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
Quality Information
Leisure time to think
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
Prehistoric (oral tradition, cave drawings)
Mesopotamia (clay tablets)
Egypt (Papyrus)
Middle Ages (Hand writing, books)
Colonial (Printing Press)
20th Century (Computer)
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