1. Fahrenheit 451 By
Ray Bradbury

2. 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

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

4. Political Correctness
Major Themes
Censorship
Entertainment
Political Correctness
Happiness

5. Censorship: Cut, Cut, Cut!
Suppressing or limiting knowledge
Who censors?
The government?
The people?
Speech, Music, Books, Films, Television…

6. Entertainment: Sit Back and Relax
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?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. Main Characters Guy Montag – Mildred Montag – Captain Beatty -
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

10. Main Characters Professor Faber – Granger –
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

11. 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.

12. How is the Story Told? Genre
Science Fiction
Dystopian Literature
Bad place (Greek); Opposite of a perfect world (utopia)
Utopia=play on Greek eutopia (good place) and outopia (no place); Perfect society
Setting – sometime during the 21st century in an unknown city/country
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

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