Fahrenheit 451 pages 154 to 165

Ask a question.

A question I have had is what is up with the war. Did Bradbury add that because ihe wrote the book during a war?

What does Montag mean when he says, “And when they ask us what we are doing, you can say, we’re remembering”? Why is this quote important? How does it fit into the novel, what is Bradbury trying to say with this?

I think what Montag means is that once you do something you can’t go back to it once you have found a mistake in it. He is probably referring to killing Beatty and thinking why he did it. I think it fits perfectly with it because all the things Guy has done and all the friendships he has had are all but a memory and all you can do is remember.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 138 to 154

2. How has Montag changed from the beginning of the novel to this part? In writing about this you might want to notice that the environment has changed from the city to nature. Is this a coincidence or is the author trying to say something by contrasting the city to nature in relation to the ways Montag has changed.

I think that Montag has changed a lot during the course of the book so far. Like in the beginning he didn’t care what he was doing as long as he did his job; which is burn books. But ever since he saw that he burned a woman while she was holding a book he kept thinking “why would anyone sacrifice their life in order to save a book?” I think the change of scenery is very important to understand the changes that Guy has gone through because in the city he was trapped, he was following everyone else and did not realize the “real” world. Now that he realizes the truths he is free and let out in nature. That’s what I think.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 125 to 137

Explain what you find interesting or exciting in this part of the book.

I would say this section was pretty interesting since he committed a crime, everyone is after him. It sucks for him but he actually did a good job. He finally realizes the truth about the world and all the mistakes he made when burning the books. Another thing that happened was that Mildred left him…..

Fahrenheit 451 pages 110 to 125

1. Summarize what happened in one or two sentences.

This part/section was really interesting. Captain Beatty finally discovers that Guy had books and they get called to burn his house. When they finally get there, Guy notices he was called to burn his own house. So he takes the flamethrower and directs it towards Beatty and burns him. After that Guy is being chased by the mechanical hound. Montag gets bitten and then he kills the hound.

2. On your blog, copy down one sentence from this reading selection that strikes you as particularly descriptive. Which of the 5 senses does it appeal to? What verbs, adjectives, or figurative language are used and why are they effective in describing a certain action, person, or thing?

The part I liked is located near the bottom of page 117. It goes like “The house fell in red coals and black ash. It bedded itself down in sleepy pink-gray cinders and a smoke plume blew over it, rising and waving slowly back and forth in the sky” (Bradbury 117). I liked this because it shows the house being burned to nothing and how its smoke looks it is waving when it says “moving back and forth”. I think this appeals mostly to the sight but I am sure that if someone was actually there they would smell the smoke.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 91 to 110

Q.) Give a very short (1-3 sentence) summary of the two main scenes in this section. The first scene was at home in the living room and the second scene was in the fire house with Beatty.

a.) The first scene took place at the house. Basically what happened here was Guy Montag came inside the house and saw the women having a discussion. Then they all started talking. A few minutes later Montag takes out a poetry book and reads out loud.

b.) In the second scene Montag goes to the fire house and meets up with Beatty. There they talk. After a while they get called to burn down a house.

Q.) Find a sentence or two that has strong adjectives and/or verbs. Quote the book and explain why these are strong descriptive words and why they are effective. How do they appeal to the senses? What mental images do they invoke?

a.) The quote I chose from the book is when Montag is in the room and reading a passage from the book. It goes like “The room was blazing hot, he was all fire, he was all coldness; they sat in the middle of an empty desert with three chairs and him standing there…”. I chose this quote because I like the imagery used in here. It feels like I am actually there, under pressure, and having a hard time. I like when they use “blazing hot” in the beginning and near the end they also mention a desert which fits in because a desert is really hot.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 81 to 90

1.) Write a question. What are you confused about?

I am confused about the plan/ idea that Faber had. Are they really going to do it since Guy was all over doing it.

2.) A. According to Faber, “three things are missing” from the popular media (like the “parlor games) of his society. Write what they are and explain what he means.

The three things they mention are:

1. Quality of Information: I think what this is talking about is the information and overall quality of the book. Like if it is good everyone will want to read it. He mentions that books have certain features so I think that’s what it means.
2. Leisure to Digest: I think this means that people have the freedom to obtain ideas. Like the freedom to read books and have opinions.
3. The right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the first two: I think this one means that everyone has the right to express what they think about the ideas being expressed even if the actions cause commotion. (I am not so sure about this one).

What I like

Cycling

8^th grade…Ahhh, wonderful memories. Had more after school activities; kept more active. Yes, for those of you who went to King/Chavez, I am talking about Cycling. Cycling was the best. it was one of those after school activities that you were actually happy with. We used to go ride our bikes down to Seaport Village and Balboa Park. My favorite ride of all was our last ride. We rode from school to Seaport Village. There we got on a ferry and took a trip to Coronado. From there we rode our bikes through Coronado and onto the Silver Strand. (For those who don’t know, the Silver Strand is 8 miles long and if you look at it through a map you will see that it connects Coronado with Imperial Beach). I’m sure anyone who was out there would agree with me and say that that was a healthy ride. It took determination of the mind and the body to ride that far, on a bike. After it was all done we were relieved and felt great accomplishment.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 71 to 80

1. Write a question about the reading. What are you confused about? If you don't get an answer on your blog, be sure to raise the question in class. Even if you do get an answer, and you think it's a good question with a good answer, bring it up in discussion.

A. The question I got from this reading is why Mildred is so afraid of books. Is it the ideas written inside or what? A few ideas that oppose her view won’t hurt her. That’s what makes a good debate.

2. How will books get us out of "the cave?" What is the cave and how will books get us out of it?

A. I think what they mean by “the cave” is the enclosed space no knowledge creates. What I mean by this is since they are burning books they are killing ides and the outside world. No books mean people have no knowledge of what the world consists which gives the idea of being stuck in a “cave”. This is what I think the “cave” means. Now, books can get them out of the cave by giving them more thought about the world; sort of like the saying “ I see the light at the end of the tunnel”. This means that they are finally seeing the world as it is, not just as whatever makes them happy.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 41 to 68

Q. Is it better to be ignorant and happy OR is it better to be aware, educated and disturbed at the world?

A. Writing from the perspective of Captain Beatty I would say that he would answer this question by saying it would be better to be ignorant and happy. I say this would be his answer because he is being blinded by his surroundings. He is trying to avoid the truth about the world and do the same with all the people. Beatty says “you must understand that our civilization is so vast that we can’t have our minorities upset and stirred. Ask yourself, what do people want in this country, above all? People want to be happy” Bradbury 59). “Happy” is the key word. A fireman’s job, in this time, is to make people happy and that’s what they do by burning ideas within the book. He also gives an example about making people happy and says “Someone’s written a book about tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn it” (Bradbury 59). This implies that firemen are hiding the cold hard facts just to make someone, who is not willing to accept them, happy. I personally think this is bad because they will be living lies all their lives. Montag used to live like this. Ever since he saw a woman burn with her books his life changed. It made him think more thoroughly and question what’s inside the books that people, like the woman, found so precious and intriguing.

Something I Dread...

The alarm programmed in my phone rings. Oh no, school; another long and tiring day of school. But I start thinking to myself; I still got 10 more minutes ‘till 7. As I do so the warmth and comfort of my blankets put me to sleep once again. 10 minutes pass…another 5 minutes pass. I am still sound asleep not knowing 15 minutes passed since I fell asleep. My mom comes in. Wake up. You need to get ready for school. As I do so I can already start feeling the shot of cold air surrounding my body. Almost as if I was being tangled by a snake. I can’t breathe. The cold air hurts my soar throat. As I struggle to get changed I remember, I need my mom to sign a permission slip. So I hurry up to get her signature. It’s 7:30 and I still got to eat breakfast. So I do. I pour the milk onto my glass, like water falling from a waterfall. I drink it. As I do so I hear someone knocking on my door. It’s Martin. Then I remember; me and him are both going to wait for our ride. Half an hour goes by. Our ride comes. Just as planned. And here we go again, a long and tiring day of school. as I come home I start thinking, I did this just so I can do this whole routine again tomorrow.

3 Examples of strong words
>"Warmth and Comfort" because as i read it i feel a warm feeling,
>"Tangled by a snake" because i gave the impression of no escape, and
>"Water falling from a waterfall" because it looks like water falling from a waterfall.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 22 to 40

1.) What do you find confusing? What is something you don’t understand?

- My question for this part of the story is why is it illegal to read books? I mean they tell great stories. Just because they don’t agree with each other doesn’t mean they have to be burned. They all express people’s ideas and thoughts and everyone is different.

2.) Montag compares Mildred (his wife) to Clarisse and says that Clarisse seems older. In what way does Clarisse act more mature and WHY do you think she is more mature? Why does Bradbury (the author) make the contrast between the two?

- I think Clarisse is a lot more mature and older than Mildred for a couple of reasons. In the beginning of the book when Montag meets Clarisse, it seems like they had a good conversation. Clarisse is more open to ideas and is eager to learn more. She sees past what other people think and speaks her own mind. While Mildred is more to herself and it seems like we hardly know her. The whole suicide thing says it all. I think the author makes this comparison to show that they are opposites yet appeal to Montag.

Fahrenheit 451 pages 3 to 21

1.) Ask a question that you have about what's going on in the novel. What do you find confusing?

What I found confusing about this reading is that how would someone recover surgery and cleansing of blood so quickly. Like Mildred for instance, they took her in the hospital and ½ and hour later she was o.k. they also only charged 50 dollars for it.

2.) Even before Montag and his wife Mildred talk to one another we know that they are alienated (distant) from one another. How does the author convey this?

I think the author conveys this by saying that the wife, Mildred, has waited for her husband for approximately 2 years. This shows a really distant relationship, and a bad one. I think this is one of the reasons.