Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Essential Questions Why might a society censor certain books, CDs, DVDs, etc.? In what, if any, circumstances is censorship okay? Who can you trust? How do you rebuild trust once it’s been violated? Do we each have it in us to stand up for what is right, even if it puts ourselves or our family in danger?

Political Correctness Major Themes Censorship Entertainment Political Correctness Happiness

Censorship: Cut, Cut, Cut! What is it? Suppressing or limiting knowledge Who censors? The government? The people? What is censored? Speech, Music, Books, Films, Television, Internet…

Entertainment: Sit Back and Relax Questions we should consider: Are we amusing ourselves to death? Can it be addicting? Is it used as a distraction? Is it imposed upon us? Do we seek it? Should it be limited? How?

Political Correctness: Watch Your Mouth! Used to describe language, ideas, or behaviors intended to avoid offending racial, cultural, or other identity groups (being “PC”) Connects to idea of censorship Where are the limitations?

Happiness: Don’t Worry, Be Happy Related to entertainment theme Do we just occupy our time with meaningless activities? What does this keep us from doing? How is happiness defined?

F451 Theme Response Directions: answer the following two questions: 1. Do you think that being happy means being without problems? 2. Is it possible to be happy even while you are struggling? Write down your personal responses on paper.

Fahrenheit 451: General Info Genre – Science Fiction Setting – sometime during the 21st century unknown city in the United States Narrator – 3rd person limited omniscient, essentially follows Montag’s point of view Organization – Novel is set-up in three sections: Book 1 – The Hearth and the Salamander Book 2 – The Sieve and the Sand Book 3 – Burning Bright

Author Information Born in 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois Graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938 Did not attend college Became “student of life” Fulltime writer as of 1943 Has worked in film and television

Historical Context 1930s: Nazis burned books in Germany Newsreels appalled teenage Bradbury 1940s: House (Congress) Un-American Activities Committee investigated the movie industry WWII: Atomic bombs dropped by USA 1950s: Popularity of TV greatly increased 1953: Fahrenheit 451 published

Fahrenheit 451 Information Information necessary to understanding the novel: Firemen do not put out fires – they start them Firemen start fires – they are called to the homes of people who own and read books. For committing this heinous crime, their houses are burned and they are taken to jail. Houses are fireproof but belongings are not Firemen are told that this has always been the scope of their job. In fact, they are told that Benjamin Franklin was the first fireman and book burner.

Fahrenheit 451: Characters Guy Montag – Protagonist 3rd generation fireman Looking for knowledge and truth Unhappy with society and wants to break free from oppression Mildred Montag – Guy’s wife Small minded, childish, selfish, and obsessed with watching television Perfect example of what people in this society are like Captain Beatty - Captain of Montag’s firehouse Well read but hates book and anyone who wants to/ does read them Perceptive, devious, cunning Clarisse – Neighbor of the Montag’s 17 years old Genuinely happy with her family, curious, intelligent, questioning An outcast because she likes to ask questions, examine nature, take walks

Fahrenheit 451: Characters Professor Faber – Retired English Professor Loves books and would like to own some Believes himself to be a coward because he never stood up to the censorship when it started First meets Montag 1 year before the beginning of the book Granger – Leader of the Book People: people who have escaped society in order to preserve literature Brave, intelligent Believes in the strength of the human spirit Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles – Friends of Mildred’s Perfect examples of society at large Stoneman and Black – Two firemen who work with Montag

Vocabulary Directions Directions: The following five slides have all of the vocabulary words that you will be learning while reading this Fahrenheit 451. Your job is to place these words, definitions, and sentences in the vocabulary pages (60-70) of your green book.

Vocabulary List # 1 stolid (adj.) – having or revealing little emotion John’s stolid face did not reveal his inner turmoil. imperceptible (adj.) – impossible to detect with senses The lioness was imperceptible as she hunted. Her prey had no idea what was in store for him. pulverize (v.) – reduced to powder The rock was pulverized by the rock crusher. Before leaving the construction site, it looked like sand. melancholy (n.) – sadness or gloominess My sister is melancholy since the death of her cat. capillary (adj.) – fine; small in diameter Capillary veins are much smaller than arteries.

Vocabulary List # 2 multifaceted (adj.) – having many faces or surfaces High quality gemstones are always multifaceted. The facets are what reflects the light and creates sparkle. abyss (n.) – a very deep gap or hole; a chasm The Grand Canyon is an abyss. cacophony (n.) – harsh, jarring sound; noise The cacophony of the glass jar striking the floor made everyone jump. conjure (v.) – to summon, or call up, as if by magic The cat appeared so quickly it seemed to have been conjured from nothing. cower (v.) – to cringe in fear Jane cowered when she saw the strange dog coming her way.

Vocabulary List # 3 11. feigning (adj.) – pretending. My sister feigns illness whenever she wants to stay home from school. 12. luminescent (adj.) – glowing The luminescent stars are beautiful to look at. 13. nomadic (adj.) – traveling with no home; wandering My grandparents have become nomadic since their retirement; they just wander the country in their RV. 14. noncombustible (adj.) – incapable of igniting and burning. Infant pajamas are made of noncombustible materials. 15. olfactory (adj.) – relating to the sense of smell John’s olfactory senses were off due to his cold.

Vocabulary List # 4 16. pratfall (n.) –a humiliating mishap or error Clowns love the cliché pratfall of slipping on a banana peel. 17. proboscis (n.) – a long snout A greyhound’s proboscis is one of the its distinctive features. 18. ravenous (adj.) – greedy; extremely hungry After running for an hour, John was ravenous. 19. tactile (adj.) – related to the sense of touch Whenever I get up for a midnight snack, I rely on my tactile senses to maneuver through the house. 20. rationalize (v.) – to offer a self-serving but incorrect reason My sister tried to rationalize with my parents to extend her curfew; unfortunately, saying everyone else gets to stay out later didn’t work with my parents.

Vocabulary List # 5 21. Utopia – (n.) an ideal place 22. Censorship – (v.) the practice of examining material in order to suppress or delete anything considered to be objectionable 23. Phoenix – (n.) mythical bird said to burn itself only to rise from the ashes and live again 24. Science Fiction – (n.)a work of fiction that tells a story usually set in the future where there are advancements in science or technology 25. Imagery – (n.) description that appeals to one or more of the five senses