What are your initial reactions to the novel so far? What stands out to you from the first 15 pages? Did any of your predictions come true so far? What is your take on Guy Montag? Clarisse? Mildred? Bradbury's writing style?
Choose a passage, and write your thoughts. You don't have to answer all of those questions-- they are just ideas to get you going. You can ask your own question and try to answer it, make a connection, or deliberate on a BIG idea that you see emerging. It's up to you.
Just make sure that you include the passage, page number, and your thoughts/questions/reflection. Also, make sure that you respond to someone else's comment.
Tomas Benincasa
ReplyDelete"Then she seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. 'Are you Happy?' she said."
The book also has many distopian elements, the main one being the restrictions on knowledge and the governments use of censorship. We see that books are seen as a threat. This gives Fireman an elite role in society, because they make the governments job of controlling their society almost effortless.)
In addition, this quote makes it obvious that Guy has no interest in rebelling, and sees conformity as ideal. This is also evident in his conversation with Clarisse. In their conversation, she admits to being weird and doing things that are unusual in her day and age. She talks about her family conversations, candles, mirrors, clocks, and how she enjoys walking places. She also mentions how fireman where intended to put out fires, and not to start them. Her comments about how she likes things that are not popular and 'normal' make Guy uneasy, and he begins to laugh uncontrollably. She continues to talk about her unorthodox lifestyle and ends the conversation by asking Guy if he is happy. This shows that he is truly content on conforming, and that any outliers are strange to him.
This also shows how he is somewhat uneducated, because he sees her as intelligent, even though she is making basic claims. He seems to know very little outside of what is accepted and unacceptable. lastly, i couldn't help but notice that his job requires no knowledge. all he does is burn books, and follow others' orders.
I fully agree on your idea about how Montag's job doesn't require any knowledge. I think it's strange because it's almost as if his modern government fears the smartness and curiosity of its citizens. Perhaps they think that if the people had enough knowledge, they would start a rebellion and completely turn against society's new rules and regulations. It's just an idea.
DeleteTomas Benincasa
DeleteI agree. I think that this ignorance is the reason why this distopia seems to work for the government. Its interesting because many governments have been overthrown because of how its people's varying beliefs.
I completely agree with your ideas. Montag is definitely uneducated and him burning books under the government's control foreshadows that he might end up actually turning away from the government and reading a book. It might change his life and he will rebel against the government, like Abby stated in her comment.
DeleteI agree with you guys to some extent. I feel as if that Guy is not really conforming society, but just playing the role as how he was raised. I also think that government might not be keeping the books away from them because they don't want the people to know, maybe they are trying to figure out what these books mean themselves. I think that Guy job does require knowledge to some extent, not the knowledge that we know today but that he is doing what is right, which is burning the books because the people in charge, government, says so and he listens to orders.
Delete"It's fine work. Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That's our official slogan." (8)
ReplyDeleteAfter thoroughly reading the first fifteen pages, I was astonished with what the future appears to be through Bradbury's eyes. I chose this quote because it stood out to me in particular. Earlier on the same page, Clarisse asks Montag if he reads any of the books that he burns and he laughs and clearly says that it is against the law. He continues and claims that his job is "fine work." This shows me that he has grown accustomed to his modern society and no longer thinks for himself. I would even dare to describe Montag as robot-like because of his flat responses when speaking to young and eager Clarisse. Finally, I think that he has allowed the government to really dominate his thoughts and kill his curiosity.
I agree with you. It's actually quite sad how he even goes as far as to feel uncomfortable about how interesting in things Clarisse is. It's true that Montag doesn't think so much or takes the time to look around and Mildred is even worse when you think about it. Adding on to what you said about him being almost robot-like, Mildred herself is so oblivious and thoughtless that she doesn't even realize what she's doing anymore. People are now just blindly following what the government is telling them.
DeleteI completely agree with your ides. It does seem Montag is as you said, "a robot" he likes burning the books to the ground without even giving a thought to why. He has been brainwashed by the government so he doesn't speak his thoughts and it is only due to Clarisse that he realizes he isn't happy with his life. His slogan that he states is about being destructive yet he enjoys it and believes he is doing the right thing, until he talks with Clarisse and she asks him questions that cause him to actually think and wonder which is something he's probably never done before. He's being manipulated by the government and i think now because of Clarisse he's going to begin to question and defy is slogan.
DeleteTomas Benincasa
DeleteI agree with all of you. In the first few lines of the book, Guy Montag says that "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things be eaten, to see things blackened and changed." I think that similarly to your quote, the government makes heros out of these idiotic slaves because that is what they want everyone to be like. I feel that Fireman are depicted by the Government as good because they do their dirty work without questions. I think Bradbury added Montag's conversation with Clarisse to show that intellects like her challenge the government and their authority and superiority. I think they control the population not out of greed but out of fear for these intellects, which is why brainless idiots are so much better in their eyes.
"Above all, their laughter was relaxed and hearty and not forced in any way, coming from the house that was so brightly lit [...] while all the other houses were kept to themselves in darkness" (17)
ReplyDeleteI know this is a long line but all of it is important. Clarisse's family is so open-minded and observing. They seem to live life to the fullest and unlike everyone else who seem to shut their minds off, they are not afraid to speak their minds no matter the consequences. They live like that and are happy. While Montag, as he listens to the laughter, realizes that he feels almost empty. He follows the crowd and doesn't try to think differently. The operators come to his house they say that they get nine to ten cases like hers, of people almost taking their lives. The way he described Mildred, she almost sounded like a lifeless doll, shutting out the world. Obviously, Clarisse's family who embraces the world and nature and don't rely on technology to do everything, let their minds wander and appreciate life as it is. Montag seems to be different (the moment with his mother, the old man in the park) but it's hard for him because when you do try to think differently after not having done so for so long, it challenges everything you know. Everyday, people walk around forgetting to look up from their phones and look around at what's in front of them and listen and smell (no matter how weird that sounds) like Clarisse does which is a shame.
I agree with what you say about Montag being different. I think that when he met Clarisse, the young girl sparked some curiosity in him. She was obviously different than most people, and that was new to Montag. She even asked him if he had taken a book, which is against the law. He hadn't seen someone who was so different from all the 'normal' people. So he was inspired by her and her family's bravery in the way they defied what the government expected of everyone in a way. I think he might want to be more like them, but his upbringing has taught him the exact opposite.
DeleteI fully agree with you both. This idea of change and rebellion really affects Guy, yet he is unable to along with it because of what he was brought up with. Maybe though, his instincts will take over later in the novel and he'll change his whole way of living.
DeleteI agree with both points. It seems as if Montag is caught in the rapid stream of brainwashed, to the point where he thinks firemen have been burning books as the original job, and when Clarisse tells him about the accidental fires and houses burning down, he brushes it off. It seems to me that there's a huge border separating the brainwashed and the people who still speak out. But society doesn't know of this border line, they might just think of her as a crazy young adult.
Delete"He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back" (Bradbury 12).
ReplyDeleteClarisse affected Guy immensely, in the short amount of time they spend with each other. I think Guy is so affected by this young girl, because she seems to know so much more than he does. She constantly told him things he didn't know, like the fact that billboards used to be only twenty feet wide, but got wider because cars got faster. I feel that he was very shook by how much she knew about their world, and how little he did in comparison. I have a feeling that as we read more, Guy will want to talk to Clarisse and learn more.
I agree with you.
DeleteI think Clarisse really got his attention in all the things she was telling him that he had never even heard before, I think this will contribute to his understanding of being a fireman and burning books. I agree also with the fact that throughout the book he will want to talk to her more about all the things she knows/thinks.
"i sometimes think drivers don't know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly" (pg.9)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it has to do with a people being too consumed in their routines and getting somewhere that they don't stop and appreciate the little things in life. I think this is going to be a recurring topic throughout the book because it's also related to technological advances. In the first 15 pages of the book Clarisse talked to Montag on their walk home about relevant things of our current time period. This shows how the book is set way into the future because she mentions how firemen used to "put out fires instead of make them" and he doesn't believe her and says "houses have always been fireproof". This depicts Bradbury's writing style a lot because its very sci-fi and futuristic. I think throughout the book we will see more examples of futuristic ideas.
I agree with you Lindsey. I also think that people get too caught up with their daily routines and need to take a step back and really see how lucky they are. Also, I think that don’t even realize what they are saying because they are too involved. Right under that quote it states, “ If you showed a driver a green blur, oh yes! He’d say that’s grass. “ The drivers don’t take the time. Likewise, I agree that this will be a popular topic in the book. Nice work.
Delete"Do you ever read any of the books you burn?"
ReplyDeleteHe laughed. "That's against the law!" (5)
This line stood out to me for many reasons. One is that this law isn't in place right now in our society. It seems ridiculous for books to be against the law but yet its a normal policy for Guy Montag. I wasn't completely surprised by this from reading the introduction and blurb but I think that Bradbury is foreshadowing the fact that since the books are banned, Montag is going to read one. Curiosity it seems isn't a common characteristic of the people in Montag's world but because of Clarisse's attitude it might influence Montag to rebel against the government. Montag laughs when Clarisse asks if he ever reads the books he burns so this shows he thinks there is no way he would ever read a book and has no desire to. I believe this will change once he actually thinks about her question and doesn't just say no because that is the only thing he's been taught to say. From reading the quote and the beginning of the book it seems that the people in Montag's world are brainwashed by the government into not having a say in anything because books are being held from them. Like anyone, when told that they can't have something it will cause them to want it more and eventually maybe even rebel.
I agree with you immensely, but I feel a little different about how it seems that the people in Montag's world are brainwashed by the government for not having a say. Yes, there is some resistance, like from that woman who caught on fire with her books, but I get the impression that normally everyone is okay with that because it’s how their society has evolved. I get the impression from the first part that we’re dealing with a strange world with perhaps distorted rules, but that those rules had to be made as a community and not like a Supreme Court. Besides the woman and Clarisse, everyone Montag encounters with at the beginning of the novel are happy in their everyday life. Maybe with them they’re just more curious.
Delete"One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery." Pp 7.
ReplyDeleteI choose this quote because it is about Montag's experience without technology and how it affected him. The generation of that time and the ones that have come before and after have been so consumed by technology that they haven't really appreciated it. When Montage had that hour of reflection as a boy, he began to see things differently, perhaps he saw his own dependency on technology and had achieved the realization that technology will not always be there. I believe this will be a reoccurring theme in the book where we see different reactions to technological advances.
"Strange. I heard once a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames." (pg. 6 in the 60th anniversary edition)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote particularly interesting because it reminds me of something Bradbury also did in The Veldt. He gave specific information but foreshadowed on details most of the time, and he does that with this sentence. I'm curious about what led from what firemen do in our society today to what they do in that time. I can't really tell from that sentence, and I don't believe that Bradbury's going to tell us in the book either. I still found the rest of their discussion very essential to what we might read in the rest of the novel. Montag continues to laugh at the idea of reading books and not burning them, so it gives me idea that his mind will change. And I know tons of girls like Clarisse yet she’s considered “odd,” so I think maybe near the end she won’t just be the only one like that. And on that last line Clarisse makes at the end of their discussion, “Are you happy?”—I think that may be what our protagonist builds his entire adventure off of. It’s cheesy, but I foresee a strange yet delightful book.
Weird. I also thought about that sentence whilst reading it. I had a different view on it before, but I think that I actually agree with your idea more. It is a lot of foreshadowing. When I read it, I thought he was trying to show how dystopian the future is. People would forget things that are just known in our lives today, and they would become long forgotten, myths.
Delete"Do you ever read any of the books you burn?"
ReplyDeleteHe laughed. "That's against the law!"
"Oh of course. "...
They walked still farther and the girl said, "Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" (Page 8)
These lines stood out to me for several reasons. First, Clarisse McCllelan affected Guy Montag immensely and when she asks him if firemen are supposed to put out fires instead of starting them is very interesting. Second, it is ridiculous that firemen are burning books for no apparent reason. Firemen are supposed to put out fires, but Ray Bradbury has a meaning behind this story. Books are against the law and it is Montag's job to burn them. In my opinion, when Clarisse asked him this, its foreshadowing that Montag will soon wonder whether he should be burning books or not. He has never read a book in his life and Clarisse might be able to change his attitude toward books. Curiosity will get the better of him and he might rebel against the government so that books can be read instead of burned. When Montag laughs at her question, it shows us that he thinks she's asking a silly question and that books shouldn't be read. I don't think it was against the law to read books, it more like Montag's choice. He might not want to read books, however I believe he will change his mind and confide in Clarisse. He finds Clarisse peculiar, yet there is something special and unique about her. Once he actually thinks about her question and doesn't follow the rules for once, he might actually end up changing his life. People like him would eventually want to explore this situation even more and would end up rebelling against the government.
Clarisse is most likely going to be that rebellious character that almost every book has. She might even change Montag's opinions on books (like you said). Clarisse has a very independent mind; she doesn't believe everything that the government says.
DeleteOne quote that stood out to me while I was reading was on page 8 it stated, "It's fine work. Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, burn the ashes. That's our official slogan." This stood out to me for many reasons. When I first read it to be honest, I was so confused, I thought it was a spelling mistake or something. Firemen don't start the fire, they end it in life today. One question I had was I wonder why Ray Bradbury made the fireman create the fire and have it opposite to real society? One of my predictions was correct. I predicted that he would include some sort of fantasy and I can see that in the first 15 pages of the book. Lastly, one last question that was lingering in my head was what do you the characters in the book like Clarisse and Guy Montag would think if they heard that in our lives firemen burn out the fire?
ReplyDelete"He felt his smile fade away, melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and now collapsing and now blown out. Darkness. He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back,"
ReplyDeleteFrom this line alone, it would make it seem that Fahrenheit 451 is about a midlife crisis. At this point in time, Guy was realizing that what he loved about his life, was non existent. I thought that this book would be more about technological advancements in the future, more than how even in a society more advanced than ours, we still have the basic internal problems that we have today. I think now, my predictions have changed. I think the book will involve rebellion, but also I believe Guy Montague will be caught in the middle of it, and, like Holden in CITR, have to find his place in society.
"He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as a true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back." (12)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stood out to me, because I thought it was really clear as to what Bradbury was trying to convey through this quote. I think that Bradbury is trying to show that people can have a level of obliviousness, and when that is taken away from them and they see what is actual reality, it can be an issue. IN this case, for Montage, it's the realization about his true feelings, and making him actually feel something for once. I think that he hasn't been asked in a while how he is feeling, and when Clarisse asks, "Are you happy?", he got very mad because was trying to block out how he was really feeling. I think that being a fireman for about 10 years would bore somebody to the extent of not being happy, and think through this quote he's showing that he is actually not content with this life, and not as happy with is as he would like to be. I also think that the metaphoric usage of the "mask", is actually just the protection he's been wearing to not actually use his emotions. I also think that this "mask" can be linked back to the hat he wears (451 hat), while working at the fire station, keeping himself busy opposed to actually living.
I agree. This quote definitely shows that society's ideals can brainwash a person. In Montag's case, everyone around him has been happy with their place in society, and so Guy has in turn been convinced that he was happy. This continued until Clarisse came along, and asked him a very jarring question. She asked him if he was happy, and maybe he hadn't even really considered this before. Maybe he had felt content, or he had suppressed inner feelings of discontent. I think his 'mask' of happiness was really something for himself, to convince himself that he was happy, in order to get through the day. Maybe he is trying to protect himself.
Delete" Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames. " Page 8
ReplyDeleteIn this quote, you can obviously interpret that this story takes place in the future. This society wasn't the way it was its whole existence; that books must be burned. They used to be exactly how we are, and seemed to have changed since. This also shows signs of a corrupt, and manipulative government, because this isn't something that citizens would think up. It's also surprising to know that people still know how this prior society was; since they have never read a book in their lives. Even if books are ever taken away, verbal stories will always live on.
"Then she seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. "Are you happy?" she said." (Page 10)
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because of many reasons. One them being the difference seen between Clarisse and Montag. I say this because I think that their view on the government and what is happening with the books is quite different. Montag is accustomed to burning books because this is his job and he doesn't come in contact with many people who raise questions against the government. Clarisse however, has this sense of rebellion in her. When she asks Montag if he is happy I don't think she merely asked this question to see how he was feeling, but rather to put this idea that what he's doing is wrong. This brings me to another point of why I thought this passage was interesting. I thought it was interesting how Clarisse would talk to a high official about this problem. Obviously if you want your voice to be heard you go to a higher official, but I got the sense from this society that it is frowned upon to do so because they don't want anyone interfering with the system. This really emphasizes how Clarisse not only wants to get this idea into just anyone's head, but someone who is actually doing the damage.
I completely agree with you about how Clarisse and Montag have different views on the government. Clarisse seems to be different then other people, she isn't afraid to question and rebel against things she doesn't understand or doesn't believe in. I also agree with what your saying about Clarisse not being afraid of talking to, let alone telling her ideas to a higher up figure that even she says so herself, lots of people are afraid of.
DeleteI agree with you that Clarisse has a sense of rebellion in her and disapproves of the way society is run, and I agree that Montag is more accustomed to the government - his enjoyment of burning books is described on the first page. However, when Clarisse asks him if he is happy, I think that Montag’s eyes are opened to the idea that the way society is run is not the best. Montag admits that “He was not happy… He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back,” (p. 9). Montag is realizing that he only pretends to be happy with the way the world is, and that he really wants to talk to others the way Clarisse does. He then becomes more critical of society after his wife is operated on, saying, “There are too many of us… Nobody knows anyone. Strangers come and cut your heart out. Strangers come and take your blood,” (p. 14).
Delete"Darkness. He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back." (12)
ReplyDeleteI can sense the first world problems Bradbury is connecting to this book. Alot of people tend to lie when asked if they're happy. After noticing how smart and observing Clarisse is, I would guess that Montag had noticed the same thing. When she asked him about his fireman job, I feel as if that question and everything she's said about firemen had stripped him of this particular "mask." Montag had worn this mask before as his happiness and after realizing that he wasn't happy and deeply thinking about Clarisse's questions, I guess that's when he realizes the mask is gone and she took it and now is the time that he wants it back. I guess it proves that people will do anything to seem happy, like wearing a "mask". Maybe that's what Bradbury is putting spotlight on in the first few pages?
I agree with you Uyen and I also think that Montag is wearing a mask and living in a false world, and that burning books is a way to distract himself.
DeleteI agree, i wrote about this too and i think he's using this mask as a source of protection, that he can't supply himself and it's also a metaphor for obviousness
Delete"He felt his smile slide away, melt, fold over and down on itself." Pg 12
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because it showed how he in not happy and how he is living in a false world and that Clarisse exposed that and saw that and prompted him to think about his life and the place he is in.
"One of them slid down into your stomach like a black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there" (14).
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to mind when I read this quote was that Ray Bradbury has a very unique way of writing. For example he compared the tubes on Guy's wife to a cobra snake. This made think that Ray likes to put a lot of imagination into his writing or compare things so you can see it in a different light. This quote also made me see that Guy is a very caring person and he cares very much in particular for his wife. Overall in general in the book I think that Guy is very uneducated not because he wants to be. Many people might disagree but I think that Guy isn't conformed to society but that he is just apart of it because its all he knows. I also think that knowledge does go into his job of being a 'firemen' because he doesn't know the consequences of his actions because he has never been punished for them so he thinks his right and doing something good for the government. I predict that later on Guy will end up seeing the consequences and how all his 'firemen' work really affected the people and how different life could've been with the books and how educated the people could be.
I agree because knowledge is power and taking away the knowledge of books and literature takes away the power of the people. The people do not study literature, so they do not study their rights. I believe Montag isn't conformed, but it is just the way of life, the only life he knows. Montag does not see the power of his actions and the burning of the books has just been so relative to him that he just sees this as not only a job but a pleasure, just like the first line of the book, " It was a pleasure to burn." Even how Montag wears the smell of kerosene because you can't really get it out just shows the too much of one thing, will soon turn into a bad thing.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete“People were more often – he searched for a simile, found one in his work – torches, blazing away until they whiffed out. How rarely did other people’s faces take of you and throw back to you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?” (p. 8).
ReplyDeleteTo me, this quote stood out because it says both a lot about Guy Montag and the world that he lives in. In this quote, Montag is talking about his next-door neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, who reflects his “own innermost trembling thought.” At first, I wondered why Montag has such a fascination with his new neighbor, and why it is that he thinks of her as ‘mirror-like’. I don’t think it’s only because her face was literally reflective, but I think also it’s because she was talking about things that Montag thinks about, and even wishes for. Clarisse talks about how people don’t pay attention to anything, and about how her family talks to one other – which is apparently a peculiar thing to do. I think Montag wants to be like the girl, noticing the world around him and interacting with others. Montag wishes he could “tap on their door and whisper, ‘Let me come in. I won’t say anything. I just want to listen. What is it you’re saying?” (p. 15). Montag’s longing for human interaction shows, I believe, that he lives in a time when discussing ideas with others is very rare, and when nobody stops to notice that “There’s dew on the grass in the morning” and that “there’s a man in the moon.”
I agree with this idea. I also want to add on that Montag might be desperate for human interation because of (his wife?) Mildred. She clearly can't hear, since Montag brings up several times that she learned how to read lips to be able to understand him. This is probably the main reason that he searches to be able to have a real conversation with someone who he can relate to.
Delete"Oh, just my mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking. It's like being a pedestrian, only rarer."
ReplyDeleteThis quote really shows how much society can change. If I looked around New York right now there are probably more pedestrians then actual people inside of their houses, but in this time, what is opposed to be the future, pedestrians are rare things. Also how just sitting around and talking is something that puzzled Montag, people in this futuristic time have become so consumed in electronics that it is too much to even talk or get to know someone. It is weird to think that two things that are very normal to us such as pedestrians and talking could become rare.
I totally agree. Montag is really surprised to see this girls family talking to each other. I believe that Montag has lost his human qualities like most people in this future world. Bradburry really emphasizes on how much Montag is actually surprised to see her family talk to one another. Because of his writing style it really helps us understand, in his perspective of whats actually happening.
Delete"It was a special pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed... with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world," (3)
ReplyDeleteAt first, this line didn't really stand out to me, because it was the first line of the book and i knew nothing about Guy, or the world that he lives in. However, after reading the rest of the assigned reading, i realized just how ironic it is that in a world that has been completely fireproofed, Guy loves to watch, and is fascinated by things burning. This shows his longing for more than the society has provided him with. He later realizes that he was been wearing a mask of happiness, but in actuality, he is unhappy. The society has convinced him to be content with its rules and regulations, but he has just realized- as one of the few exposed to fire- that he has been deprived of fire. According to what I've read, and the sample paragraph that we read in class, he has been deprived of books as well, and secretly longs for them.
I agree with you I also think that Guy is not really happy with what society has done by making everything fire proof and how he thinks he happy in the world his living in when hes really not, I also think that hes is sort of being manipulated and brain washed to think think that society is perfect when he really knows its not because it not pleasing him in what he would like to do.
DeleteMarek Barnette
ReplyDeletep. 13- "We get these cases nine or ten times a night."
I picked this quote because it shows how unhappy people are in this world. If nine or ten people are trying to overdose and kill themselves that shows how messed up this wold is. The paramedics have so many cases of this that they have machines built for this specific type of attempted suicide. Another indication that there are way too many suicides is that to use these machines that save people's lives, you don't even have to have a M.D. This quote shows that this world is a miserable place to be.
"They walked still further and the girl said 'Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?'" Pg.6
ReplyDeleteThis quote stud out to me because I found it to be confusing because I am think now and when I hear the word fireman I think of someone who puts out fires not start them. But also that he had no idea that they would ever do anything like that. Cause i was thinking that they had to learn some way and I would also not get that they did not learn about the past or history of the land of people.
"Kerosene is nothing but perfume to me" (6).
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stood out to me because it illustrated the demand of Montag's job and his point of view of it. The quote is basically saying that kerosene is always on him and around him. Since kerosene is used to burn things, and Montag's job revolves around burning books and houses, so naturally kerosene sticks to his clothes and skin, thus being "like a perfume". Also the fact that he calls kerosene a perfume reveals that he accepts the idea of kerosene being around him and thus he accepts his job. He doesn't question it or mind it in any way.
I totally agree with you Hugo. However, I feel that his opinion on his job of being a 'fireman' is going to change based on his new friendship with Clarisse. Maybe not one hundred percent, but its defiantly going to keep him asking questions
Delete"He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back." (pg.12)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because this shows the significance of Clarisse and how odd she is, and what her weirdness means to Montag. She asks Montag a simple question, which opens up doors to his wondering? Since she is a bit strange, he wonders what she means by this, why ask this? Montag states her as a thief for taking his mask of happiness, but this mask's purpose was to show he isn't happy, the purpose of any ask is to hide any emotion you don't want your face to give off. Montag is now put in a place to justify his happiness, because of this one girl, and he is failing to do so. I also like this piece because I fell it represents Bradbury's writing style. The piece not only dramatizes the rush of Montag's emotions but gives a sense of thrill and energy when reading it. The way to read it is clear and it gives excitement to the writing.
"Of course I'm happy. What does she think? I"m not? he asked the quiet rooms"
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of this novel is that its very intense at times. I also believe that you can already tell what kind of guy Montag is just from this quote. I believe that Montag really questions what others tell him. Montag also questions things that he tells himself. Ray Bradburry's writing style is very complex . I sometimes at parts had to re-read parts in order to understand his type of writing; however, I really enjoy Bradburry's complex writing style. It really made me use my head to figure his writing.
“I am very much in love!” He tried to conjure up a face to fit the words, but there was no face. “I am!” (pg. 20)
ReplyDeleteI think that that Montag saying this, he is trying to convince himself that he is actually in love. I also think that he knows the depth in his marriage sucks, and that his relationship is going nowhere. I believe however that in the back of his head he does love her, but only platonically. I predict that throughout the book Guy and Clarisse are going to explore the verge of a romantic relationship, giving them ideas about life and different ways to think about thinks because they both have totally different views on the world. Maybe Montag will break down at some point in the book, and it will test his relationship with both ‘women’ causing him to choose one over the other. I am not sure because I haven’t read the book, but this is what I feel is going to happen based on the plot so far.
Also, on a different note, I find this book very hard to keep up with. It is very confusing and all over the place, and I can be one or two pages into a new segment and still have no idea what is going on the context or only just find out. I do like it, its just going to take some getting used to is all.
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ReplyDeleteOkay, I didn't pick a quote because I found this whole part of the book extremely confusing. Like how did the girl end in up in the hospital I didn't get that at all. Also the fact about how all houses are fireproof and how they were talking about how back in the day there used to be firemen because the houses used to set on fire. I thought over all these pages I have read have been very confusing, maybe it's his style of writing but, I just don't understand the pages we had to read tonight.
Delete"It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in the amazing in his head, his hands were the hands of a conductor playing symphonies of blazing and buring to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history." I know this quote may be long but it says a lot about Mr.Bradbury's writing style. This shows hes a a very descriptive man he and you really get an image in your mind of whats going on in the part that your reading he doesn't exactly tell you whats going on he describes it and you have to figure it out. Like in the part of the quote when he says, with the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene his describing a hoes that a fireman is using to put out a fire, he didn't tell you that you just had to figure that out your self he didn't just say there's a man putting out a fire because he made you think about all the little things hes staying to make and put your own story together. Another example is he showing its in the future with out even really telling you he uses the dialog and your own mind to put it together. In the very begging of the section of the book we where starting to read he described a man putting out a firer but then later on in the section we where supposed to read he made a character say, is it true that fireman used to put out fires not start them? Then the Montag laughs and said no, then you get a sense that its not during our time but in the future. So basicly his writing style is being descriptive and really making you pay attention to whats happening in the book and making your mind work by making you piece things together.
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