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Fahrenheit 451 questions

Terms in this set (67)

dystopian literature, science fiction
What type of genre is this novel?
1953
When was this novel first published?
Ray Bradbury
Who is the author?
third person limited omniscient
What point of view is this novel written in?
modeled on it aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic
What is "utopian"?
relating to or denoting an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one
What is "dystopian"?
you can choose anyone as long as you can back it up
Who is Guy Montag patterned after in history?
A salamander is a newtlike amphibian that typically has bright markings and that once was thought to be able to endure fire. The salamander is one of the official symbols of the firemen, as well as the name they give to their fire trucks.
What is a "salamander" and how is it used in the novel?
The Phoenix is a unique bird that lived for 5-6 centuries in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. In the novel, the Phoenix is used to symbolize rebirth. It shows that once something is created, it has to fall. Mankind is compared to the Phoenix that burns itself up and then rises from the ashes.
What is a "Phoenix" and how is it used in the novel?
It's the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns.
What is Fahrenheit 451 other than the title of the story?
They help enforce the law in which no books are allowed- they burn the books that are found.
What do firemen do for a living?
The pages of the book are flapping, similar to the way a bird looks when it is flapping it's wings.
In the opening scene, why are the books compared to birds?
He enjoys his job and gets pleasure out of burning books.
According to pages 3-4 what does Montag think of his job?
Clarissa McClellan
Who does Montag meet on the way home?
Montag can never escape being a fireman- the smell is always with him, and so are his actions.
During his conversation, Montag says that "You never wash it off completely" referring to the kerosene. What could this mean symbolically?
Clarisse has a major impact on Montag, making him consider things he has never thought of before. Clarisse is unique; Mildred is not.
Why do you think that Bradbury would introduce Clarisse before Montag's wife, Mildred?
She has tried to kill herself by overdosing on sleeping pills.
Why does Mildred need help when Montag gets home?
Two men, handymen, come with two machines. The first slid into the stomach and removed all of the contents of her stomach. The second machine pumped all of the blood from the body and replaced it with fresh blood and serum.
Describe the help that she receives.
They are impersonal and do not discuss the procedure or how Mildred is feeling with Montag. They are used to the procedure bc they get 9 or 10 cases per night.
Is there anything unusual about the way the two men go about helping Mildred? How is it unusual?
Montag's house is quiet and dark. Clarisse's house is bright and full of laughter and talking.
How is life in Montag's house very different from that of Clarisse's house?
Mildred does not know, or acts as if she doesn't know, what happened the previous night. She is extremely hungry and feels hungover. When Montag confronts her, she says she would do nothing of the sort.
How does Mildred react after she wakes up from her previous nights' experiences?
She watches and interacts with the TV all day.
What does Mildred do all day?
The room has 3 TVs on 3 separate walls- the TVs are as large as the walls.
Describe the setup of Montag's TV room.
She was letting rain fall on her face.
What is Clarisse doing when Montag sees her on page 21?
She thinks, questions ideas she doesn't understand, is very social, and interacts with Montag.
How is Clarisse different than Mildred?
It is a machine that resembles a dog. It's made with brass, copper, and steel; has 8 legs and a 4 inch needle it uses to inject its prey with morphine or procaine; and then the prey is tossed into the incinerator where it's burned. It's purpose is to hunt down any prey that is put into its olfactory system.
What is the mechanical hound and what is its purpose?
The hound growled at Montag, rose up, and growled again with his needle extended. Montag left quickly.
What is the hound's reaction to Montag?
She ponders why things are the way they are and she doesn't do things other teenagers do; so, she doesn't have any friends.
Why does society consider Clarisse "anti-social"?
A book from the old lady's house.
At the next fire, what does Montag take?
He reveals that he knew the piece of literature the old lady quoted before being burnt alive (about the heretics Latiner and Ridley).
On page 40, Beatty reveals something very important about himself and his knowledge. What is revealed?
"Seashells"- they're similar to headphones, but they're wireless
What technology does Mildred use to go to sleep?
The TV parlor
Who is Mildred's family?
She died; she was hit by a speeding car.
What has happened to Clarisse? How did it happen?
She is very nonchalant when she tells Montag. She didn't tell him until 4 days after it happened. It's like she doesn't care or have any emotion about it.
What is unusual about the way Mildred told Montag about Clarisse?
1) technology- the firemen became what they are because of technology. With the invention of photography, motion pictures, radio, and TV, books became less appealing
2) mass exploration- the 20th century sped everything up and people desired a "snap ending"
3) minority pressure- the bigger the population, the more minorities, and no one wants to be unhappy. So, they tried to please everyone, and that led to books of every type being banned.
Read pages 55-62 carefully. They contain great truths about our world. List three things Beatty talks about in his speech to Montag that are true about our world.
49 years ago for lack of students and patronage
When was the last liberal arts college shut down?
Faber thought Montag was trying to "set some sort of trap"
What did Professor Faber think about Montag's call?
Faber saw the book Montag had under his arm
Why did Faber's fear dissipate when Montag was standing outside his door?
To teach him to understand what he reads.
What did Montag want from Faber?
True. People were too busy having fun and staying entertained by the parlor families, the white clown , and Mr. Gimmick. If any would rebel, they would scare to easily the firemen are rarely necessary.
True or False: Faber reminded Montag that people who are having fun are reluctant to become rebels. Explain.
Montag began to rip pages out of the Bible. This was too much for Faber, so he agreed to help Montag.
How did Montag finally get Faber to consider really helping him?
True. Bieber is too scared to go out into society and rebel. He prefers to stay safe in his home and let Montag do the really dangerous work.
True or False: The Queen bee analogy underscored saber's cowardice. Explain.
Montag a Faber the Bible and Faber gave Montag the green bullet so that they could communicate
What two items were exchanged before Montag left the professors home?
The entrance to the TV parlor room.
What is the volcano's mouth?
Faber told Montag he was a fool for reading poetry to the women.
What was Faber's opinion of Montag's poetry reading?
Mrs. Phelps was extremely affected. She cried.
Which lady was affected by the original intent of the poetry?
False. Faber consoled Montag by telling him that it wasn't that long ago when he was just like the women.
True or False? In the late hours of the night, Faber refused to console Montag for foolishly reading poetry to the poor, silly women. Explain.
Montag felt confused because he wasn't used to thinking or having to process thoughts (and what Beatty was saying) so quickly
Listening to Captain Beatty play his harp and needle Montag had what effect upon Guy?
An alarm- Beatty said this was a "special case"
What interrupted the poker game?
Montag's house
Captain Beatty drive the Salamander to whose house?
He has visited Montag's house and made many comments to Montag about reading books. Beatty also sent the hound to "sniff" around Montag's house, and the hound has been suspicious of Montag at the firehouse.
How has Beatty given Montag hints that he is under suspicion?
Mildred
Who must have brought the books back from the garden?
Mrs. Phelps, Mildred, Mrs. Bowles
Who turned in the alarm against Montag?
Beatty took it after he hit Montag and it fell out of Montag's ear.
What happened to Montag's green bullet?
Beatty did keep irritating Montag; however, Montag also says that burning things is the way to get rid of them.
Why did Montag burn Beatty's body?
He's decided to run to Faber's house. Faber advises to go towards the river, find the railroad tracks, and meet up with one of the hobo groups.
What is Montag's plan to escape?
$100
How much money did Montag give to Faber?
Up to 10,000
How many scents can the Mechanical Hound remember?
To get rid of Montag's scent
Why did Montag want Faber to turn on the air conditioning and sprinklers?
Montag is going to be on everyone's TV.
Interpret "Twenty million Montag's running. soon if the cameras caught him."
They lost his scent at the river, so they turned inland to give the audience the "snap ending" they desired.
Why did the search for Montag ever inland?
An innocent man
Who died in Montag's place?
Their society thinks that Montag is dead, but also Montag has a different chemical complex because of the liquid Granger gave him.
What did Granger mean by "Welcone back from the dead?"
They burn books after they memorize them.
When Granger and other like minded people are stopped by authorities, why isn't any incriminating evidence found?
Yes, bc Granger tells Montag that there are
Do you have a sense that there are other "book chapters" in other towns? What proof do you have?
Granger doesn't want them to get a big head. He doesn't want them to be full of themselves because then they are likely to do something that will get them caught.
What does Granger mean by his quote "You're not important. You're not anything."?
Basically, the entire city is bombed to the ground by the war. At the end of the novel, Montag and Co. are walking towards the city so that they can help rebuild it by dropping swaggy book knowledge.
Explain the last implications of the events in the last 4-5 pages.
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