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.
"How long had they walked together? Three minutes? Five? Yet how large that time seemed now." (Page 11)
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How has meeting Clarisse impacted Montag so far in Farinheit 451?
Montag talks about how long his encounter with Clarisse was, in a good way. When Clarisse leaves him she asks him if he is happy, this continues to linger in Montag's head as the passage goes on. At first he is does not think much about his happiness but after Clarisse points this out to him he starts rethinking if he is happy, or if he is just covering his sadness, with a happy facade. In this quote, Ray Bradbury talks about Montag and Clarisse using the word "they", but in other parts of the passage he uses a different tense. It is also interesting how like in "The Veldt", there is futurist technology, such as the talking walls.
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DeleteAnswering your question I think Clarisse has had a huge impact on Montag’s life, she has lite a light bulb in his head and now her questions won’t leave his mind and is screwing over Montag. Montag can’t help but think about these questions because he’s not sure of the answers. He isn’t happy but doesn’t want to admit it so thinks about it and tries to look at his life at a certain angle where it does seem like a good life. Also, being one person that stands out in a crowd is a hard thing to do. Montag might be afraid to stand out and make a difference because everyone is used to the world there in and fear what they don’t know. Montag this early on in the book is probably still unsure about his feelings but I think it won’t be long before he fully notices the corruption in society.
DeleteI agree with both you and Chris in this. Clarisse has been a big impact in many ways to Montag. He makes him rethink everything. That is also what a good author does. He creates different characters to challenge each other which makes the book more interesting because everyone is rethinking everything and things change.
DeleteI agree with everyone that Montag really likes clarisse because he feels some type of connection with her almost in a way and I agree with you Marion that Montag really starts to question his feelings and emotions because Clarisse doesn't think that he is happy. In the beginning Montag is like of course I'm happy but when he goes home his smile fades away. Almost like Montag is forcing or convincing himself that he is happy but deep down he might not be
DeleteI agree with everyone. So far, Clarisse has an impact on Montag's life because he thinks about what she saying about weather he is happy or not. He started to think about his future weather he was enjoying life. You can tell because he stopped laughing and it seemed as if he had his mind on his joy due to the fact that "he stood looking up at the ventilator grill in the hall and suddenly remembered that something lay hidden behind the grill, something that seemed to peer down at him now. He moves his eyes quickly away."
DeleteSo far I think this novel is setting up nicely, I really enjoy Ray Bradbury’s way of writing and starting this novel, I can already see that this book takes place in the distant future with futuristic technology like the hand scanner that allows Montag to enter his house and machine that actually brings his wife back to life. I can sense this will be a problem going into the book, this obsession with technology and the corruption it leads us to and I can already see that Monatg finds some interest in this. “There are too many of us, he thought. There are billions of us and that’s too many.” (16) I did a little research and in the year 1953 when the book was written there were 2.6 billion people in this world. I feel as if Montag can’t settle with the thought of someone “living forever”. He thinks about how this world is so populated and yet people keep being born but no one dies. I feel as if Guy Montag is starting wonder about the world he is living in and it all started because of the girl he meet Clarisse, and how she set off a light bulb for him. This part of the story reminded me about Catcher in the Rye and how these little children have their innocence and have so much to learn about the world. I know she is 17 years of age, but she is still pretty young and wonders about the world in a way that confuses Montag and makes him wonder about it too. I think Clarisse will come back later in the book and will deepen Montag’s questioning as he ponders with this idea of living in a tech advanced society.
ReplyDelete"He felt she was walking in a circle about him, turning him end for end, shaking him quietly, and emptying his pockets, without once moving herself." pg.6
ReplyDeleteIn the novel so far, I really admire Ray Bradbury's writing style. He displays a descriptive and metaphorical form of writing. Also Bradbury expresses the "show not tell" rule very well. This passage conveys such a simple moment of thought; The fireman meets a girl called Clarisse, and he's just thinking to himself that she's good at psychoanalyzing him. I know a lot of people who psychoanalyze other people, I wonder what that says about Clarisse's personality. Maybe it's an act of self defense; she's subconsciously making sure she's in a safe zone. Or it could mean that Guy Montag is easy to read.
I agree with you. I really like the way that Ray Bradbury can be very descriptive and poetic, but he can also be very straight forward. I agree that maybe Clarisse is trying to avoid judgement by others, by analyzing other people, much like Holden in The Catcher in the Rye. She also called herself insane, when she was telling Montag how old she was, maybe this is another defense mechanism. Maybe Clarisse thinks by calling herself names, when other people say them, they won't hurt as much.
DeleteI have noticed a couple of things about Bradbury's writing style so far. For one is he uses a lot of foreshadowing. For example he writes, "... it never went away, as long as he remembered." I think he uses forshadowing for a couple of reasons. One to give you something to predict in the story. Also to create suspense which he uses a lot in his story. Bradbury makes you think while reading his book as part of his writing style. This helps you think about what you are reading and greater issues.
ReplyDeleteI honestly agree with you molly!!! I love the way he uses foreshadowing to create questions in the readers head to predict what's coming next. Which, in general is why I love Ray Bradbury writing style.
Delete“ Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it. It was not the hysterical light of electricity but-what? But the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle. One time as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a last candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery, of such illumination that space lost its vast dimensions and drew comfortably around them, and they, mother and son, alone, transforms, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon...” (pg.7)
ReplyDeleteClarisse’s face, described with such detail and passion by Montag illuminating with it’s “rare and gently flattering light”, a contrastive rendition of fire, not the “blazing and burning”(pg.1) Montag sees as he burns buildings but a softer light similar to that which lit up his memory. Montag’s childhood memory, and the illustrations of Clarisse’s face I believe are juxtaposed to compare the two and foreshadow events to come. Clarisse’s seventeen year old insane insight is what brings rediscovery to Montag, similar to his memory, arousing a consciousness that has led him blindly throughout his life in the darkness of a conformed society. Clarisse is therefore the last candle, one who found Montag and in pondering him with questions is illuminating his path, one query being “Are you happy?”(pg.10). Montag replies to this laughing, “of course”, though later describing the sensation as one in which Clarisse had escaped, across her lawn, with his mask of happiness leaving him in light of his own depression. This illumination of Montags subconsciousness is one I believe that will continue throughout the book becoming central to the main conflict. Likewise, as he finds comfort in the candle of his memory, Montag finds comfort in Clarisse yearning to join the laughter she and her family exchange, an escape from Montag’s own house, empty and dark.
I agree with you Beatrice, well because this was the exact quote I was going to use. I agree with how Montag and his childhood memory are foreshadowing some sort of an event that will hopefully be cleared throughout the novel. Also when Montag tells Clarisse that he is happy, he tells himself that he isn't when he gets home. We really didn't find any reason why, but I think that Ray Bradbury will definitely bring this up again.
DeleteI agree with you on your point about the constant symbol of fire so far in the book. When it is first talked about it is alive and bright and destructive. In a way, this is almost the adult version of fire, the cruel version. But the way Clarisse is described is much different, even though fire is still used. The fire here is only a small candle. It is innocent and isn’t anything at all like the first mention of fire. Talking with Clarisse is also the first time that we see Montag’s true thoughts coming out. He is starting to realize that what he has been thinking and feeling may have just been things that he was telling himself he was thinking and feeling. The mask of happiness shows that he didn’t even k now that he wasn’t happy until someone challenged his happiness. He isn’t aware of anything until someone brings it to light, and since everyone else is like him, no one has ever bothered to ask him if he was truly happy.
DeleteI have noticed some things about Ray Bradbury's writing style. I'm not sure if it was just me who thought this but I thought that he keeps referring to the temperature and how he either feels like the air has went up 10 degrees, or he either keeps mentioning candle light and fire. I found this important because the title of the book refers to hot temperature. Also another thing I noticed was how descriptive Ray Bradbury really is. He explains every little detail and he lets the characters say what they want. He pours out the identities of each character and already, not even one chapter into the book, I feel like I know Montag and Clarisse. Another thing that I noticed was that his descriptions are so vivid for me that I can actually make a picture of each scene in my head. It's normally hard for me to visualize but I felt that this author was able to make a clear image for me.
ReplyDeleteA passage that really stood out to me the most is when he's walking with Clarisse and she says "Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames." Not only did I think this was completely funny but, this stood out to me the most because it gives us a sense that the time zone is in the future which is another reason why I love Ray Bradburys writing style it always has something to do with fantasy.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: I'm really confused with Montage. So, is he a firefighter that bruns books or what?Because I know on page 6 he says "It's fine work. Monday burn Milay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Fualkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes." This gave me the idea that Montage burns books for a living.
I agree with you, Celeste.
DeleteThat part confused me so much. I began to wonder what these firefighters, in this society, really did for a living. If their job genuinely is to burn books, then I pity them. Literature is something that should be adorned, something that should be hung on frames in beautiful buildings; it isn’t something that should be demolished into ashes.
Furthermore, if Guy Montag really does burn books for a living, then I am curious as to why he hasn’t bothered to open one of the books prior to burning them? Yes, I know it is illegal to open the books, however, shouldn’t restrictions, at the least, lead to some sort of curiosity?
I agree with you, Celeste. I was very confused with that passage. It doesn't make sense why firefighters can't fight off fires instead they have to fight off books. Books are something you should feel curious to enough to learn and find out more information about the world and society. Why doesn't he open one ? How come he feels need to conform society? He shouldn't be happy to burn books he should feel angered by that idea. It is not the intended job of the firefighter.
DeleteThey walked still further and the girl said, "Is it true that long ago fireman put fires out instead of going to start them?" "No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it." - 8
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the book, I thought Montag was burning the house down because he was insane, but after reading this quote, it just seemed so curious to me. Why did McClellan said that BEFORE they used to put out fire? Why do people burn down houses and books no?. Montag at the beginning seemed so happy when seeing the house burn down, and it was very confusing why he was happy. He even said the smile never went away.
SAME! I questioned his sanity, but later on I recognized that Montag was really in the future.....But even then, this type of job does kind of sound scary, and Clarisse also brought up. Maybe she even thinks its not normal to light houses up for the fun that Montag describes. And yea....what's up and them burning books? Is it a time where books, were a chaotic thing that interfered with their lifestyles, and made people rebellious. Kind of like Clarisse, in a way. How would she possibly know how fireman were like before if she didnt read? Things are getting interesting!
DeleteI believe that the society Montag lives in is one that is very regulated, where one might be arrested for driving slow or even walking. Montag’s job as a fireman is to burn books, an extreme form of censorship, one though in Montag’s community is not seen as a crime but as a respected job, a job that Montag also happens to enjoy as he loves seeing books ablaze, “ While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning.”(pg.2). Montag’s “stolid helmet”, 451, and salamander and phoenix adorned clothes, are symbols enough to be of high esteem in society, displayed by Montag’s action of chastising Clarisse, for simply talking back, “... haven’t you any respect... doesn’t this mean anything to you? He tapped the numerals 451 stitched on his char covered sleeve.”(pg.8).
DeleteBased on what you said, in my perspective I believe that this is a way in which Ray Bradbury represents this futuristic environment that he believes we would encounter for. Just realizing the fact that he actually starts a fire to burn all of the "pigeon winged books" symbolizes censorship in the future. We as students believe that certain words shouldn't be censored because it's the word and emotion of an author in which we can no longer know of. In contrary, the society in which Montag is living in, Censorship is a way of protecting others for their own good but isn't too much of anything isn't a good for anyone. Would censorship create a corruption in the government or has the power we have underestimated brought itself into something we can't explain anymore.
Delete“He hadn’t looked for a long time.” (Bradbury, 24)
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me for a few reasons. One reason is that it tells a lot about Montag’s character. He doesn’t look at the moon because why should he have to? He is a firefighter so he puts all of his attention on the flames, which Bradbury describes in great detail. Montag is the kind of person who doesn’t think about things like the moon or the dew on the grass, unlike Clarisse. This quote also brings to light the futuristic society displayed in the novel. People don’t look at the moon anymore and they don’t even know any more that the grass has dew on it. There must have been some sort of change in society because everyone knows that there is dew on the grass now, so what changed over the course of history? In this society people are not trained to “smell the roses”. They speed past in cars and Montag, even though he walks home in the middle of the night every night, doesn’t look at the moon. I wonder if this somehow connects to the shift in roles that firefighters play. It almost seems as though the world has been turned upside down, where fire fighters burn books and billboards are 200 miles long and people forget that there is dew on the grass. I think that this all ties into the larger message of too much development are harmful. One thing that I noticed about Ray Bradbury’s writing style so far in this book is that he says a lot without explicitly saying it. He juxtaposes the plot to his larger message and goal of the story in a way so that it only becomes apparent when you really think about what he is trying to say.
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ReplyDelete"It was a look almost of pale surprise, the dark eyes so fixed on the world that no move escaped them." (pg. 5)
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt stood out to me for a number of reasons. Ray Bradbury so beautifully describes the girl's posture that makes her seem like an adult. That she has an ability to examen the world from a third person point of view, and nothing can escape her thoughts. Clarisse so prestigiously asks questions to Montag that seem so out of her expertise. How would she know how things were like back when? Our examen the little things like dew on the grass. It made Montag really think about everything. Made him actually look at the moon, and not focus on the mesmerizing job that he thinks he has. He questioned his own life, and his own happiness, which I thought was really well thought out, creds to Ray Bradbury. His writing style is so descriptive and well developed, that the reader doesn't even recognize anymore, due to the technological advances and lifestyles we were talking about in class.
~Also....when Montag observed this girl, he was moved for some reason. He developed a connection to her because he was not even sure about his daily routine, and what it really means to him. Does lighting things on fire really give him a sense of adrenaline rush? How was a fireman before his time? Many interesting points Clarisse brought up, that will impact him later on in the book.
Delete"Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them... "No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it.... "strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames."
ReplyDeleteI AM SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!!! like what is going on? so basically in this book firemen are suppose to start fires? I think that maybe Ray Bradbury is writing this book also like in a futuristic way like maybe this is what the future will be like I' guessing. The words LONG AGO and A LONG TIME AGO refers to the past and my guess is that since the future is going to be more advanced. Because it is not possible to have a fireproof house because as of right now technology has not been that advanced and it is also true as of this century houses do burn down by accident. I think the author is referring to the future almost as if he can predict or know whats going to happen.
It is interesting to me that firemen are supposed to start fires instead putting them out. Ray Bradbury did this like you said in futuristic way. The future lead the society to become confused and ask questions as to why this law is even put in place. The future will become advance enough to know the society is very corrupt and can't handle the irony.
DeleteI agree with you lily, i had the same reaction, but it's really the author is making the setting way into a futuristic form of life where things are advanced such as the fire proof house. i find it ironic how the author uses firefighters to burn things instead of putting them out. that is basically the complete opposite of what firefighters actually do in this time around.maybe Ray Bradbury's thought of the future is that society will be extremely advanced and developed which may make new laws and even corrupt the society leaving many confused and full of curiosity .
DeleteI had the same reaction too!!!!!!!, when I read it the first time . So I think that the story is palce way in the future and that since the said "Is it true that a long time ago firemen put out instead going to start them?" . Also they mention something about boom burning , I thought he wrote that in his hook because that is what happen in Germany during WWI so he took what he already saw in the world and added it to his book
Delete“I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly. If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! he’d say, that’s grass! A pink blur! That’s a rose garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows. My uncle drove slowly on a highway once. He drove forty miles per hour and they jailed him for two days. Isn’t that funny, and sad, too?” (Page 9)
ReplyDeleteClarisse’s speech, for the lack of a better word, seems to be, even if unintentionally, emphasizing the faults of the society that she is currently living in. From what I have gathered of this society from Clarisse, it’s almost as if the people are encouraged, by some sort of authority, to live their lives at an abnormally fast pace, a pace that often disrupts them from completely understanding some significant concepts of life.
Granted, this society seems extremely dystopian.
The people believe they are happy—this idea is implied when the narrator states, “He (Montag) 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.”—however, their perceptions seem blurred. These people, the ones in this society, seem to be oblivious, almost, to all the negativity surrounding them.
Ultimately, I feel that Clarisse is implying that people, the ones in her society, are going about their lives in too much of a hurry, and that their enthusiasm for the future is not allowing them to savor every bit of the present. And it isn’t like they have a choice: they’re forced to live like this, because they’ll be penalized if they decide to rebel. (Her uncle, being a prime example.)
What a misleading society to live in...not that it is too different from ours.
"Do you ever read any of the books you burn ?"
ReplyDeleteHe laughed "That's against the law" (pg.8)
This passage stood out to me because this law is very uncommon and abnormal in our society. In his society this law is common. Clarisse McClellean says "Is it true that a long time ago firemen put out fires instead of starting them?" This statement is very ironic and it shows how society is changing slowly and slowly, but they are very mislead and confused. Firemen put out fires, so it honestly doesn't make sense to me as to why they would burn books. Book are against the law and Montag's job is to burn them. Based on the introduction,blurb and this intending question it is foreshadowing, that Montag will either a read book or burn them. He laughs at her question because he has never read book, but I feel Clarisse will change his attitude towards books. She will change it so that he is more curious and wants to rebel against the government. Books are against the law and the society is abiding the rules. Montag shouldn't feel the need to conform to society even though the law is ridiculous. Books are supposed to be read to seek knowledge and find out new perspectives about life. Why is the government against books? Is knowledge not tolerated in his society? Censorship and Rebellion seems to be common themes throughout the book I'm very curious as to how Ray Bradbury will continue to use themes to symbolize an overall message.
I agree with you, Kiran. I also saw the government wanting the firemen to burn the books as a way to keep people from learning. Is there an event in the past where books caused a war or something very devastating? This quote made me wonder not just why books were being burn but also the outcome out it. This quote also stood out to me because it reminded me of how in some societies what is put in newspapers are controlled to protect the people or to prevent rebellions against a higher power. What is the reason in Montag's society?
Delete"He felt his lips move, brushing the mouthpiece of the phone. "Emergency hospital." A terrible wiser."
ReplyDeleteI think this book is going to get more and more confusing when we get more into it. At first when I started reading, I was very confused, then I put all the hints I already knew about the book together and it makes a little more sense to me now. once I got to the part about going to a hospital and something dreadful happening to mildred I got very confused. What exactly happened to her?
I definitely agree with you! This is a very confusing book. Although with this much confusion, we have to think even harder and read more carefully. Also about Mildred, I'm still a little confused as well. But what I do know is Montag found her after these men left her somewhere.
DeleteThen she seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. "are you happy?" she said. " Of course i"m happy. what does she think? i'm not? he asked the quiet rooms". pg. 7-8
ReplyDeleteThis passage really stood out to me because this girl( Clarisse), a person Montag just met, was able to analyze him and notice that his laughter and actions lead to a person that's not happy. what's significant to me is the effect that she has on Montag where she really leaves him thinking about his happiness and whether he's happy or not. he begins to question this fact and in the end he realizes that this girl he just met has a incredible power of identification. even if he tries to deny that a first he begins to notice that it's true and that he's living a unhappy life. as he states in pg.9 " He felt his smile slide 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". this is where i begin to understand his feelings and notice that behind that smile he had earlier, he's a man in the darkness living very unhappy and tries to shield or hide it from society which the girl is able to notice. Montag wants to be happy or at least tries to which is why he may want to be around others. in pg. 14 it states" He stood outside the talking house in the shadows, thinking he might even tap on their door and whisper, "Let me come in. i wont say anything. i just want to listen. what is it your saying?".
Junior I also agree with you but I think that there is more to this quote that what you stated. I believe that when Bradbury wrote this he was starting to give bits of the novel’s message through a quote like this. After reading a few pages of “Farenheit 451” I started to view the setting of the novel as a utopian society since everything in the society seems to be put in a way that benefits everyone on it. For instance, in the novel the houses are fire proof so in case a fire breaks out there isn’t much damage done to anyone. I believe that Bradbury created the society this specific way to show how even though people try to do certain things that are for the best for everyone but it actually ends up hurting them. It ends up hurting them in a way since not everyone has the same view of a utopian society. In other words, I believe that Bradbury created the novel this way as form to create a link between the book and our world. Bradbury basically created the novel as a way to show how our American society is just a mess because even though it attempts to do many things that are meant to be helpful for us but instead they just create chaos. For instance, American society tells us that fighting for the spread of freedom and human rights is right and it should be accomplished no matter what the cost is.
Delete"...in a power failure...there had been a brief hour of rediscovery...and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping that the power might not came on again too soon..." (pg. 7)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me for many reasons. For one, I wondered how the power could have such a great impact on them in a short amount of time. This quote shows that the power gives limits to the people living in this society by causing them to not feel a way or to not react in a way. The power also seem to be a type of system that keeps track of people and points out their wrongs which leads to them having to go to jail. The fact Montag and his mother didn't want the power to come back so soon shows that they know the power is bound to come back which can show governments rush or greed for power. It also shows that they were happy which isn't something that is real based Montag's uncertainty about many things in his society. This quote also helps in understanding why Mongal likes the darkness when he gets home because it gives some sene of freedom, even if it isn't clear to him.
last year i had to deal with 2 power outages during the first one i was at my beach house so it didn't really affect me i mean i basically never use my phone or any electronics anyway but the second one was sandy and that brought me and my friends closer because we went out and walked around and even though we were scared it was ok to that brought me and my family and friends closer because it can create memories and we can laugh at it later
Delete"it never went away, that smile, it never ever went away, as long as he remembered." (pg. 4)
ReplyDeletethis just makes me wonder if he is smiling to make it seem like he is happy for other people, if he is just lying to himself, or he is just actually happy but it doesn't seem like it. it seems like he is lying to himself but i wonder why it doesn't seem like he hates his life it seems pretty successful but just a bit disorganized also this reminds me of holden because he also lies a lot.
When I read this it made me think of an evil smile or a fake smile because always having a smile doesn't necessarily mean your smiling for a good reason. Also the way Bradbury describes the smile makes it sound dark to me. It seems like the smile is so fake and he uses it to cover his true emotions up so often that it is not permanently on him.
Delete"The air seemed charged with a special calm as if someone had waited there quietly ,and only a moment before he came ,simply turned to a shadow and let him through" pg 5
ReplyDeleteI was confused with this quote at first because I though the was talking about actual person waiting for him and they had just left then I kinda understood it ;I personally think it means that when someone is waiting for you , some how you u feel there energy in some way, you feel there presences. I understand why the main character is feeling this , because he is walking around what I assume is New York City in the middle of the night which is probably not safe in the future as well as today.
I agree when you say the quote is confusing because I did feel this way myself but I disagree with you when you say someone was waiting for him. I feel like he’s just describing what it felt like and how unnatural it was to see someone walking down the street. This is because he says, “…with a special calm as if someone had waited there…” Later on Clarisse, the girl “waiting there”, tells us about how her uncle got arrested for being a pedestrian. I also feel like the feeling he describes, the “special calm”, was his way of feeling like he wasn’t alone and had someone to talk to who wasn’t his wife. You could also feel his sense of loneliness when he’s describing his feeling when his wife is getting pumped and he uses words like “emptiness” to describe her insides.
Delete“Darkness.... 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. (Page 12)
ReplyDeleteSometimes the happiness in which we can recall to is just having a smile on your face but there is something more than a smile, it’s the way in which we sometimes react towards the world. Whether we question anything or maybe the world it’s just so simple and so normal there is nothing you can ever encounter for. The very first step Montag ever made in his house brought the happiness Clarisse asked when she ran back to his house into this mask. Montag's illusion with wearing his happiness like a mask really questions if he ever felt happy in his life. It's confusing to me because you can't just feel happy one day and a moment later the smile you once had is just gone. It’s weird how happiness can become into this depression, once when you come in a room. Has Montag always felt like this emptiness in coming to his house? In this case this house is this luxurious, fancy house with these clam sound waves that gently sweep Montag's wife to bed but this isn't the life or freedom in which Montag wanted. His house or even a room, "cell-block" separates the nature sounds and the whispers that the wind makes to communicate in this futuristic environment. People adapt to what is easy or beneficial instead of seeing the world as an adventure. Noticing those little sounds, whispers or even the movement of a body nearby, they trap themselves into a room and believe they are relaxed or even a peaceful place to be in. We ask ourselves where our happiness has fallen or just disappear in thin air. We accuse the happiness of others but at the same time aren’t ourselves separating the joy we ever had in this world or a moment in life. For instance Montag believes Clarisse ran off across the lawn with the mask but actually she was happy all along. The crazy thoughts or even assumptions that she made in her mind made her believe into this desirable imagination that Montag never captured in the world. He is hindering the fact that he isn’t happy due to the society in which we sometimes refer to as a “home.”
"you think to many things,' said montag, uneasily."
ReplyDeletethis passage stood out to me because it says a lot about both characters, Guy Montag and Clarisse. first i think that Clarisse is a curious girl, she wants to know more about things and she observes little things that others don't. she asks Guy about firefighters and if they used to put fires out instead of creating them. guy tells her it isn't true and laughs, this shows us that guy is a type of person who believes what he's told because he doesn't think twice when he answers Clarisse. he tells her she thinks about to many things uneasily, this makes me think that he's never been exposed to people who question whats told or people who ask questions.
"With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in gorging fire the burned the evening sky red and yellow and black." page 3
ReplyDeleteOn the first few lines of the book i had to stop reading and think why i had read so many lines and it was on 2 sentences. I have already seen his strategies of making long juicy sentences. In the Line i saw two things. The first thing is he uses the number "451" like in the title. I was wondering what we were talking about in class about how paper burns at that temperature and i also looked at the cover of my book. It was amok that is made of newspaper and is on fire. I wondered why he had used the number so early in the book even before we had gotten to the 2nd page ! I'm starting to love Ray Bradbury's writing strategies.
Quote:” He felt his smile slide away, melt, and fold over and down on it-self like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and now collapsing and now blown out.”(Bradbury 9)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this quote I was astonished and a bit skeptical towards the setting of the novel but at the same time I also got a clearer view of what the message that this novel was trying to send out to the reader. First of all, I was a bit shocked to hear that Montag is not pleased with how his life is since at the beginning of the novel Montag talks about how proud he was to be a fireman but now the mood immediately changed to being more depressing and serious. In addition, this quote stood out to me because Montag talks about how all his life he thought he had the best job since he did something he loved but then he realizes he was living in a lie. Montag is slowly starting to realize that the person he thought he is, isn’t actually who he really is nor wants to be. Furthermore, this quote stood out to me because it also gave me a clearer view of what the message of the novel is. For instance, I now believe that the message is something related about how we as an individual always believe we are being ourselves or doing something we love but we really are not since it is something that society as a whole has pushed us to become in order to “ fit in” and be “normal.” In conclusion, this quote stood out to me because I can personally connect to it from my own prior experiences.
This quote also stood out to me but or a different reason. The author’s writing style is different than previous book that we have read as a class. Bradbury is descriptive and mysterious. He also likes to make metaphors. An example of this is the candle. In addition, it seems that he is connecting everything to the title of his book. On the first page, he explains why the title is called Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury is detailed but every detail is meaningful and has a connection to something else in the book. Already I have started tying threads of different passages in the book together to form little stories that somehow combine to make a larger theme or story.
Delete"'Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?' 'No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it.'" (Pg.6)
ReplyDeleteThis was significant to me because its confusing how the fireman would start fires rather than putting them out. I've never heard of fireman's creating a fire.! I thought fireman's were suppose to prevent fire from all the accidents! I then noticed that Clarisse said "long ago". I immediately knew that Ray Bradbury was referring our present as the past in this book. He was writing about the future rather then the past or the present. What kind of world is Ray Bradbury thinking of? I thought causing more pollution was bad! Bradbury has a creative mind in writing his stories. For example, in his short story "The Veldt", he has a different perspective to the world as I can see in this book. Also, I notice that throughout the book, I'm going to have a difficult time trying to understand what he is saying and I will have to follow on to every single word to be able to understand.
I agree, I was confused at why Clarisse would think that firemen would start fires. I think that that was one of the first clues that this is going to be a sic fi/fantasy book; the way Ray Bradbury talks about the past. I also agree with what you said about "The Veldt" Having a different perspective on the world. I was also having a hard time understanding the book without following every single word. I had to reread this passage 4 times alone just to understand it.
Delete“Why, he thought, now that I think of it, she almost seemed to be waiting for me there, in the street, so damned late at night...” (pg.11)
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this line I quite liked the girl and her wacky questions, she reminded me of myself and how I communicate with strangers. The girl appeared ghost like and creepy after Bradbury mentioned this line. For me the Guy Montag seemed evil and the little girl innocent, until it was pointed out to me that she might have been seeking/stalking Guy. Bradbury seems to bring the element of darkness to his stories mainly with younger characters, as in “The Veldt” where the two infants were the killers. It's interesting how he uses childish things and turns them evil, as in laughter or happiness. Also, in “The Veldt” the childrens imagination, commonly looked as a positive thing in children, is turned into a weapon. In class we discussed how for the time period things like technology, and I'm guessing children, were looked as positive figures, but Bradbury has a dark view on things and twisting the readers view on life. I like this in his writing and believe it makes it stronger and more interesting.
“Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles, in the dark. It never went away, that smile, it never ever went away, as long as he remembered.” Pg 4
ReplyDeleteIn the first page of the book Guy Montag seems a bit happy, like his life couldn’t be any better. Although that’s how he feels in the beginning, it all changed when Clarisse questions him about his happiness. A simple question, “Are you happy?” It should have been easy for him. When you smile your happy and since he smiles a lot he should be pretty happy. In the end he answers the question with another question, showing his uncertainty. As soon as he gets home and he’s meant with silence he realizes he’s not happy. He then describes his bedroom as empty, even though it contained his wife inside. Is he trying to say that she means nothing to him or did he simply not see her? He then compares himself to a candle being blown out and in the previous pages he described fire as a thing that provides “illumination.” Is fire, burning books, what really makes him happy or did he just blow out his candle and lose sight of what gives him happiness?
“ Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it. It was not the hysterical light of electricity but-what? But the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle. One time as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a last candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery, of such illumination that space lost its vast dimensions and drew comfortably around them, and they, mother and son, alone, transforms, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon." pg.3 (I have a different book so pages are going to be different.)
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly within only the first 15 pages quite a few quotes stood out to me, but this one had to be my favorite. What I noticed about Bradbury's writing style is how delicate he is with words, and how beautifully he can describe something. This style really showed in this quote specifically and had me reading it at least 5 times. None of my predictions came true for the story yet but now that I have at least a small grasp of what the story is I can make more reasonable predictions, I believe that the detail Bradbury uses in his descriptions are a main part of what makes him such a great writer. As well as giving us some type of a feel of what the characters are like, clearly Montag feels strongly about Clarisse as you can tell in the passion he uses to describe her.
‘“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”
ReplyDeleteHe laughed, “That’s against the law!”’ (8)
Why is it illegal to read books? I think that that government is afraid of knowledge that the books give. In this society a firefighter burns book and other things instead of stopping the fire. Furthermore, a minimum speed limit is enforced instead of a maximum. This is used to keep people from seeing the world that they live in. This society is the opposite of the one that we live in today. What causes everything to be opposite? I think that it could be technology. In this sci fi world everyone is dependent on technology. I like Clarisse as a character because she forces
Montag to question himself and his actions. Clarisse plays the same part in Montag's live as Phoebe did in Holdens. Even in the first few chapters of the book, Clarisse gets Montag to think about his happiness and why he does things. Clarisse is the figure that question the way this society runs. The theme that seems to be emerging is the idea of the power of knowledge.
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Delete"He felt his smile fade away, melt, fold over and drown on itself like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and collapsing and now blown out... He wore his happiness like a mask." (9)
ReplyDeleteI noticed that Ray Bradbury uses many metaphors. In the short story he wrote, "The Veldt," I noticed that his writing style is very descriptive. In Fahrenheit 451, he is also very descriptive, but he uses metaphors. Metaphors are comparison using like or as. So when Bradbury says "He wore his happiness like a mask," that means that he is writing a metaphor about happiness. Metaphors help Bradbury use his descriptive writing style because they allow him to describe things by making comparisons. You could really tell that Guy Montag wasn't happy anymore because of the metaphor Bradbury used: "He felt his smile fade away, melt, fold over and drown on itself like a tallow skin." The metaphor allowed him to describe this emotion in great detail.
I agree with you! I realized this when I also began the book because he was also very detailed with the beginning of the book, as well as he was in "The Veldt" when he was talking about Africa. I do want to know more about what the big message about the story is and why Ray Bradbury wrrites his stories in a lot of detail... What is he trying to say to is readers?
Delete"He suddenly couldn't remember if he had known this or not, and it made him quite irritable." (pg 9)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it made me wonder what type of guy, Guy is (tounge twister)! While Clarisse was telling him about the things that she knew and about what she thinks about, he was thinking about whether he remembered the things that she was talking about. Also, he had realized the small things such as looking at the moon that he has not been doing! When it said that he became a bit irritable because he was not sure of what he had been doing I wondered if he was one of those guys that wanted to be know it alls and if they were not, they got angry. This part also made me think that maybe a message that will show up in the story is that Montag meeting Clarisse can lead to him stepping outside of his comfort zone and actually looking at the things around him with a different perspective and cause him to thing more about things around him, like Clarisse.