A-BAND: FAHRENHEIT 451 (PP. 18-31)
For tonight's blog, please choose a line from the text, quote it (with the page number), and then ask a question based off of this line. Then, try to answer your own question. Dig deep. Perhaps try out a couple of potential answers. Perhaps, in your answer, provide a piece of textual evidence. YOU MUST ALSO RESPOND TO A CLASSMATE'S QUESTION.
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"And then, very slowly, as he walked he tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few moments, and opened his mouth..." Pp 24
ReplyDeleteI choose this quote because because I think it is the first step Montag takes toward rebelling against the government. In class we spoke about how the government keeps everyone busy so they don't think, but now Clarisse has gotten Montag to stop and look around and see things. She has gotten Montag to symbolically 'rebel' against the government, Montag may not realize it but this is a big step in changing his views of the government and his way of life. Clarisse has gotten him to do something that he wouldn't do if he were on his own and I think she'll inspire him to do more as the book progresses.
I agree with you I think that Bradbury put in the character Clarisse for a reason to show Montag the real world and how the government its sort of making him closes his eyes and not take the time to realize all the wonderful and cool things that surround him. I also agreed when you say that Clarisse will lead him to do an act of rebellion because she might make him realize what the government is doing to him.
DeleteI strongly agree with both of you and love how you captured the aspect of rebellion. I also find it quite interesting how such a young girl, Clarisse, manages to influence Montag. Because of her encouragement, he actually tries the rain. That must have been an unusual thing to do for him, but he still tried it...out of pure curiosity and Clarisse's impact, I presume. Young people seem to have some power in this novel.
Delete"Montag touched the muzzle. The Hound growled. Montag Jumped back. The Hound half rose in its kennel and looked at him with green-blue neon light flickering in its suddenly activated eye-bulbs."
ReplyDeleteQ: Why is Montag so scared of this robot dog?
A: Montage is pretty scared of the dog is because he has never face reality. Montage probably didn't know what would happen if he just touched the dog, because he has probably never faced a real animal or know the type of behavior of an animal has, because the government or the people who are running the society that is in the future probably made a law against having a real animal so it would protect the people just like they made everything fire proof. So Montag may have never had an interaction with an animal of anything like the dog until now, so it might have scared him and he probably didn't know how else to react besides in fear.
I understand what you're saying, but I can only agree with a little bit of it. The society that they're in today stops them from interacting with real life things, namely animals. Granted. But I don't think he's scared of this robot dog because it's an animal, but rather because it's this eight-legged, scary creature who lives in the firehouse. I'd be sort of freaked out by that, wouldn't you?
DeleteI somewhat agree with the both of you, especially the idea that he is scared of how distorted and machine-like it is. It basically symbolizes the danger of technology and how, just like in the Veldt, we can lose control because sometimes machines are hard to understand and not as stable as we'd think. The Hound finds and kills and that's it. We can see through Bradbury's foreshadowing that Montag doesn't exactly have a clear conscious. he's scared of everything the Hound can do and also what it represents.
DeleteI agree with Christina, and disagree Lucie. I feel that in a society where one is so repressed by the government that he cannot stop to look at flowers or interact with animals, someone like Montag, who tries to Conform, fears this type of interaction. I feel that he feels so awkward around Clarisse for this same reason. I think that Montag is afraid of the unknown and tries to control what happens in his life by not interacting with it. I feel that the dog reflects this. He doesn't understand it.
DeleteTomas Benincasa
"He felt his body divide itself into hotness and coldness..." (24)
ReplyDeleteThis goes back to the hardships of actually stopping and looking at what the world is like. Montag is completely torn between what he believes and thinks and what he is told to believe and think. most people just go fast almost as if they were trying to get away from all the emptiness in the world and their heads. Clarisse makes him think and seek answers but that's when he starts to see the good but also the bad, mess of a society he lives in. It's hard and he's not sure which he should follow, his thoughts which makes him different and his own person or just living as he knows. It's kind of like when you learn how to do something or you learn a text by heart and then you realize that what you're doing isn't right and you have to start all over again and learn the right way of doing. I bet it's even harder when most people don't want the individual to learn any other way then their way whether it's right or wrong.
My question was: Why does he feel so torn each time he talks to Clarisse his life and choices?
DeleteI think Montag feels torn each time he talks to Clarisse because if he accepts the side of himself that is more like Clarisse, he would be going against what he is supposed to believe. He is supposed to go through his life quickly and only look at billboards when he drives. He's supposed to burn books so that people can't read and learn about history. So if he agrees with Clarisse, he is doing the opposite of every thing he is supposed to be doing.
Delete“Why is it,” he said, one time, at the subway entrance, "I feel I’ve known you so many years?”
ReplyDelete“Because I like you, she said, “and I don’t want anything from you. And because we know each other.” (pg. 26)
Question: What does this quote say about the society at their time? Is it so rare for there to be relationships like Montag and Clarisse’s that even to them it seems a little ludicrous?
Answer: I believe, personally, that this says a lot about the time they’re in. The talk Montag had with Beatty shortly before might’ve sound regular, but I think that’s because there was no connection between them. They seemed like assassins who tried not to talk about their work (if that’s the right analogy to use). But here, Clarisse is always asking him real questions, and for the first time in a long time, he’s giving answers about himself. I think that Bradbury created these two characters, specifically, because it shows a guy who doesn’t have any faith in the world and a girl who’s trying to open up his eyes to what isn’t real about it. I think this relationship might lead to what is a rebellion against their society for not being as open-minded as they are, and I’m pretty excited to read that.
I really like your quote a lot and your question is very thought provoking. I agree with half of the things you have to say in that it says a lot about their society. I think that the people in that time are so busy with doing meaningless things that they don't form bonds like Clarisse and Montag do and that's what's strange about their relationship.
DeleteLucie, I totally I agree with you. I myself was going to pick a similar quote, "People don't talk about anything." however I didn’t choose it because I felt there wasn't enough information to go off of. Also, I find this book to be so alike to so many other books. For example, The Hunger Games(series), The Giver, and Matched(series), all have the same theme. A cut off society and a rebellion of sorts, I guess we will have to wait and see if it continues onto that theme. on another note, I feel that this quote shows that society 'in this time' has many unresolved issues. People are so dependent on the government thinking for them that they don’t feel the need to think because it’s just too much work. The same way homework is too much work. it is the same concept because they are both hard and no one wants to do hard work even if it is beneficial to them. If the people in this society do supposedly rebel, what’s the most that will come out of it? Not really that much.
Delete"He felt his body divide into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other. 'You'd better run off to your appointment,'" (Bradbury 24).
ReplyDeleteThis passage is a great example of how hesitant Montag is of giving in to what he thinks and Clarisse thinks, and of what he was brought up to think. Clarisse questioned why Montag chose to be a fireman, yet is so different from the others. But Montag is too loyal to what he was brought up to believe to question that himself. Clarisse also said that Montag doesn't love anyone, even though he has a wife, which Montag got defensive about. He might know in his heart that Clarisse was right, but I don't think he's ready to accept that fact. The way he "felt his body divide" shows the division in his beliefs. Clarisse has shown Montag that he isn't the only person who feels different.
I agree completely with what you said. Montag is very hesitant of Clarisse's ideas. It sometimes seems as though Montag tries to black out her ideas from entering his mind. I also believe your reasoning about why Montag does this to be true. He denies these ideas because he's too loyal to the government, he knows that things she's saying is illegal and i think he doesn't want a part in it.
Delete"Yes, I have. God knows why. You're peculiar, you're aggravating, yet you're easy to forgive. You say you're seventeen?" (23)
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why does Montag think that Clarisse is so easy to forgive? What does he like about her?
Answer: Clarisse is obviously an odd one in this futuristic society that Ray Bradbury creates in Fahrenheit 451. She has different ideas and thinks outside the box. Honestly, I think that this is what Montag likes about her. He values her individuality and this may be why he believes that she is easy to forgive. It is superbly interesting how this young person has impacted him to the point of going outside his comfort zone. Later in the text, he even tries the taste of rain because she did so. Her uniqueness in this dystopian civilization is what appeals to Montag and sets her apart from others.
I completely agree with your ideas. Clarisse is a misfit who doesn't have any friends yet like you said, Montag likes her. She's easy to forgive because she doesn't really say rude things, she just says statements that make him realize the truth and think and that unsettles him. Even though it unsettles him he does realize that it's not her fault that she's asking these questions and forgives her. I think her ideas, even though they may seem crazy to him, excite and stir a curiosity in him. She causes him to try things he's never done before like when you said with the tasting of the rain. I think that, even though Montag said that he felt like a father when he was around her, Clarisse will become a role model of some sort to him. She views the world in such a new way that Montag will be itching to learn about.
Delete"'Does it have a happy ending?'
ReplyDelete'I haven't read that far'
He walked over, read the last page, nodded, folded the script, and handed it back to her."
Question: Why does Montag bother to read that last page in order to find out if the script has an happy ending.
Answer: I believe that this is because Montag is so curious in stories and how they end. Once he hears about these stories he cant stop to find out more and more. I think when Montag says that his hands have a mind of its own I think he's telling the truth. I think another reason why he asks this to his wife is because she's almost losing her humanity. Before she was talking about a new wall TV. Montag wants to have an actually conversation with his other than technology, so he talks about a piece of writing.
I also agree with this Yuki, but I also think that his society has showed him to just look at the answers, not at the way they get the answers, so I think its the same as a book, just flipping to the ending to see the results not reading it to know why.
DeleteI strongly agree with you, Celia. It's true that the government/society doesn't want them to have a brain of their own and would rather get the answers first. I don't think Guy Montag really cared about the whole story, just the ending to see what the results are so he won't have to go through the trouble of actually reading the whole thing for himself.
Delete"And then, very slowly, as he walked he tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few moments, and opened his mouth..." Pp 24
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it showed me that Montag is connecting with Clarisse and becoming sort of a rebel. In class we talked about how the government is trying to control people, and Clarisse is a symbol of rebellion. I think the interesting thing about Clarisse is that she sees stuff everyone can see, but notices stuff no one chooses to notice. I think this is important because it is mentioned that she is new. If the government is trying to brainwash people to not think, it could be dangerous for them if they have a new citizen who isn't brainwashed yet. One million starts with one.
I agree,
Delete"I think the interesting thing about Clarisse is that she sees stuff everyone can see, but notices stuff no one chooses to notice." was a very good point that i never even thought of. She is a rebel figure in the book in a way but i think this quote also shows how much she impacts him and how much he himself wants to be a "rebel" and drift away from conforming.
Tomas Benincasa
ReplyDelete" 'Does it have a Happy ending?'
'I haven't read that far.'
He walked over, read the last page, nodded, folded the script, and handed it back to her. He walk out of the house into the rain." (20)
I feel that this quote represents the significance that Clarisse's question had on him. I think that when she asked him whether or not he was happy, he seemed kind of oblivious. After she had left, however, he began to realize that he wasn't actually happy with his life. I feel that this is one of the first times that Montag cannot run away from the fact that he is unhappy abiding by the governments oppressive rules. Because of her, he begins to see that this government is trying to control everyone. He is worried that the consequences of rebeling will be greater than those of conforming, and trying to forget who he actually is and wants to become.
I feel that this relates to Holden and his problems. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Has so many bottled up emotions, which he knows of and hides. Through out the book, he looks for an outlet for these emotions. Similarly, Montag knows that he is unhappy but is afraid of the government and their power. I feel that Montag is going through the motions because he is afraid of what will come with change, much like Holden through out the Catcher in the Rye.
Lastly, I feel that this is all he knows. In the first section of 'The Hearth and the Salamander', Mantag says that he would like to take out Marshmallow and roast it in the fire of the books. This shows that he is indifferent towards burning his books, and that it is regular for him.
I completely agree with you Tomas, I also think that as Montag abides by his governments rules he becomes less and less of himself and more and more of the governments slave, and as he is less and less himself he will be less and less happy. I think Clarisse caught him on the process to unhappiness and is trying to steer him away from unhappiness and to bring him back from the governments restraints.
Delete"..but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don't; they just run answers at you, bing, bing, bing, us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher. That's not social to me at all. It's a lot of funnels and a lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it's wine when it's not." (29-30)
ReplyDeleteI chose this passage in the book, because I think it really illuminates the whole aspect of the book. I think that they live in a world where there are not "whys" as to how something is, is just is what it is, and you shouldn't question it. I think that what Clarisse is trying to point out the they are spitting information out at them, with no evidence to back it up, because they are only using what is in their frame on knowledge. I also think she's using the metaphor with the water and the spouts to show the people as the spouts and the water as the information, and in the long run, it's probably not all correct, and a lot of it are just very bias opinions that they are imprinting into their societies thoughts as facts. I also think that they throw answers at them, without any explanation as to why they are the answers to what they are explaining.
I totally agree with you Celia. The points you make are very similar to those we made in class yesterday. The government wants-needs-a population of people who do not know how to think on their own. To keep it so no one can really learn to be self dependent in the thinking department, barrages of information is thrown at people, so they get to be confused most of the time, and are not able to be beings of independent thought.
Delete"And then, very slowly, as he walked, he tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few moments, and opened his mouth..." (pg,24)
ReplyDeleteWhy does he try what Clarisse was doing in the rain before?
Montag does this because he wants to try something new. In this part of the book all Clarisse is talking about is how everyone is the same and how nobody talks about REAL things, all they talk about are the same things everyone talks about. In a way i think he did it because he wanted to do something that wasn't the "norm". I feel like he really values Clarisse as a person because she opens him up to new ideas that he would have never thought of. Also, even though she is much younger than him, she acts like she's his age or even older and knows so much more about the world. I think he also sees her as daughter figure, because at one point he talks about how he always wanted kids but Mildred didn't.
I agree with you Lindsay but I think Montag tried it because he wanted to see what it was like to be different and not have every aspect of his life controlled by the government. I also think Montag tried it because he wanted to see how he would feel not being apart of or fitting it in with the majority bunch. To see if at the end of not being with the "in crowd" would he feel any different or see a change in himself. At the end of what he did he felt normal but at the same time different he was able to start to to see things differently and start to question things like the "mechanical hound".
DeleteI agree with you. I think that Clarisse really gets into Montag's mind. I also in a way think that he has always wanted to have a different mentality towards burning books, but hasn't had the opportunity. Now someone actually gives him that chance and we'll see if he goes along with it later on in the novel.
Delete" '...You're not like others. I've seen few; I know. When I talk, you look at me... The others would never do that... walk off and leave me talking' " (23).
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What does this show/say about Montag?
Response: I think this quote might show that Montag is really interested to hear what she has to say next and see how it might open his point of view on his society. Also how eager he is to become educated about the society that he lives and society used to be and different it became. Or this quote might be showing how nice of a guy Montag really is and how is listening to her because he doesn't want to be and rude. This quote could also be showing how little Montag actually knows about what is going on around him, for example, " ' But everyone I know is either shouting or dancing around like wild or beating up one another...' " (30), it doesn't even make sense that the society was always like this fighting and going crazy because then there wouldn't even be a lot of people around.
I agree with the first point! I chose the same quote and I also noticed how he doesn't seemed "brainwashed", almost, like the rest of the firemen Clarisse mentions and how he actually cares as to what she has to say. But I don't think he's just listening to be nice. He's stuck with this girl forever. He could've reported her or something like that because she's literally everywhere, but he went to her and listens and talks and I feel as if he shows true emotions to her.
Delete"Montague stayed upstairs most nights when this went on." (P. 25)
ReplyDelete"How did it start? How did you get into it? How did you pick your work and how to did you happen to think to take the job you have. You're not like the others." (P.23)
Is Montague really different? Is he a good person, in a bad world?
I think that Montague, deep down, really is good. The first quote is about how he stays upstairs in the firehouse when the other firemen sick the "Hound" onto defenseless little animals. It's a terrible, cruel act, and I think I shows that Montague has a good heart, and is brave by not joining in on the betting that goes on during this.....activity. It also shows that he's brave enough to be alone, to be different. He isn't afraid of the other firemen, of being regarded as an outsider. The second quote is from when he's talking to Clarisse, and she states that he doesn't strike her as the firefighter type. She has a good judgement of character, and if she thinks that Montague is different, kinder, then he probably is.
"I am, very much in love!’ He tried to conjure up a face to fit the words, but there was no face. ‘I am!" (Page 21)
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why does Guy Montag smile and "makes a face" when he burns books but not for how much he loves his wife?
In my opinion, Guy Montag doesn't really love his wife. When he burns books, he has a "fierce grin" because that's what he does for a living and it brings a smile to his face. However, he gets angry when he has no dandelions stuck to his face probably because he's realizing that he really doesn't love his wife and might not want to face the truth now. The idea of him making a face comes up again. It seems strange that he could love this action of burning books but he couldn't do the same with his wife. When Clarisse "illuminates" Montag's true feelings for his wife, he gets worried and kept saying to himself that he does love his wife. His job is his first priority, but his wife comes second. If he loved his life, he wouldn't have left her alone and devoted his whole life to his job as a fireman to burn books. Clarisse shows Guy Montag what his true feelings are for his wife and what their relationship is really about.
I completely agree with you here, Clarisse is showing Montag that his life really isn't as perfect as it seems, and although he may have all that somebody could ever need, its not what he wants. It seems like Montag never really questioned Mildred and his relationship before, she was his wife and this it. He never actually thought about the loving side of it and whether or not he actually loves her.
Delete"Heck she said, what would I want to go and do a silly thing like that for? I don't know, he said...I didn't do that, she said. Never in a billion years" (Page 19-20)
ReplyDeleteDid Mildred overdose by accident of intentionally? Why is she trying so hard to cover it up?
I think that Mildred did overdose intentionally. There isn't much we know about Mildred before this incident takes place, but we do know the society that they live in. I think that this is what her motive was for overdosing. One reason, based off of the society that they live in is that her husband creates the fires. Maybe later on in the novel we will see that deep down, Mildred doesn't like what the government is doing and she is ashamed of her husband. One other reason is that this society is very gloomy. I sense this because they live in a world without any literature which creates nothing to talk and argue about. Everything is controlled and Mildred is sick of it. The way that Mildred try's to hide the fact that she overdosed raises a bit of suspicion. When she repeatedly says, "Never in a billion years." you see how much she exaggerates when she could just say it once very nonchalantly and Montag would quickly divert from the subject.
"How did it start? How did you get into it?" pg 23.
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because it shows how much Clarisse knows and how much she wants to know, those questions really expose her personality. Also this question provokes Montag to tell his life to this girl which will bring them closer together.
"It doesn't think anything we don't want it to think."
ReplyDelete"That's sad," said Montag, quietly, "because all we put into it is hunting and finding and killing. What a shame if that's all it can ever know." (25)
Q: Is the government also like the Hound, not letting or wanting anyone to think of their own ideas?
Answer: I think the Hound does represent the government. The government as we've seen controls peoples lives in extreme ways, they control what people read, how people behave and even how fast they go on highways! In Montag's society you do what your told and don't ask any questions, ever. Now we see Montag not just saying ok and moving on but actually saying how he thinks it's sad that the Hound will only know what it's been programmed to do. I think this statement is how he feels, he is now thinking that maybe he should be able to be curious and learn more. Instead of saying it straight out which would be frowned upon and get him in trouble he says it in reference to the Hound.
" I wouldn't do a thing like that. Why would I do a thing like that?" (Page 19)
ReplyDeleteWhy is Mildred denying that she did this so much?
I think that Mildred is denying this so much because she is trying to almost ignore the fact that it did happen. She is trying to convince herself that she is happy even though she knows inside, that she is not. By saying that she never did overdose on drugs, Mildred is trying to convince herself that it actually didn't happen. She is pushing away the negative thoughts and pretending they aren't there, and distracting herself by trying to get Montag to buy her more technology, like the fourth wall for the parlor. This way she can keep herself busy so that her mind doesn't wander and remember those bad thoughts.
"...When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon, last night. The others would never do that. The others would walk off and leave me talking. Or threaten me. No one has time for anymore for anyone else. You're one the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a fireman."
ReplyDeleteIs Montag as brainwashed as we think?
I don't think Montag is brainwashed at all. Perhaps there is a bit of doubt in him of what Clarisse is talking about, but so far, he seems to be so intrigued and thinks deeply about what she says. She even notices how Montag doesn't at all act like the other firemen, who are definitely brainwashed. Or maybe they just don't care. But Montag does. That's why he probably sticks around with Clarisse's weird and outspoken personality and voice. He takes what she's saying/asking, and they keeps thinking about it, like when she asked him if he was happy and he was still questioning himself that same question afterwards, even when he did find the answer. But this also tells me that Montag isn't at all brainwashed. He's not brushing off what she's saying and shooting down her words with the words that was told to him. He listens. He answers. He laughs. He acts like a real human being than before. It's almost as if Clarisse was his wake-up call and all these thoughts inside his head were hiding, but now that Clarisse brought it up, he starts to actually think about it. He seems as if he wants to tell them to the world too, but perhaps he's just too scared?
I think that Montag is in fact brainwashed, or at least, he has been for a long time. It was not until Clarisse came into Montag's life that he began to think for himself and question his role in society. Before Clarisse, he was blindly following his orders for 10 years as a fireman, and we can guess that it was the same for his early years as well. I think Montag's government 'brainwashing' is wearing off finally, but i definitely think it used to, and still somewhat affects him.
Delete“ ‘I am, very much in love!’ He tried to conjure up a face to fit the words, but there was no face. ‘I am!’ ” (p. 20).
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why does Montag have trouble convincing Clarisse that he is in love? Does he not love his wife? Why not?
Even though Montag says he’s in love with someone, that someone being his wife, he can’t convince Clarisse of this and he can’t seem to make “a face to fit the words”. I interpreted this as meaning that Montag doesn’t really love his wife. At first I wondered why this would be. I think that possibly it is because Clarisse has opened his eyes somewhat to the lack of thought and observation in the people of their society, and this includes his wife. So far in the book, one of the only conversations Montag has had with his wife was when Mildred asked him for a fourth ‘wall-TV’, showing how technology is getting in the way of human interaction. I think that Montag realizes that he wants more to talk about than uninteresting and meaningless things. He wants to surround himself with a person like Clarisse, who observes the world around her, instead of people like Mildred, who seems to only care about modern conveniences. Like when he admits to himself he is unhappy, Montag is starting somewhat to realize that the world he lives in isn’t necessarily as genuine and interesting as he may have thought.
I honestly don't think that Montag loves his wife, because she seems very selfish. She asked him if he can spend one-third of his yearly paycheck to buy something that neither of them need, and then she had the audacity to blame him for not considering her.
Delete"And then, very slowly, as he walked, he tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few moments, and open his mouth..."
ReplyDeleteWhy did do the same thing as Clarisse knowing shes "crazy"?
I think Guy did this because he knows shes not actually crazy and is curious about the things she does. Everyone is brainwashed into this utopia and no one does anything with too much thought.
Then once Guy meets Clarisse, she starts asking all these serious questions, and speaking her mind and he doesn't know how to handle it. It then makes him over think and then actually start to wonder these questions and statements she says.
For example on page 23
"They want to know what I do with my time. I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think. But I wont tell them what... It taste just like wine. Have you ever tried it?
No, I-
You have forgotten me, havent you?"
This quote explains how she has to se a psychiatrist and talks about all of her thoughts and questions. Right after she talks about tasting the rain, Guy does it. It shows he thinks about these thinks too and has a connection with Clarisse.
I agree with you here. I think that Montag sees a truth in what Clarisse is saying and s wants to do what she does, which is to notice the world around him more. I also notice, though, that Montag is reluctant to taste the rain, and even when he does, it is “just for a few moments”, and only after Clarisse has left. Montag is still unsure of the way he feels about society and his views on the way people act, even though he is starting to realize that he wants more than that. He doesn’t want other people to know that he is questioning society, and he isn’t sure himself if he wants to question society. He is only slowly becoming more curious about the world around him.
DeleteStrongly agree with this. I would also like to add that Clarisse is a good example of someone who relates more to us in our society now. Since no one is like that in Guy's world, he probably finds it appealing because it is something interesting in his fairly boring life. It increases his desire for rebellion even more and makes him conscious about the society he lives in.
Delete"Is it coming alive on us, really...
ReplyDelete"it doesn't think about anything we don't want it to think."
"That's sad," said Montag, quietly, "because all we put into it is hunting and finding and killing. What a shame if that's all it can ever know." (27)
Question: What does the government's control over the hound say about Montag?
I think that the hound represents Montag. It is a machine that is programmed down to its every move by the government, and yet, it is beginning to stray from its instructions. For a long time, Montag was the government's tool for the destruction of books. He was basically their robot, as was the rest of the community. He followed orders, and didn't think for himself. Now however, Clarisse has inspired some inner dialogue, and Montag has begun to think for himself. I think that the hound moving independently from its orders is foreshadowing that Montag has begun to rebel in a miniscule way.
I completely agree, with the representation. What I wonder is what type of rebellion is the machine giving of because it could possibly foreshadow the possible actions that Montag can make. Also what could have made the machine begin to act up? Or even the machine has always acted out but the conversations with Clarisse could have finally made him notice.
Delete"That's one-third of my yearly pay." "It's only two thousand dollars" she replied. "And I think you'd consider me sometimes." Page 20
ReplyDeleteOne question that went through my mind as I read this quote, is how in such a futuristic society, can they have jet cars, and self-sufficient households, but yet live off of only 6 grand a year? It's not like Montag's occupation is mediocre; it's actually a very prestigious line of work, in this society at least. Has scientific research found a way to produce everyday necessities greatly, that they don't have to sell at such a price as today? Or, is food, and clothing rationed out? One thing that really bothered me about this is: why is Mildred trying to make Montag's feel bad so that she can get what she wants? It's not like she asked for something cheap, but an expensive piece of technology that costs one-third of her husband's pay. This can possibly lead to a new trait that we can categorize Mildred in.
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ReplyDelete" The psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect a butterflies." (pg.23)
ReplyDeleteWhy is this categorized as odd behavior to have to go to a psychiatrist?
This society is obviously different and has different beliefs and customs to daily life. Probably the "they" who are making Clarisse go to therapy see her as a threat, or at least her ways of being. The people who force Clarisse to go to therapy, most likely the government, are trying to mold her, or even brainwash to be a person who does not threaten the way and flow of society. Hiking and removing oneself to the environment, gives her a chance to think and have time to really think of the aspects of her life, and everyone's life around her. When she thinks of every detail of how her life is designed, she might begin to question the structure and begin to spread her thoughts which can lead to rebellion. Clarisse already begins to talk, for example, she begins to spread her thought to Montag, which now makes him question his own life.
"I've got to go see my psychiatrist now. They make me go." (22)
ReplyDeleteThis passage really stood out to me because it really showed how someone from our society now would appear in Fahrenheit 451's society. In the part of the book that we read, Clairisse seems a lot like somebody that would live in the 50s or 60s. I think that Bradbury puts her in the book on purpose in order to portray how someone in our modern society would get on in his idea of a futuristic society. Clarisse mentions she has to see a psychiatrist which means that someone clearly thinks that something is the matter with her. Clarisse mentions that she questions society a lot which is probably why people think something is wrong with her. To them she represents rebellion and so people think she has a problem.
I agree with you with the idea that someone who is a sign of rebellion people would push away or even say that she is the crazy one for acting/speaking this way of how they live. But I don't really see what you mean when you say that Clairisse is from our time but does not fit in there or does?
Delete"She licked her lips. 'Rain even tastes good.'" Pg.19
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading this quote it made me think why did Ray say that she licked her lips? What was the point in adding that why could he not just have said that she looked up and opened her mouth to taste the water and said "Rain even tastes good." Was it really needed that she licked her lips. I don't think that he really needed to add that part into the sentence. But on the other hand he could have done that to add just more details into the book. To give the reader a better idea of what is going on in that moment right then and there. But I think that Ray Bradbury does a lot like this just adding a lot of details when sometimes I don't think all of that is needed.
"being with people is nice. But I don't think it's social to get a bunch of people together and not let you talk to them talk. Do you?"
ReplyDeleteLater in this passage Clarice starts talking about her friend's deaths, and how there are s many. My question is: How is this lack of real socialization and the foolish deaths and killings of this generation's children related? I think i may have an answer, in this society, people dont talk as much, at least in an "interment" way, this makes people very independent and isolated, self centered, and apathetic towards others, so because of this, they usually wont understand the value of other's lives and even their owns, this will lead them to do reckless things, like kill others or die in pointless games.
I agree with you Josef. People in this society don't really socialize that much, so that means some people might not know each other personally and they definitely feel more isolated. They don't know how to handle emotions or learn how to appreciate the life/ things they have. Mostly, everyone in this society is alone. Kind of reminds me of the Hunger Games(:
Delete“Hello,” whispered Montag, fascinated as always with the dead beast, the living beast. (pg. 22)
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why is it that Montag is ‘obsessed’ with death, “the living beast”.
Answer: I think that because Montag has been a “fireman” for so long it has ruined his view on life. Montag has adapted to the burning of books and other objects, thus causing him to enjoy pain and in other aspects. I believe that this hound or mechanism of sorts, is scaring Montag because he is starting to realize how controlled his whole life is. While talking to the captain we find out that you can control what this mechanical animal does. Just like the government controlling this futuristic society. All of this has lead me to think that Montag is obsessed with an idea of death. However, Montag doesn’t exactly know what it is. I think that no one does because they are hidden from its true meaning. Everything is based off of technology so they don’t go through sickness, it just happens and is gone. Also, this “living beast” is a symbol for the questions raising inside of him based on Clarisse placing all of these ideas into his head.
I agree with you, Montag has adapted to the burning of the book and enjoying pain that when Clarisee asks him if his happy, he really thinks about this, and and he goes back and tries to makes reason as in why hes not happy but cant really seances to know why. And that the reason why he cant seances to find the answer to this is because of the hidden like you had said from the real meaning of things .
Delete"Good-bye," he said . He stopped and turned around. "Does it have a happy ending? "I haven't read that far." He walked over,read the last page last page,nodded, folded the script , and handed it back to her . He walked out of the house into the rain. (21)
ReplyDeleteQuestion : What did he asked his wife about the ending of the script ?
Answer : Well, I found this strange the Montag would ask this question, when Clarisse was asking him a few questions he had these instant reply, he dint stop or analyzed to think about what he was saying. When Clarisse left she came back in the room and ask him if he was happy, it seances like he really thought about this one question, this one question he keep asking him self . It was odd because Montag if the type of person who don't think a lot or analyzed tings. But jet he asked about the ending of the script as even , the ending of his life. I think he asked this question because he want to see how the ending of the script sort of ably to his life , and the fact the he nodded about it and gave it back and left made it seances like he really thinking about this question or hes even question him self .
"The psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect butterflies." (p. 23)
ReplyDeleteDoes Clarisse really know why she has to go to the psychiatrist?
I think as we all know, Clarisse is brainwashed. Since she has been forced to go to therapy, I believe that they (government, etc.) don't want her to be the person she is now, and help her troubled self, to protect the society from her (not only from her, but she is intimidated by most people. I don't think Clarisse truely knows why she has to go see a psychiatrist, because most of the time she would act like an "air head" and very open-minded, not in a good way (rebels). I think she believes that the psychiatrist is someone that just checks up on her life and not really taking this seriously. She's a little carefree, too. When she would talk to someone, she really digs deep into the conversation asking these erotic questions that she doesn't really have answers to (ex, how her life works) and she would get the other person thinking about a strange topic and then that person would fall into her position and think like she does. The government of course doesn't want that.