- Claim: Fahrenheit 451 is set in a futuristic society where technology performs all operations.
- Evidence: During Mildred's operation Montag notices that: "This machine pumped all of the blood from the body and replaced it with fresh blood and serum" (Bradbury 10).
- Reasoning: Technology made in this futuristic society is much more advanced than in current society, and machines are able to do significantly more. Humans are no longer at the heart of operations, but rather machines have taken their place.
Day Four:
Language Tension, Mystery, Suspense, and Surprise:
Motifs:
- Claim: Ray Bradbury consistently compares various things to nature, to illustrate the truthfulness behind it.
- Evidence: In describing the relationship between Montag and Mildred, Bradbury writes, "He lay far across the room from her, on a winter island separated by an empty sea” (Bradbury 41).
- Reasoning: Bradbury describes their distance as an empty sea, which has such an honest connotation to it. This emphasizes the amount of space between Montag and Mildred and can be interpreted both physically and emotionally.
Setting:
- Claim: Fahrenheit 451 is set in a society with war on the way.
- Evidence: Montag and Faber notice, "A bomber flight had been moving east all the time they talked, and only now did the two men stop and listen, feeling the great jet sound tremble inside themselves" (Bradbury 64).
- Reasoning: Several times throughout the novel the bomber planes are referenced, foreshadowing that a war is to come. The war appears to be centered in the air, considering it mostly involves bomber planes, however Faber did mention that millions of men were engaged in the battle. Clearly all these short remarks are an indicator of a significant war on the horizon.
Day Five:
Role of Technology in Society:
**Our group's examples
Themes:
- Claim: Citizens in this society are afraid of both change and diversity.
- Evidence: "The most important single thing we had to pound into ourselves was that we were not important, we mustn't be pedants; we were not to feel superior to anyone else in the world" (Bradbury 112).
- Reasoning: The government is fixed on having everyone equal, with no uniqueness and individualism. They instill this idea into everyone's heads, and it holds firm in their pliable minds. Each person grows afraid of diversity, because they are taught to react this way.
Day Six:
Futuristic/Dystopian Society:
**Our group's examples
Figurative Language:
- Claim: Ray Bradbury utilizes figurative language in order to increase the depth of various descriptions.
- Evidence: One such description states, “The books leapt and danced like roasted birds, their wings ablaze with red and yellow feathers” (Bradbury 117.)
- Reasoning: In this phrase Bradbury selectively chooses birds to represent the books that are being burned, because birds are quite often cooked themselves. Furthermore, birds are full of life, just as he describes books to be. Their wings have a distinct loveliness to them, which symbolizes the beautiful pages of the dying books.
Day Seven:
Setting:
**Our group's examples
Bradbury uses Language tension, suspense, mystery surprise:
- Claim: Ray Bradbury uses suspense to increase the anticipation and intensity when Montag is escaping from the crime scene.
- Evidence: Montag thinks anxiously to himself, “Montag sat up. Let’s get out of here. Come on, get up, you can’t just sit! But he was still crying and that had to be finished.” (Bradbury 123).
- Reasoning: The panic in this internal thought is evident, and that panic and anticipation is mirrored onto the reader. The short and emphatic phrases create a feeling of anxiety and worry for Montag in the stressful scenario.
Day Eight:
Figurative Language:
**Our group's examples
Conformity or. Nonconformity:
- Claim: The transients that Montag meets after escaping are complete nonconformists from the society they left.
- Evidence: Montag notes, “The voices talked of everything, there was nothing they could not talk about, he knew from the very cadence and motion and continual stir of curiosity and wonder in them (Bradbury 106).”
- Reasoning: The core concept of the abandoned society was to never think, nor talk, nor wonder. Here Montag encounters people who refuse to live in such a way, and therefore label themselves nonconformists.
Characters:
- Claim: Towards the end of the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Montag becomes increasingly capable of consideration and identifying his emotions.
- Evidence: Montag admits his true feelings about Mildred to Granger, saying, “I realized a moment ago, I don’t think I’ll feel sad. It isn’t right. Something must be wrong with me”(Bradbury, 155).
- Reasoning: After battling with his feelings towards Mildred for much of their marriage, Montag finally lets out that he does not totally care for her. He had always tried to convince himself that he loved her, but his growth allowed him to separate forced emotions versus true ones.
Day Nine:
Figurative Language:
**Our group's examples
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