Question #8 - Fahrenheit 451

Entry of your choice.

I did not enjoy this book at all. To be honest, I don't like any kind of science-fiction book.

At first Fahrenheit 451 looked very appealing and interesting, but the more I read, the less interested I was. Nothing within the book grabbed my attention. Many people may like Ray Bradbury's writing style, but I didn't. I thought he was too repetitive, having the characters say the same words over and over again. I also didn't understand how the time was going in this story. At one point in the book it said, "One two three four five six seven days." (Pg. 28) However, later it mentioned something that had happened "yesterday". What I was thinking was, 'How could something have happened yesterday if seven days passed since that day?' Either I missed a detail somewhere along the line, or Ray Bradbury got his time scrambled.

The only thing, or person I should say, that I liked about this book was Clarisse McClellan. I was most interested in the story whenever she came out. It's probably no wonder I lost my interest as soon as she was run over by a car. I could relate to her most. She was connected to everyday things, such as noticing that there was dew on the grass in the mornings and whether or not she was happy. So many people around me are so worried about the "big picture" of things, but not me. I choose to be happy, and rather than worrying about the "big picture", which sometimes isn't really that big, I tend to look at and enjoy the little things in life, just like Clarisse. She didn't care about the fact that there was fast and cheap entertainment in the parlors. She cared more about life and truth. I know I sometimes get carried away with the fast and cheap entertainment, too, but I prefer the truth and simple moments...and my opinion.

Question #7 - Fahrenheit 451

What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

The major theme of Fahrenheit 451 is to think for oneself. We shouldn't let the government, or anything else, decide for us what we want to think. In this novel, the government tells everyone what is right and what is wrong. They don't allow the people to think or have their own opinions. Because the government has the power to tell people want to think, they implement the idea into people that thinking for oneself is bad. It is illegal. The citizens of this government have already been brain-washed enough to actually believe that this is true. So in this novel, anyone who actually thinks for themselves is feared by the other people (e.g., Faber, Clarisse, and later Montag), because they have been told that having their own opinion is wrong.

This theme is very important to a teenager living in 2007. As teenagers, we are one of the biggest targets of the entertainment industry. They are always trying to tell us what to think. For example, some of the biggest messages they are trying to make us believe are, "If you're ugly on the outside, then you're ugly on the inside," - "If you aren't rich, then you aren't worth anything," - "If you don't wear these clothes, then you're uncool," - "If you aren't exactly like us, then you aren't good enough," - "You have to believe everything we say and think only what we tell you to think. Why? Because we said so." Many teenagers believe these messages and start thinking what the entertainment industry wants us to think. All teenagers living in 2007 must not believe these messages, but instead, learn to think and judge for themselves what is right, wrong, and in between.

Question #6 - Fahrenheit 451

Are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

Unfortunately, there are current situations in the world that relate to Fahrenheit 451. The situations that I am talking about are not book burning, but they relate to it. In this novel, people burned books because they feared them. They feared them because of what the government told them. In the same way, many people are hated and bullied because they are irrationally feared. Even though we are taught that prejudice is wrong, people still have them. These prejudices cause the bullying and hating of other people. For example, there is a prejudice that Asians are smart. Someone who feels he/she isn't smart enough might bully an Asian because they fear that the Asian is smarter than him/her. This relates to book burning because the person is acting on what they are told, which he/she doesn't even know is true, and an irrational fear.

The book does shed some light on on how these current situations could be resolved. It shows that if many people who think the same thing (e.g., prejudice is bad and bullying caused by prejudice should be stopped) come together and fight against what they are told, the people have a chance of getting their message across. However, the book also tells us that violence should not be used when going against an already popularly accepted idea. Instead, the people should spread the message subtly, but to all people, so that everyone knows the truth (e.g., prejudice is bad).

Question #5 - Fahrenheit 451

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? Or disturbing? Or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

One setting that was beautiful, and sad, to me was when Montag met Granger and the other book-reading fugitives. It was as if two soldiers, separated by war and fighting, were reunited again. The scene was beautiful because you could feel the relief of Montag and him thinking, 'There are others out there, wandering and waiting.' All humans feel relieved when they know they are not alone, but have somebody else struggling with them. It makes the problem more bearable. However, it was sad because of the fact that they were separated. If they had been separated, there must have been something that ripped them apart. In this novel's case, the war between censorship and thinking what one wants to think.

The most disturbing scene was when Montag burned and killed Captain Beatty. The descriptions about Beatty being burned, "Beatty flopped over and over and over, and at last twisted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent." (Pg. 119) were extremely vivid and memorable. However, the fact that Beatty had wanted to die, and let Montag kill him in such a torturous way, was the most disturbing part of the book. The reason why Beatty wanted to die was clear: his life was miserable, but how he could become happy again was also clear: stop burning and hating books. The fact that Beatty wouldn't accept that reading books would make him happy again was probably the most disturbing part of the entire novel, because it is always haunting when someone would rather die than admit that they were wrong.

Question #4 - Fahrenheit 451

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

"So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the faces of life. The comfortable people only want wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless. We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam. Even fireworks, for all their prettiness, come from the chemistry of the earth. Yet somehow we think we can grow, feeding on flowers and fireworks, without completing the cycle back to reality." (Pg. 83)

This passage is significant to me because it makes me sad to think that anyone could be so ignorant as to fear or hate books. However, it shows the truth about many people. For example, like the fact that some people don't want to go too deep into truth. They will only scratch the surface and think they have found meaning. These are the people that fear books. They fear and hate books because they fear and hate knowledge and meaning. These ignorant people know that there is real knowledge out there, but they choose to ignore it. Instead, they try to find meaning in cheap and fast entertainment, knowing deep in their hearts that what they see and hear is not true. It makes me angry to look at those people, to see them ignore the treasure that books hold. However, I also pity them for their ignorance. They know that there is knowledge in books, but they think their kind of knowledge, the fast and cheap entertainment, can equal it.

They fear and hate reality. Books to them are cannons loaded with gun powder. The fuse that will make their "knowledge" and "reality" crumble into dust is when somebody opens their eyes and says, "We've been blind. This isn't true. We know nothing about meaning or reality." To prevent this from happening, they purposely blind themselves from truth. It's very sad to see people such as these. They think that ignoring books altogether will make everyone happy, by making everyone on earth have the same opinion. It doesn't work that way, though. Knowledge and reality cannot be stopped. Even though it is ignored, its presence can always be felt. This presence is what, I think, causes the fear and hate of books. The presence that their fake knowledge will be destroyed is what causes their ignorant fear and hate.

Question #3 - Fahrenheit 451

What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

In my opinion, the mood of this novel is suspenseful, yet depressing. The novel did sadden me throughout the whole time I was reading it, though. It made me sad to think that people could actually be so blinded by what the government says as to hate and burn books. It was depressing to think of people who have no life, just watching the parlor walls all day, talking to their "families". The saddest part of it all was the fact that these people actually thought they were happy, when in reality, they weren't. Yes, the people smiled and were laughing and enjoying the cheap entertainment, but in their hearts they knew that they were not happy. Some were even miserable, like Mildred, who was Montag's wife. She actually tried to kill herself by swallowing an overdose of sleeping pills.

The novel was also suspenseful because it kept me wondering as to what Montag would do next. The most suspenseful part was right after Montag killed Captain Beatty. I was extremely shocked and wondered what would happen next. It was also the saddest part, though, because it said that Captain Beatty had wanted to die. He was the one who gave Montag the lecture about being happy, but in the end he was the one who wanted his life to be finished, because he knew that he would never be truly happy without reading books again.

Question #2 - Fahrenheit 451

What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of this novel is when Guy Montag feels so overwhelmed, he kills Captain Beatty. Beatty said several things to Montag that made him kill Beatty. The last thing he said to trigger Montag's anger was, "Well, that's one way to get an audience. Hold a gun on a man and force him to listen to your speech. Speech away. What'll it be this time? Why don't you belch Shakespeare at me, you fumbling snob? 'There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, for I am arm'd so strong in honesty that they pass me as an idle wind, which I respect not!' How's that? Go ahead now, you second-hand litterateur, pull the trigger." (Pg. 119) Probably the most shocking revelation during these events is the fact that Beatty wanted to die. Montag realizes this when he thinks, 'He had just stood there, not really trying to save himself, just stood there, joking, needling.' (Pg. 122) It first seems odd that Beatty wanted to die, but it actually does make sense. He was miserable from the book burning life he was living, so he just let Montag kill him.

The events in this novel make me feel contemplative. I would have never imagined a world where people are not allowed to read books or have their own opinions. If the world really became like the one presented in the book, I don't think it would be very appealing to me. When I first started reading the book, I thought the things that were happening were a bit strange, but later I realized those events could actually happen, which is a very scary thought. I hope that what happened in Fahrenheit 451 will always remain purely fiction for the rest of time.

Question #1 - Fahrenheit 451

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

The main characters in Fahrenheit 451 are Guy Montag, Captain Beatty, Faber, and Clarisse McClellan. I liked Clarisse, Faber, and Montag, but I did not like Captain Beatty. I think the personalities of Clarisse, Faber, and Montag appealed to me because they chose to be different from everyone else and find the true meaning of life. They knew that, no matter how hard the government tried to keep people from having different opinions, people would always have different thoughts and would always want to know, "Why?" I especially liked Clarisse because she was the one who was most connected to reality and influenced Montag to start reading books.

I did not like Captain Beatty because he believed that books were dangerous. He was blinded by the false reality of trying to create a utopian society by keeping opinion, philosophy, and thought away from people. The thing that really angered me, though, was the fact that it seemed like he had actually read some books. For example, he once said to Montag, "Colored people don't like Little Black Sambo. White people don't feel good about Uncle Tom's Cabin. Burn it." (Pg. 59) He knew books and the fact that people had different opinions about them.

In a way, all these characters are "special". Montag at first didn't question the joy of burning or why he burned. However, because of the uniqueness of Clarisse, Montag became curious. Montag was slowly drawn away from the burning world and finally opened his eyes to the treasure that books had: thought, philosophy, and opinions. Faber was special because he still held onto the hope that someday he would be able to bring books back to the world. When Montag asked him if he cared about books he answered, "I care so much I'm sick." (Pg. 88) Captain Beatty was very "special" as well, if that word can be used for him. He believed fast and cheap entertainment was good, just like Mildred, Montag's wife, but unlike her, he was smart. He was very smart when arguing against books. However, he must have hated his life of burning, because he had wanted to die and allowed Montag to burn him to death.

All four characters reveal something about the universal human experience. Captain Beatty is the blinded man fighting to keep a utopian society by using violence. He just tells everyone, "Be happy! Don't think, just live your life and don't worry." Clarisse is like the girl who tells people to be different and stay connected to the truth. She's the one who asks, "Are you happy?" (Pg. 10) and makes people contemplate the meaning of their happiness. Faber is the scared man hoping for change. He's too scared to do anything on his own, but is willing to risk his life if only somebody will help him. He says, "We can bring the truth back. We have a plan, and it will work." Montag is the curious truth-finder. At first, he is like Captain Beatty: blinded by thinking that burning books will bring a utopian society. However, after he finds out what being happy really means, he realizes the truth. Montag asks himself, "Am I happy? I thought burning brought me happiness, but now I know it doesn't. My happiness burns just like the flames burn the books. My happiness is the books."