Fahrenheit 451 Written By: Ray Bradbury

Lesson #1 Focus: Biography

Ray Bradbury Author’s often integrate their own personal experience into their stories Fahrenheit 451 is a tribute to the role that books and libraries played in Bradbury’s life Bradbury wrote hundreds of works (novels, screenplays, essays, poems, stories) with only a high school education and a worn out library card As much as Bradbury put his own experience into the novel, it still has elements that are separate from him and his personality

Reading/Discussion Let’s read up to page 14 or so as a class… Discussion Question: The novel begins, “It was a pleasure to burn.” Why does Bradbury start the novel this way? Why might it be more pleasurable to burn books rather than read them? Write this down in your notes: Censorship: the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the general body of people as determined by a government, media outlet, or other controlling body.

Your Ticket Out The Door: Bradbury begins the novel with a quote from Juan Ramón Jiménez:“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” In a one-two paragraph response, explain what you think this quote means, taking into consideration what we have just read in class. Homework: Read up to page 21 for tomorrow. You will get 10 min. of silent reading from Mon.-Thurs. for the next few weeks.