What does your passage reveal about a BIG idea, and how do you know? Think about the work we did in class re: Bradbury's commentary on religion, war, etc. And remember to look closely at language.
Choose a line that stands out to you because of the WAY that Bradbury wrote it. You can ask a question or just explain why it stood out to you. Don't forget to also respond to a classmate's comment.
"Montag knew it for the truth. Beatty had wanted to die. He just stood there, not really trying to save himself, just stood there, joking, needling…" (116 in the big book)
ReplyDeleteThis passage reveals that the people in this society are unhappy and they are starting to realize how messed up the world they live in is. A revolution is starting to occur. Although Beatty never actually says he wants to die, it is clear because of the way he reacts to Montag threatening him. He knows that he will lose the battle and he is scared of what may happen to him. He realizes that the best way to die would be right there and right then.
I agree with what you said, but Beatty and his giving up might be to get things over with, and not risk any further damage in the time he has left. He also might have backed off knowing he can catch Montag off guard, just giving up like that. Take a chance to see if Montag could see him like that, and not want to do anything to Beatty.
DeleteI actually think Beatty has known that what he was doing was wrong for a long time, but he was so deep in it, so far drowned, that he couldn't get himself back up again. There are obviously people in this world who don't realise what is going on in their society and who live in ignorance. I think that Beatty's plea for death is a sign that there may be hope for restoring the world as it was.
DeleteI also agree, but I also think that this passage shows that suicidal thoughts are just common place in this society. I believe that Beatty is a victim of societal disfunction. Before Montag kills Beatty he even says that he understands why Montag was hiding books. Beatty also says he read books, and even after reading books he still wants to destroy and burn them because he is afraid of what he doesn't understand.
DeleteI agree with you, these people are letting society shape them but at the end when they realize how messed up the world they're living in is they just end up killing themselves just like Gloria's husband: throwing himself off a building. I mean, why did he throw himself off a building, only people that are unhappy kill themselves.
DeleteI also wrote about this line. I really liked what you said and to add on, I think it's really interesting what you wrote about Beatty being scared. I think that if there was less fear in the world, a lot more would get done.
Delete"What is fire? It's a mystery. Scientists give us gobbledegook about friction and molecules. But they don't really know" (109)
ReplyDeleteFire is obviously the big topic in the book, and it symbolizes many things. These things aren't drawn out clearly sometimes, but in this case, almost greater than ever. Beatty talks to Montag before his house gets burned down by his coworkers, and says this in part of his speech. Bradbury could have easily wrote a line saying something like this, "Ah fire, can take things down at any second, out of nowhere. Its very interesting." Bradbury clearly doesn't go for the easy way in writing. He goes in depth in his writing and will make speech sound very educational. Bradbury makes Beatty tower over Montag, and give him no chance at coming out of the hole that he is in. Bradbury is an amazing author!
I talked about a pretty similar point, about how Bradbury empowers Beatty as this character that can influence Montag to go against his morals. I found it very interesting that Bradbury would create such a lively character even thought he was just another almost lifeless character like Mildred and her friends. The only difference is that Beatty has a sort of knowledge, a bad knowledge with negative influence on Montag.
DeleteI like the way you wrote this Matt and I agree with you. We have clearly noticed Bradbury always likes to take the harder, the more depth way. Many times he has talked about fire and every time he described it as something scientific, musical... For ex: at the beginning of the book, Bradbury could've easily said that he likes fire and how it burns everything at the same time. Instead, he writes phrases like, "conductor playing all the symphonies."
DeleteI completely agree with you and also, this line continues to when Beatty says, "Its a real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences." This line is very significant to me because it is portrayed throughout the whole book. To bring something new to the table, I would like to mention that Beatty means that fire is very beautiful because it destroys almost anything that you can think of that makes you work hard. Responsibilities give you so much tension that Beatty basically wants to ignore it. Also, he says that it burns the consequences. This to me means that he is very lazy to even put in the effort, which prevents him from thinking of the results .
Delete"And as before, it was good to burn, he felt himself gush out in the fire, snatch, rend, rip in half with flame, and put away the senesless problem. If there was no solution, well then now there was no problem, either. Fire was the best for everything!" (116).
ReplyDeleteFire here really has a symbolic role in this book. Fire is an easy way to solve all of one's problems in a mindless and careless fashion. Here, Montag seems highly influenced by Beatty's speech, where Beatty noted that to burn something would get rid of a dispute but keep in mind this is Montag's house being burned here. Beatty has become this overpowering character, associated with fire, meaning that he has an incredible amount of power in "settling disputes" in the way that society has taught them is right. Bradbury shows this by relating back to passages that had Montag with these extreme beliefs like on the first two pages of the book. In this quote, it says "And as before, it was good to burn." On page one, the first line of the book is "It was a pleasure to burn." This shows a great representation of how Montag has changed throughout the book for the better and for the worse.
You made a really good point. Montag has changed so much in terms of his views on firefighters and society in general. They way Bradburry words this, by reffering to the first line in the book before Montag had changed, really makes it much more powerful to readers and makes readers realize how significant the change in his character is.
DeleteOnce again, this can also be seen as a negative aspect. It is interesting to see how flawed the system is that even the most "unaware" fireman could rapidly change his mind on his employment. I think Montag was able to change his mind, because he looked beyond the fire. It's a strong point that you bring up in how we can consider if one fireman can overthrow a whole government.
Delete"For everyone nowadays knows, absolutely certain, that nothing will ever happen to me. Others die , I go on." (115)
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to what we talked about in class few days ago. People just do what they want, because they seem to have forgotten all the responsibilities and consequences of mistakes in life. Nobody cares anymore about who's in charge and who makes all the decision. Being under an umbrella of technology have blinded people of all the challenges and dangers of life. Ray Bradbury clearly shows how people don't think about the aftermath of their actions. For ex: Mildred, being so lost of the real world, clearly didn't think that when Beatty burns down there house, she won't have a place to stay: she won't be able to watch the parlor people anymore. And she seems to have lost the thought of her husband, Montag, and what would happen to him.
I agree with what you have said here and in addition this relates to everyday normal life. People always think that terrible things can happen to people around them but not to them and they are invincible. Their society has completely rid the fear that bad things can happen to them. Mildred's friend who says that nobody dies in war. In their society everybody just wants to be happy and not confront reality.
Delete“We never burned right… And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him. There was a hiss like a great mouthful of spittle banging a red-hot stove, a bubbling and frothing as if salt had been poured over a monstrous black snail to cause a terrible liquefaction and a boiling over of yellow foam.” (113)
ReplyDeleteThis passage really stood out to me because it highlighted that content in feeling powerful and destructive, when you are ignorant. Now that Montag is a conscious, living being, he doesn’t take pleasure in setting something, or someone, up in flames like he used to. This passage juxtaposed with the first passage in the book shows how his opinion on burning conflict and getting rid of issues has changed over time. The language is no longer describing the fire as beautifully deadly, but horrifically murderous. Bradbury uses the dissonant word froth to describe it. Montag no longer has the ability to be blissfully ignorant, which makes every move more difficult.
Gemma, I completely agree!
DeleteThe realization of what he was doing and that his ignorance can no longer be a factor in his life stood out to me as well. As I mentioned in my passage, Montag's old life is gone; he will never be the same again.
To add on, it's like Montag has almost come to a full circle. in the beginning he was certain that firemen always burned down houses. When he states " We never burned right"(119), it shows me that everything he's gone through has also allowed him to see that firemen were never meant to burn houses and books. He sees that what's happening with the government has affected more than the books and the "silly" people in society, but history as well.
Delete"'Poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now..." (114).
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because it really makes you think back to how bad Montag is viewing his life. Everything is gone. His life of serenity is gone, the love for his wife is gone, his purpose is gone in the world. Now that he realizes what a lie life has been, he doesn't feel good. Not to mention, his being different is abnormal for people in society. For example, when Mildred's friends were over and he tried a conversation they all had blank commentary. He knows what the world actually is and that scares him, he can no longer be who he used to be; the guy who was just there with everyone else in his own life, without a care in the world.
I agree with you; Montag, ever since Clarisse came around, has been questioning his life. Not only do I think he is bored because no one is questioning life or doing anything productive, but I think he has a lot of guilt built up inside of him from being a fireman for many years. He has burned so many books in his lifetime, and just recently discovered how much power is in each book. Also, his revelation that Mildred and him do not share any real connection or love also, I think, made his life so depressing.
DeleteI completely agree with you and what you said about Montag's entire life being just one lie. So much has changed him and the way he thinks and sees in life which I think has affected him greatly. I don't think he can ever go back to being the person he was before.
Delete"Beatty, he thought you're not a problem now. You always said, don't face a problem, burn it. Well, now I've done both"(121).
ReplyDeleteIs Montag better off now then he was before? Before he was burning books and he was very unhappy with his life but he was not in any danger. Now instead of being controlled by the government he's controlled by the fact that he has to avoid the government. Montag always seems to be under somebody's control other then his own, he is first controlled by the government and then he is controlled by Faber. Maybe Montag should have done what Faber said and just let the war play out instead of now turning himself into a fugitive.
I agree with you, but I also think that this quote means that instead of facing your problems, you should just burn and get rid of them, instead of having to deal with reality. I like what you said about how Montag should have gone along with what Faber said, but I believe that he also wanted to fell a sense of power in the whole situation and not just being told what to do and just doing it, pretty much what he has been doing all his life.
DeleteI totally agree with your blog. I feel like all his life he has been controlled by someone and this connects to an earlier quote of when he says " I'm not thinking.I'm just doing like I'm told, like always". Also, I agree on how she should of taken Faber's advice because now he's it just added more to his problems.
DeleteI agree with your point in that Montag was better off before becoming a fugitive. I also agree in that Montag is powerless in the way he lives, however I don't think Faber really controlled him to a large extent in the story. I think Montag really has a very rebellious and irrational half to him that is responsible for all his questionable decisions. As an example, when he steals the books, he describes his hands of having a mind of their own in a way. Montag definitely regrets his actions, but these actions were those of his own, not anyone else controlling him in my opinion.
Delete"What is fire? It's a mystery. Scientists give us gobbledegook about friction and molecules. But they don't really know. Its a real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences." (115)
ReplyDeleteThis line said by Beatty, stood out to me because it basically is portrayed throughout the whole book. Beatty is clearly ignoring scientists, who are clearly educated, and he is in his own world and in his own thinking. He just thinks that fire is something amazing that destroys hard work and the results of it. For example, they burn books. They clearly don't want knowledge. They are very lazy. They have so many machines just doing the work for them and everyone wants to be entertained and that's it. No one really wants to do hard work. Infact, no one really wants to work at all because like we said in class, they all are living "YOLO." All in all, Beatty just doesn't want to put anything inside the box, which stops him from even caring about the results he will get. If he tries working hard and then he will experience the results, which will then make him realize that it's good to work hard. They all are very lazy to even work, which probably makes Montag's and Fabe's dream impossible!
I really agree with the point you made about how they don't really care about knowledge and just want to have fun. There are many examples of people like this in the book. Like Mildred's friends and Mildred herself. It makes me wonder what they all really want to achieve in life, if they even want to achieve anything important at all.
Delete"Its perpetual motion;the thing man wanted to invent but never did...It's real beauty is that it destroys all responsibility and consequences."
ReplyDeleteThis quote immediately stood out to me while reading, but I remain confused on what Bradbury means when Beatty describes fire as a "perpetual motion". After searching it up, I learned perpetual motion is an endless cycle of something, I'm not sure how this connects to fire. However I did understand the portion where Beatty praises fire for eliminating burdens and consequences. As we know, this futuristic society tries desperately to make everything as problem free and perfect as possible- but in fact this has made it more bland and suffocating. People don't want to face problems that books and free-flowing opinions create. Fire helps "cleanse" in a way by rooting out any future problems or burdens. This ends up being an ironic statement by Beatty because he is later burnt to death by Montag with the fire he once glorified.
I completely agree with your statement but i would also like to add on that Fire as a perpetual motion is used in this society because its basically a fireman's routine. Endlessly lighting the books on fire and watch them burn and then just do it again and knowing how beatty feels towards fire it can easily be translated into how he feels fire is needed because it is an endless cycle for their society. Also Beatty is using these words in a way to antagonize Montag because during the time he is talking about this fire they are burning down his house and he really is just using these words to show Montag what fire really can do to a persons life either severely destroy it, or end it. (like Beatty's life)
Delete"They would have killed me, thought Montag, swaying, the air still torn and stirring about him in dust, touching his bruised cheek. For no reason at all in the world they would have killed me." (128)
ReplyDeleteThis paragraph made me think of the theme of childhood violence. During this part of the book, Montag was running from a car full of inexperienced kids driving. At last the teenagers stopped chasing him, but at the same time they almost ran over him. I think that these teens needed something to do, to have a purpose in life. As we were talking about in class, in the time period of this book, children resorted to violence as a time-passer and most of the time they don't know what they're doing and what the consequences might be - how it would affect the people around them.
I like the reference back to the violence due to lack of purpose and i would like to add that Montag says he is like an "extraordinary sight" or "a rarity". The kids in the car did not have to know who he was or what he was doing. They have nothing else to live and look toward to, so the spare time they have they do not use wisely. Killing people because they know no better, because they have never asked questions or tried to get their minds to actually think killing seems like another past time. It didn't matter who he was, when he was thinking if those were the people who killed Clarisse, the point is showed that they do anything and everything to feel in power to feel in control.
DeleteBut what is Montag's opinion on this?
"He stepped into the bedroom and fired twice and the twin beds went up in a great simmering whisper, with more heat and passion and light than he would have supposed them to contain. He burnt the bedroom walls and the cosmetics chest because he wanted to change everything, the chairs, the tables, and in the dining room the silverware and plastic dishes,everything that showed that he had lived here in this empty house with a strange women"(116). To me this shows that fire is the big topic in the book. In this quote it shows how fire can change something to nothing and how things can disappear so quick. I like how he describes the fire as passionate because it shows the power that it has. Also, I like how bradbury list the things he fired up and how he wanted to burn everything that had no meaning to him or that showed that he had live with a strange women because to me it shows that Montag is starting realize things and wants to change them like having a strange wife.
ReplyDelete“There was a crash like the falling parts of a dream fashioned out of warped glass, mirrors, and crystal prisms.” (114)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it encompasses the idea that Montag’s life, his world, is extremely fragile and skewed. The way Bradbury describes the windows in Montag’s house, makes them seem greatly similar to the society this story takes place in- one that is “warped” (like these windows). The lives of the people also seem as if they are out of a perfect dream- on the outside, but it is clear that technology, the lack of love for one another, along with the lack of education and knowledge, have skewed people’s abilities to have rational outlooks on the world. The falling of the breaking windows is also described by Bradbury as mirrors, once again relating back to this society- one in which the people “mirror” what the government expects them to do and think. People in the society are blinded, and trapped in the lies fed to them by the government. This deep description of the windows in the house is literally shattered by the firemen, which symbolically suggests the fragility of the society.
I definitely agree with you when you talk about the objects in the quote showing the fragility and the unrealistic, warped government they are living in. I also think the object could refer to the dreams, and how fragile they are. If the dreams are touched or if they fall, they break, no one is this society has powerful dreams, or dreams that are hard to accomplish, there dreams only look and seem nice to an extent. Bradbury has a lot of similes like this one and the one I used for my blog post, that show how powerful something is just by using objects or things.
Delete" The books leapt and danced like roasted birds, their wings ablaze with red and yellow feathers." (pg. 117)
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this line, I immediately felt the power coming from the simile. Montag refers to the books as birds, and not just any birds, birds with ablazed wings. The way he describes books now has completely changes from the beginning of the book, when he described them as something just blackened and changed. The quote shows me how much Montag's opinion on books has changed. In his opinion, they've gone from being something turned black and changed, to a powerful, fierce bird. Meaning, Montag now sees the power in books.
I definitely agree with all the points you’ve made. Before Montag came to the realization that burning books was wrong, he had described the books being burned like this; “a book lit, almost obediently, like a white pigeon, in his hands, wings fluttering.” (34) This makes them seem more delicate, innocent, vulnerable, while this new description of them, like you stated, shows the fierce, almost angry power they have.
DeleteI completely agree, if you think about what a bird literally does; it flies freely and cannot be stopped and i think Montag hopes that books can be looked at not in fear but with acceptance just like we accept birds.
Delete"Now, Montag, you're a burden. An fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure...Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical."
ReplyDelete(115)
Theres always a quick fix for everything, Beatty's talking about killing off Montag as though he's some kind of disease that can be cured with antibiotics. Everything's in this society is literal and fixable to Beatty because thats the society that the government has made, a society that has an answer to every problem that goes against their utopia. Knowledge is the disease thats cured with antibiotics (the destruction of books.) Beatty is a perfect example of how no relationships are genuinely formed between anyone because nothing is authentic anymore, the real thing i'm hitting at is the idea of authenticity over simplicity
"There's Beatty dead, and he was my friend once, and there's Millie gone, I thought she was my wife, but now I don't know." (131)
ReplyDeleteThis part in the book shows how lost in this society people are. Montag is trying to make a change, he has lost both Beatty and Millie. The government has manipulated these people to think the way they want them to, they care more about what society wants them to be then what the people they should care about want to be. Beatty was Montag's friend, Millie is suppose to be Mantog's wife but Montag doesn't even know anymore. These people are really sad people in this society,Bradbury throughout the book point out the characteristic of the people living in this society, it gives the reader a good picture of how he thought the his future would be.
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ReplyDelete"What is it about fire that's so lovely? ... Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it. Now, Montag, you're a burden. An fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical." (115).
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it shows Faber clearly describing why they use fire. He describes fire as lifeless and as something that wipes out all problems and forms of life. When Bradbury uses the phrase "nothing to rot later," it explains how fire not only solves the problems at hand in a "clean, quick, and sure" way, it doesn't leave any mess and kills the life. Bradbury also uses words that make the fire seem majestic, and mysterious and he describes fire's destructive ability as beautiful and lovely.
"Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he's burnt his damn wings, he wonders why." (113)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it instantly reminded me of Icarus flying to close to the sun. Montag knew the risks he was taking and how bad the fall out would have been if someone had found out about his plans. When Bradbury wrote "now that he's burnt his damn wings, he wonders why." it showed me that Montag was really determined to actually try and make a change in the world. He knew the great risk in doing all this but he still did in order to bring some change. Even though all the police and officials are looking for him, I still think that Montag will pull through.
"Now Montag you are a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later" (115)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it seemed that Beatty was comparing Montag to the books that he burns. In Beatty's eyes these books are a burden on society. Those who go against the government and try to break the peace are therefore burdens themselves. These people are now objects, easily controlled and destroyed, and we bear witness to this happening to Montag. Just like the books Beatty feels that he can get rid of Montag, and the burden he places on him, just as quickly as igniting a flame. Despite this threat that Beatty poses on Montag, I feel Montag is more of the threat. His actions unstabilize Beatty and everything he and the society stands for- which is why- according to Montag- Beatty wanted to die.
I agree. I also think that Montag is being compared to the books because like Beatty was implying, books don't bring peace or serenity to society. He was also telling Montag that people want to forget instead of remember and it proves that the books are a burden
Delete" 'War has been declared'...Montag stood trying to make himself feel the shock of the quiet statement from the radio...The war would have to wait for him to come to it in his personal file, an hour two hours from now."
ReplyDeleteThis quote had seriously made me begin to think about how the book has so many connections to our own society, for example when we have a war so many people don't really know about it, it goes unnoticed until it is relevant to ourselves. Also in Montag's current situation i feel a bit confused that they would decide to release this statement knowing that there is a serious problem currently going on (Montag being a "fugitive" and all that), its like they wanted it to go unnoticed. In this current situation when Montag is at the gas station Bradbury writes, "the shock of the quiet statement from the radio" which supports the idea that the annunciation of this war is basically not really important due to the way that it is broadcasted as a simple announcement, nothing to big. I would also connect this to our own society at the fact that the fact that we go to war doesn't even seem that important anymore, when it was announced that the United States was at war with ISIS and the middle east it was almost undermined as if it wasn't that serious. To be completely honest i didn't even know about until maybe a week after, when i was told by a friend! This shows that War in our current society and theirs is usually something that isn't very important to the public and "would have to wait for him to come to it in his personal life" as Montag had stated, 'tis only relevant when were affected personally or 'till it pops up in our lives.
my apologies i forgot the page its page (125)
DeleteThis is brilliant! You thought exactly what I thought. When we see something on the news, we don't really care about it because it doesn't involve us. Society is so selfish and ignorant that when it comes to someone else (a stranger) we hardly ever care as long as it doesn't have to do with us. Montag has himself to worry about and not the war, the war really doesn't matter to him because he has a way more significant situation that he has to deal with when he burns his house and kills his captain. The war doesn't matter to him, he is not getting attacked or his life is in danger of the war, wives of husbands in Montag's world do not even care if their husbands get killed in the war because their relationships are just an act! Mildred's friends do not care if their husbands are killed because everything they say or do is not real. They do not face reality because they live stereotypical lives.
Delete"Now Montag, you're a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean and quick" (115).
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because Beatty was telling Montag to burn his house along with the books that Montag had. Beatty was basically saying that Montag was too much too handle, especially after Montag was becoming curious and started to question WHY things happened. Beatty was trying to get into Montag's head so that Montag would give in and just do what he says. Montag ended up questioning how Beatty figured out that Montag had books in his home, and later figured out that it was because of Mildred and her friends. But Montag didn't really have much control over his actions.
I agree. Also, after the way Beatty spoke to Montag, I began to wonder what happened to Clarisse. Was she really killed in a car accident, or did people kill her? We know that Beatty also thought of Clarisse as a burden so maybe he "burned" her too.
Delete"You must remember, burn them or they'll burn you, he thought"
ReplyDelete(Pg. 123)
I really liked this line because it has many different meanings behind it. One is just if he didn't kill Beatty and the Fireman they would've probably killed him (even though highly doubt it, but you could still see it in that way). But the way I looked at this line was, in life, you always have to look out for yourself and try to do what's best for you. This line really means look out for yourself first because looking out for someone else will only get you "burned".
"There was a hiss like a great mouthful of spittle banging a red-hot stove, a bubbling and frothing as if salt had been poured over a monstrous black snail to cause a terrible liquefaction" (119)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stood out to me because there has been such a drastic change in the way that Montag views and describes fire. In the beginning he thought it was beautiful and he loved seeing things changed by it, however, now that he has opened his eyes beyond the horizon he sees that fire is dangerous too. Bradbury uses words like "hiss, hot, monstrous, and terrible" all with a negative connotation. Compared to the beginning were fire and pleasure and symphonies would be in the same sentence. He was a fireman who would burn books, but, he has realized that is not what he should be doing. In both events, Montag is controlling the fire and what is being done with it so...
Does he believe that fire is still equally powerful, more, less or opposite?
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ReplyDelete"I feel alive for the first time in years," said Faber. "I feel I'm doing what I should've done a lifetime ago. For a little while I'm not afraid. Maybe it's because I'm doing the right thing at last. ( 125, 60th Anniversary Edition)
ReplyDeleteThe big idea discussed in this detail is that life after books are being burnt is dull and has no meaning or excitement. People's lives in Montag's world are boring, useless and have no feeling in it at all. Everything seems to be perfect but when it really isn't. Love does not exist end everything is so stereotypical because no one loves their husbands or wives for instance Montag does not love Mildred. Mildred's friends do not love their husbands. I know this because of the countless examples of Mildred's boring old life where she tries to commit suicide almost every night, not even knowing about it. Mildred's entertainment is composed of bland text that no one even cares about. Faber realizes that life is not perfect and that something should be done about it meaning that he finally faces reality, reality where the world is not a perfect place and that the world is not a nice place at all because of all the death and killing that occurs in their world. Montag also describes how terrible his life is and that books are needed to enhance their lives, this is also what we talked about in class and it relates to the fact that books and excitement are needed to live life normally.
I agree with you. The society that they live in is very dull and they almost have no meaning. They have no excitement or real emotions. The fact that Faber finally feels alive is sad.These people live their lives basically not knowing anything so they don't realize they're not actually living. The books give them a sense of knowledge and purpose, something that the other people might never feel.
Delete"Give a man a few lines of verse and he thinks he's the Lord of all Creation. You think you can walk on water with your books. Well, the world can get by fine without them. Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you'll drown." (118)
ReplyDeleteThis line stands out to me because it shows the type of society that these people live in. In these times, reading books is frowned upon because they think they can be offensive, or give someone the feeling of power. They want everyone to feel equal and when there are no books, they feel that they have accomplished this. In this society, books get you in trouble, and Beatty is basically telling Montag that he is in trouble because he has been reported. Beatty seems to have known that Montag had the books all along but didn't confront him about it. I think that Beatty saw himself in Montag when he gave him his speech, but now he seems to be enraged.
"She shoved the valise in the waiting beetle, climbed in, and sat mumbling, 'Poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now...'" (108)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I think that it really shows Bradbury's perspective on the media. Mildred has spent so much time with her "parlor family", that when they are taken from her, she doesn't really know what to do with herself. The way Bradbury describes her, mumbling to herself, just helps to prove how lost she is without the comfort of the media. Also, this quote shows how since the media has consumed so much of her life, Mildred barely has time to think about reality. Her house is about to be burned, and she doesn't even say anything to her husband. And all she takes with her out of the house is one small suitcase, because all the other things she cares about were on the parlor wall.
"Beatty wanted to die. In the middle of crying Montag knew it for the truth" (116).
ReplyDeleteThere are two things that I particularly love about Ray Bradbury's writing. The first is that he makes sure to include many recurring themes. The one shown in this line is about how death isn't always a terrible thing. This is shown first on page 81. "That's the good part of dying; when you've got nothing to lose, you run any risk you want" (81). Bradbury explains things though foreshadowing. If he hadn't written the line on page 81, nobody would be able to understand why Beatty chose to die. The other thing is that he doesn't follow rules. His writing is very unordinary, or at least not considered very traditional, which I think is very symbolic in this book especially, because the main theme of this book is going against rules and social norms so you're able to be yourself. In fact, it's so far been a theme in our curriculum.
I agree with you Louis. I feel that Bradburys writing is different than other authors not only because of his language but because of his story telling strategy as well. He thrives off of character growth and conflict in his writing such as when Beatty went from lecturing Montag earlier in the book to picking on him continuously later on in the book. In a way we see how the characters change in happiness and actions drive the story instead of the story driving the characters.
Delete"You must remember , burn them or they'll burn you he thought ." Pg. (123) At this point Montag is a completely different person. His drive for rebellion or controversy is really highlighted in this part of the book. Not only did he just loose his wife and home in the last 24 hours but he's also been subject to murder, now being the most wanted man in his town, he has to use all his strength to stay alive. Therefore this quote stood out to me because I feel it's foreshadowing a bigger fight later on in the book. Even though Montag killed Beatty and is being hunted down there's still a fight in him that hasn't died out yet he wants to fight back and not just surcomb to the governments demands if Montag gets to Fabers safely there's no telling what might happen in the last few pages of the book.
ReplyDelete"And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later" (115)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really shows how fire can be portrayed in various ways throughout the book. For example, the beginning of the book made me think of the fire as a source of negativity. Now, it seems to be some kind of source of goodness. This kind of transformation really shows the dystopia in Fahrenheit 451. However, it also shows the dystopia that we live in today. For example, ISIS, global warming, etc are components of our modern day issues. In 10 years, these issues may either be much more impacted or much less of issue. In conclusion, key features such as fire are constantly changing in our perspective due to it's perspective of the characters.