1. The man behind the myth…
Ray Bradbury
The man behind the myth…

2. The Person Born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois
Loved illusion and fantasy from an early age
Favorite books: Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Started to write after receiving a toy typewriter at the age of 12.
Only formal training in writing was from his high school English teacher.

3. The Person, cont.
While in high school, he started his own science fiction magazine entitled Futuria Fantasia. He sold four issues.
Tried to become a published author before he even graduated from high school.
First story published when he was 19. He received no payment.
He received his first payment for a published story when he was 21.

4. The Person, cont.
His favorite hobbies are painting with oil and water colors and collecting tribal dance masks.
His fine color sense is clearly evident when he writes about characters and events.
His fascination with masks is appropriate given his preoccupation with the distinction between real and unreal.

5. The Philosopher
He believes each individual lives two lives: the external or real and internal or fantastic.
He always made strong statements AGAINST those who disliked imagination.
One of his mottos was “If one cannot have a reality, then dream is a sufficient substitute.”
His defense of the fantastic is rooted in an ancestral event: one of his ancestors, Mary Bradley, was tried & convicted as a witch in Salem in 1692.

6. The Philosopher, cont.
He was zealously committed to freedom of thought. The deep concern for Everyman’s freedom is a central theme in Fahrenheit 451.
Although he writes science fiction, Bradbury is opposed to technology. He has never learned to drive a car and he has never flown in an airplane.
He feels like humans can no longer cope with the realities of technology – they have far outgrown what we can handle.

7. The Technician
Bradbury’s writing technique involves writing the first words that come to mind. They suggest others, and so on, until his mind wanders in pursuit of a character.
Once he finds a character, he explores his or her personality & needs. How the character would act in a given situation determines the course of the story.

8. The Technician, cont. He daydreams A LOT!
He advises writing at least a thousand words every day; among all those words should be at least one short story a week.
He looks at writing as self-knowledge and relaxation, which enhances creativity.
His writing cycle is practice, relaxation, trust of intuition, and finally creativity.

9. Fahrenheit 451

10. Fahrenheit 451 Symbolism:
Mechanical hound: manifestation of fear & terrors of technology
Parlor walls: mind-numbing, mind-controlling technological amusements by society.
The sand and the sieve: uselessness of filling humans with experiences that seem worth preserving. Books are the tools of retention.
Books: lost freedoms of speech, thought and press. These freedoms have been traded for security.
The Phoenix: rise and fall of societies.

11. Fahrenheit 451, cont.
Allusions: (Too many to list, but these are the main two…)
“Dover Beach,” Matthew Arnold
“The Poetry of Pope,” Thomas DeQuincey

12. Fahrenheit 451, cont. Repetition:
Catalogs of hours of the day, days of the week, listing of titles on subway walls, and monotonous commercial chantings all appear. Bradbury is trying to numb the reader with these catalogs to highlight the need for and desirability of individuality.

13. Fahrenheit 451, cont. Significance of Title:
Want to find out what the number means (draws you in and captures attention)
Relates to book burnings as the temperature at which paper burns (relates to specific events)
By the completion of the novel, it not only refers to the destruction of books, but as a symbol for the self-destruction of society in general (becomes more significant to reader after finishing)

14. Think about it…
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” -- Juan Ramon Jimenez
Why did Bradbury select this statement to begin the novel? What does it mean?
Write at least two paragraphs about how this statement relates to what you have learned about Bradbury’s life.