Fahrenheit 451 Test

Setting

Dystopia, future, 2020s, USA, suburb

Plot

Book-burning firemen is transformed by an eccentric girl who shows him the importance of communication, books, love and life.

Conflict

Human Vs. Human

Human Vs. Self

Human Vs. Society

Montag at the Beginning

Physically: Pyromaniac, fiery smile, fierce grin

Emotionally: Passive, conformist, thoughtless

Evidenced by Fire: Destructive fire, burns books, censors

Individuality

Clarisse- “are you happy?”

Individuality

Montag-”opened his mouth”

Individuality

Clarisse-”do you ever read books"?”

Individuality

Clarisse-”you’re not in love”

Conformity

Mildred-” I wouldn’t do that”

Conformity

Montag- “that’s against the law”

Conformity

Mildred - “expert at lip reading”

Conformity

Firemen - “all mirror images”

Catalyst

someone who sparks change

Catalyst-Clarisse

Selfless- Questions, immersed in nature, no tv, talking, sharing, giving, thinking

Catalyst-Mildred

Selfish-Seashells, drugs, Tv, sending money, lip reader, no empathy, superficial, unhappy

Catalyst-The old woman in the fire (martyr)

Dies for her books, recites quote from historic martyrs, passes torch of rebellion to Montag

Catalyst-Beatty

Suspicious, spews falls info about books, conformist, part of totalitarian control

Catalyst-The hound

Censors, enforcer, programmed to hunt/kill violators who “don’t comply with conformity”

Catalyst-Faber

Thinker, reader, teacher, wisdom, promotes individuality, creativity

Escapism- Mildred

Drugs, seashells, parlor walls, lip-reading, fast driving

Escapism-Teenagers

Fun parks, chicken, dancing, violence, vandalism, killing

Escapism-Dystopian Society

Tv, passivity, no questions, drugs

Contrast- Mildred vs Clarisse

Mildred- Selfish, lip-reader, TV watcher, sadness,conformist, lazy, childless

Clarisee-Selfless, giver, talker, thinker, joy, individual, mature, kind

Contrast-Beatty vs Montag

Beatty-Conformist, rule by fear, thoughtless, superficial

Montag-Rebel, martyr, thoughtful, deep

Contrast-Beatty vs Faber

Beatty- Passive, passive, conformist, doesn’t value books, manipulative, evil

Faber- Inventive, afraid, values books, helpful teacher

The Martyr And Master Ridley Allusion-Identity

Martyr quotes Latimer and Ridley 2 heretics who died for their beliefs

The Martyr And Master Ridley Allusion- Meaning

She wants to learn from past mistakes and pass the torch of rebellion

Captain Beatty’s Speech

Increase in population

Condensing of information or books

People wanted no conflict, to be happy

Quotes from Part 1:

“They had this machine. They had two machine really. One of them slid down into your stomach like a black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there.

Context: Emts pump Mildred’s stomach after overdoes

Literary Device: Repetition, simile, imagery

Significance: Drug overdoes so common because tech is advanced but doesn’t address mental health

Theme: Technology

Quotes from part 1:

“Its really fun. It’ll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed?How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a wall-TV put in. It’s only two thousand dollars.”

Context: Mildred wants a fourth wall installed

Theme: Conformity, Distraction

Literary Devices: Understatement, repetition

Significance: Mildred’s greediness reflects her addiction to technology and immaturity

Quotes from part 1:

“It doesn’t think anything we don’t want it to think”.

Context: Beatty describes the hound

Theme:Censorship

Literary Devices: Repetition

Significance: Government control

Quotes from part 1:

“I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it’s not bad at all. You heave them into the ‘parlor’ and then turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes: stuff laundry in and slam the lid….They’d just soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back!”

Context: Mrs. Bowles describes parenting

Theme: Conformity v. Individuality, Distraction v. Happiness

Literary Devices: Simile

Significance: Escapism, and selfishness

Faber’s Speech: Humanity Needs

1. Quality Information

2. Leisure time to think

3. The right to act on steps one and two

Faber as a Teacher

Montag is fire (Rebellion)

Faber is water (Clarity)

Together they become wine (Wisdom)

Quotes Part 1:

“You’re not like the others. I’ve seen a few; I know. When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon last night. The others never do that.”

Context: Clarisse notices Montag’s individuality

Theme: Action vs. Inaction

Literary Devices: Repetition

Significance: Clarisse notices the real Montag

Montag in the Middle

Physically: ill, cannot work, angry, frustrated, questioning

Emotionally: Honest, rejects conformity

As evidenced by fire: Trans-formative, burns possessions, burns Beatty

Dystopian Evidence: Censorship

Firemen, burns books, fire, hound

Dystopian Evidence: Government Control

Fire at night, hound, TV

Dystopian Evidence: Society

Passive, conformist, TV, seashells, less talking

Quotes from part 2:

“"My ‘family’ is people”

Context: Montag explains why books are important to Mildred

Theme: Distraction Vs. Happiness, Conformity Vs. Individuality

Literary Device: Irony

Significance: Mildreds believes Tv characters are more valuable then real family

Quotes from part 2:

“ We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy> Something’s missing. I looked around. he only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years. SO I thought books might help.”

Context: Montag to Faber

Theme: Action vs. Inaction, Censorship, Conformity vs. Individuality

Literary Devices: Repetition

Significance: Montag’s epiphany demonstrates his transformation

Bradbury’s Predictions: Parlor walls

Flat Screen TVs

Bradbury’s Predictions: Seashells

Airpods

Bradbury’s Predictions: Mechanical Hound

Robots

Bradbury’s Predictions: Sleeping Tablets

Opiod Epidemic

Bradbury’s Predictions: EMTs

Narcan

Bradbury’s Predictions: Talking Doorbells

Ring Camera

The Cycle of the Phoenix

Description: Egyptian mythological bird that burns up every 100 years it is reborn

Represents: Rebirth

Different From Humans according to Granger: Humans don’t need to burn up because we can learn from our mistakes

The Cycle of Books

1. Prehistoric (oral tradition, cave drawings)

2. Mesopotamia (clay tablets)

3. Egypt (Papyrus)

4. Middle Ages (Hand writing, books)

5. Colonial (Printing Press)

6. 20th Century (Computer)

7. 21st (World Wide Web)

Montag at the End

Physically: Reborn, risk taker, work for change

Emotionally: Community-minded, healer, leader, hopeful

As evidenced by fire: campfire, healing, warming, nourishing, building

Quotes from part 3:

“We’re nothing more than dust jackets for books, of no significance otherwise”

Context: Granger to Montag

Theme: Action vs Inaction

Literary Devices: Metaphor

Significance: Selfless, humility

Quotes from part 3:

“…We’re going to build a mirror factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them”

Context: Granger to Montag

Theme: Action vs. Inaction, Distraction vs. Happiness

Literary Devices: Metaphor

Significance: Selfless, humility

Quotes from part 3:

“When we reach the city”

Context: Montag to himself

Theme: Action vs Inaction

Literary Devices: Imagery

Significance: Montag hopes for better future