Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Questions to Consider While Reading:

•How does the novel reflect themes related to technology, nature,

censorship, propaganda, escapism and conformity?

•Does Bradbury’s prediction for the future reflect our present day

American culture and if so, how?

•How does one write about themes in literature?

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a type of

DYSTOPIC/DYSTOPIAN novel. That means it is

about a future that is bleak, dark and dreary.

Science Fiction (genre):

fiction based on imagined future, scientific

or technological advances, and major

social or environmental changes

Ray Bradbury saw the changes that were happening in the

world and created fiction based on what he foreshadowed life might be like in the future. Pick among the problems

below OR choose another, and hypothesize what life might

be like 50 years from now if the problem were to become an

epidemic (widespread).

unemployment terrorism/warfare global warming

violence poverty drug use rise in gas prices

QUICKWRITE-Start now as I pass out books:

Terms/devices to

understand & look for

EPIPHANY: a sudden realization

PARADOX: something that contradicts itself but is true

SYMBOLISM: an object that represents something else

Title of Part 1: “THE HEARTH AND THE SALAMANDER”

Title of Part 2: “THE SIEVE AND THE SAND”

SIMILE AND METAPHOR: comparisons of two unlike things

Similes use “like” or “as;” metaphors do not.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

GUY MONTAG: protagonist, middle

aged, “fireman”

MILDRED (MILLIE): Montag's wife

CLARISSE: 17 years old, lives next door to

Montag

CAPTAIN BEATTY: Captain of the fire

company, one of the “leaders” in their

society.

Context

Published in 1953

Post-World War II era

Nazi book burnings of the 1930s were

widely published after WWII – became

a major symbol of the repression in Nazi Germany

Context of the novel:

Written in 1953:

Television becomes popular!!!

1950: 9% of households had a TV

1955: 64% had TV

1960: 87% had TV

2014: (what do you think?)

World War II: 1939-1945

Helicopter invented 1939

Bombing of Hiroshima: August 6, 1945

Context

Television became dominant medium for mass communication

Television vs. books – debate over bringing television into schools because reading level of students was dropping

The importance of books and the freedom to read them was a central concern of liberal-minded people during the 1950s.

Context

Mob mentality vs. individual rationalization

Silence of those who were intimidated and the indifference of those who didn’t can lead to further manipulation in any time period!

“Written five years after the end of the Second World War at the advent of the Korean War, Bradbury’s book evokes an intense atmosphere of entrapment, an oppressive presence of an unavoidable doomsday, and the unmistakable apprehension of individuals living in fear of an authoritarian government.”

Context

Fear of robots and other technology was prevalent in the 1950s (“mad scientist” movies compounded such fear by portraying machines that turned on their creator).

Mentality of hard work and following orders to get ahead was prevalent at this time.

Atmosphere of fear and repression left over from WWII, development (and use) of atomic bomb, communist scare, the Cold War, and McCarthy made it possible for government or any other powerful group to manipulate public opinion.

Context (McCarthyism)

McCarthy trials

Senator Joseph McCarthy

McCarthy made a public accusation that more

than two hundred “card-carrying” communists

had infiltrated the United States government.

Incited a huge “communist scare,” which helped

lead to the Korean War and the Cold War.

McCarthy accused many Army officials of

espionage and communist ties.

He also focused on writers and filmmakers,

creating a great debate on artistic freedom.

Context (McCarthyism)

Thousands of people lost their jobs as, all across America, state legislatures and school boards mimicked McCarthy and his House on Un-American Activities Committee.

Books were even pulled from library shelves, including Robin Hood, which was deemed communist-like for suggesting stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

Above all, several messages became crystal clear to the average American: Don’t criticize the United States. Don’t be different. Just conform.

By 1953, his accusations were at their height. His hearings were held in 1954 and were the first to be publicly broadcast (ruined his reputation and career).

Censorship:

“the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful or sensitive, as determined by a censor”

We just discussed the prevalence of censorship during the time that Bradbury wrote this book. Movies, books, television shows, people’s opinions, works of art, and other expressions of speech were all censored by the government and other groups. What are some things that get censored in today’s society?

Ironically, Bradbury’s publishers, unknown to him, “cleaned up” or deleted some of the language that Bradbury used in Fahrenheit 451 in order to make the book saleable to the high school market.

Biggest THEME:

THE DUMBING OF SOCIETY AS A RESULT OF TECHNOLOGY:

dependence on technology rather than self-resourcefulness

the shortening of attention spans

the constant temptation to let others do our thinking for us

“Who reads?...Ugh!”

Additional THEMES

Government control through technology:

Look for any place in the novel where

the government is using technology to

physically or mentally manipulate

peoples’ thoughts and behaviors

THEMES

Propaganda: information which is false or

which emphasizes just one part of a situation;

used by a government or political group to

make people agree with them

THEMES

Censorship: the examining of books,

films, mail, etc. to remove anything

that is considered offensive, morally

harmful, or politically dangerous, etc.

from Time/Life Magazine

THEMES

Conformity: behavior that obeys the accepted rules of a society or group, and is the same as that of most people

THEMES

Escapism: activities or entertainment that helps one forget about bad or boring things for a short time

THEMES

Importance of/disregard for nature:

What does nature provide us with physically,

mentally, spiritually?

Look for any place in the novel where a character

has a realization about nature.

Look for anything in the novel that discusses people

becoming detached or apathetic(not caring) about

nature.

Discussion Questions

Look at the importance of

entertainment in your own lives

or in the lives of your friends

(what sorts of entertainment do

you enjoy: Internet, movies,

music, TV etc…) How much

of your time do you spend

consuming entertainment?

Discussion Questions

How is entertainment

marketed or sold to us

and how does it affect

our daily lives?

Discussion Questions

Is entertainment

addictive? Why or

why not?

Discussion Questions

The novel expresses that

mindless entertainment

can weaken or destroy the

mind. Is there evidence of

this?

Discussion Questions

How do stress, pressure and

speed in life affect us.

(Look, for example at

“road rage ”and other

such phenomena.)