English Question 8: Fahrenheit 451

Entry of your choice

What I thought of the book: The book Fahrenheit 451 was a very intriguing book. It was well written and I read it in a day and a half!! It had many different and interesting aspects and made me think about a lot of things including the future and how society views things. The characters were well written and the story was very unique. I thoroughly enjoyed the ideas presented in this book and thought that the whole idea of the censorship of books and free ideas was very practical and realistic. Although I will not go as far as to say it is my favorite book, I will say that I would recommend it to people that like books with implications, as this book makes many. I think that the surprising thing about this book is how it really does have connections to our world today, and you start thinking: What would happen if…

What I thought of the project: I think that it is very good and interesting. The blogs are an excruciating amount of work, but it is easier to do on the Internet. What I really like about the blogs is the fact that they are easy to use, and don’t take a huge amount of time to setup and use. I also think it will be more beneficial to us, the students, when we have IB English in a year and a half. Overall I have enjoyed this assignment so far, and am eagerly awaiting the future novels and blogs.

http://www.shemahonline.com/images/title-my_thoughts.jpg

English Question 7: Fahrenheit 451

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? Or disturbing? Or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

I think that the setting of the old woman and her books is very tragic. Here she is, an elderly woman, and then her house is barged into by a group of firemen and they are telling her to leave her house so they can burn it and the books. Instead of giving up her home and books she does something totally unexpected and dramatic. She pulls out a kitchen match. The firemen had put kerosene all over the house already so; naturally everyone except the captain flees in fear, but the captain retains his dignity in the situation, and walks out with pride. Then the old woman lights the match and is consumed by flames.

The reason this was meaningful was because it showed that the woman believed in the freedom of ideas and her books so much that she was willing to die for it. That is the attitude that Christians should have towards spreading the gospel. How many Christians go the extra distance in spreading God’s Word, and the Good News? I’m not saying that I’m perfect or that I’m better than you, but I challenge you to go out, and change the way you treat other people and to be proud of your Christianity. Don’t conform to the world, but be like the old woman and be willing to die for what you believe in. It is much more rewarding to die for a just cause than to live your life following the crowd.



I Wanna Live! The title and lyrics really say it all!!
e.g.

I wanna live
today could be my last day
to give
all I have before it's too late

That's really the attitude we should have as we live our lives from day-to-day. Again I refer to the woman and implore you to stand up for what you believe in! Today can really be any one's last day, so make every one count for Him!

http://desiderii.coldmeat.se/images/Tragic_And_Timeless_Big.jpg

*IMPORTANT NOTE* I edited the picture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfKVhAjJMx8

English Question 6: Fahrenheit 451

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

“Montag.” Granger took Montag’s shoulder firmly. “Walk carefully. Guard your health. If anything should happen to Harris, you are the Book of Ecclesiastes. See how important you’ve become in the last minute!” page 151, ¶ 5

This passage really shows that everyone is important. No matter how much or little they know they all contribute to our world and our lives. This is very important in today’s society. So many people, especially today’s teens, feel left out, unwanted, and worthless. It doesn’t matter that Montag only had one book, or that he had made mistakes in the past, all that mattered was that he was there and that he had something to contribute, no matter how small it was. Granger wasn’t over emphasizing the fact that he would be the only Book of Ecclesiastes if anything happened to Harris. But neither was he down-sizing it. I think that today it is so hard to find a happy medium between over emphasising things, and down playing things. People are important, but sometimes it takes time for them and others to see and recognize that fact. So many times in life we take other people for granted either that or we don’t see the talents in ourselves. The result of LOSW (Lack Of Self Worth) can become violent in forms of abuse to self like cutting, abuse to others like bulling, or even suicide.



This video shows that we are not alone. That we are not worthless and that is really important for people to know. As I said before many people suffer from LOSW and need messages like this to help them. And as always it fits the theme of everyone is important/loved/necessary.

http://www.smokiesguide.com/images/mtn_fog.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4psDmopdDxk

English Question 5: Fahrenheit 451

What is the mood of this novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? Why?

I would say the mood of the novel starts out very pessimistic. Guy and his wife do not seem to have any affection for each other, and the very fact that, intentionally or unintentionally, she tried to kill herself was somewhat disturbing. I think that toward the mid-end you start getting a vision of hope for Guy, but otherwise the novel is pretty pessimistic. The novel is not light-hearted in any way, and I think that the part that saddens me the most is when you hear of Clarisse’s death. Another thing is when the old woman lights the match and sets her house on fire with herself still inside. Both cases are a sad fact of life called death. In these cases they seemed unnecessary in the case of the old woman or perhaps not fair in both cases, but the reason it makes you sad is the fact that you really don’t know what is going to happen next, or whether this will be your last day on Earth or not. Then you can make another connection and state what people don’t like to hear and that is that they are not in control of their own life. God is in control and people don’t want to acknowledge that there is indeed a higher being. Another reason people don’t like to talk about death is the fact that it terrifies them, and people are afraid of change and the unknown. With fear of the unknown comes a whole list of things that contribute to many different problems and conflicts in life.



This video can really be applied to this blog. It's like a wake-up call to death. And it reiterates that your life does count, and that this could be your last day on earth. It shows the reality of how short and unpredictable our life span is and emphasises that God is really in control of everything.

http://static.flickr.com/28/42054260_5ca45268f0.jpg


http://youtube.com/watch?v=EDjLgxwN-2g

English Question 4: Fahrenheit 451

What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax is the point where Guy reads the line “Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine.” p.37 Fahrenheit 451. That sparks his interest, and after that experience he proceeds to take a book from that house. That part is like a spark that sets off a chain of events. The ‘chain of events’ that I am referring to is the following: Guy reads the line. Guy steals a book. Guy plays sick, which brings his chief fireman to ‘confessions’ as to what really happened with the books, and why they are illegal. The chief then tells him he has 24 hours to read the book that he stole, and then he has to destroy the book, or have the firemen destroy the book. After that we learn that he has about 20 more books, and he reveals that to his wife who later reports that, which leads to him becoming a homeless murderer and fugitive. I think that you don’t really notice the significance of what happened until after his talk with the fire chief. You just feel like saying, ‘so he read a line in a page, who cares?’ but after you finish the book and begin analyzing the story and the plot you find all of the ‘connections’ in the plot. Some people may disagree and say that this is the rising action, but if you look at it, yes, you could identify this as ‘rising action’, but this really sets the tone of the book in the sense that once he read this there was no turning back.



This video really goes along with many of the themes in the book. Including one of my favorites that is: don't conform to the world (a.k.a. be 'fireproof'). So in a sense when Guy reads his first line, he starts thinking for himself and becoming 'fireproof' to the world's ideas. When he meets Pro. Faber, his ideas take root and he becomes really 'devoted' or serious about his ideas.

http://www.albany.edu/~mr3240/isp605/fahrenheit.jpg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y4vfD54VgOw

English Question 3: Fahrenheit 451

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

The main characters in this novel are Guy Montag, Captain Beatty, Mildred Montag, and Professor Faber. They are a good set of characters, but I don’t like Captain Beatty or Mildred. Mildred is obviously in need of help, and the way she betrayed her husband was so cruel that it makes her an unlikable character. Captain Beatty is confusing. At certain times he seems sympathetic, and at other times he seems hateful and deceitful. Guy is a complex student. He is learning about this new world that he was so recently introduced to. He is sometimes headstrong, but he has enough sense in him to stay on top of 'the game'. Professor Faber is a good teacher, but he is also afraid of what may or can happen to him. Toward the end though it looks like he may turn out to be a hero after all.

Each of them have their special and unique talents. Guy's would be listening and thinking, allowing new ideas to enter his mind without pushing them out. Cap. Beatty's would be his amazing craftiness. Mildred's would be her following to the rules no matter what the consequences. Pro. Faber's would be helping the hero in our story to grow, mature, and learn.

Each of the characters show, in their own way, that we need different people in the world to really learn and experience different aspects of life. You can compare each of these characters to a place in society. Guy is our hero which makes Cap. Beatty the protaganist. Mildred is our deciever, and Pro. Faber is our hero's helper.

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/imageDB.cgi?isbn=0345342968

English Question 2: Fahrenheit 451

Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

I think that the age of technology, and the age of ‘feelings’ relates to this novel.

When I say ‘age of technology’ I am referring to the advance in science, medicines, and electronics. In this book, it was about making life easy, and although I think that advance is good, and most certainly helpful, it has it’s drawbacks too. Many people become very reliant on their computers or television to deal with the stresses of life, and it can be very harmful. A good example of this is when Mildred cared more about her ‘family’ than her husband or anything else in life.

Now, when I say ‘age of feelings’ I am referring to the fact that many people don’t want to say or do anything that would cause hurt or strife with other people. (e.g. When Guy read that poem to one of Mildred’s friend, her friend became increasingly upset as the poem progressed, thus the result of her in tears.) It’s not bad to consider other people’s feelings in a matter, but often enough it goes too far, and then we have some problems. We find ourselves perhaps unintentionally disguising the truth for a happier and less stressful explanation. That’s where the books come in. They are an expression of free will, and that makes people think that perhaps there are ideas out there that may conflict with their happy world.

I think that the clear message that the novel is trying to get across is ‘don’t let yourself and your thoughts be compromised to the world. Be unique, don’t follow the crowd. Don’t settle for second best; find out the truth even if it hurts.’ I would say the novel is hinting that we are the problem, and that we need to keep our thoughts and creativity alive to avoid that kind of situation.

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This movie can demonstrate the advancement of technology. In the chorus of this song, they repeat this phrase: These are extreme, extreme days We're living, We're living, We're living in extreme days. This particular quote from this song demonstrates both the good and bad side of technology. The wanting of solo enhancement brought about a replacement of arms and legs with bionic arms and legs. Which therefore brought about the assassin being hired to kill him(a.k.a. the man with solo enhancement). As you listen to the lyrics, ask yourself this question: How we can avoid the 'extreme days' in Fahrenheit 451, and help 'fix' what 'extreme days' exist in our world today?

http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/pcolford/images/technology_2.jpg

http://meanderings.typepad.com/meanderings/images/feelings.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DavgYNk6Oc

English Question 1: Fahrenheit 451

What is the major theme of this novel?

The major theme in the book Fahrenheit 451 is about censorship. I also think that it is warning us about the dangers of our careless society. A big problem in this book was the fact that people didn't want to have 'differences' or hear any ideas that contradicted their own. All people wanted was the pleasure that life could offer, and they didn't care about other people. One example of that was when Guy's wife, Mildred, forgets to tell her husband about Clarisse's death. Another example is the fact that people are so wrapped up in their own lives that they don’t care if their husbands get killed in the seemingly continual wars.

Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

The theme of censorship really shows how fortunate we are in the 21st century to have access to knowledge and the freedom of speech. In this book, it wasn't the government that shut down books in the first place, it was the people themselves that condemned the books. This book also shows how important books are. It is telling teenagers not to scorn books and advice, but rather learn from it, and challenge our own ideas in the process. Why is it important? I truly believe that teenagers are some of the most important people in our society. The future generation of the world is on our shoulders, and the children of the era look up to us as role models. With those responsibilities on out shoulders, what else can we do but take advice that adults and books can give us and lead the next era of the human race into prosperity.



In this song the chorus is:

Just open your eyes it's time you realize
It's your own demise
Just open your eyes it's time you realize
To reach out for the prize

This song is referring to Christ, but you can apply that to what I was writing about differences (e.g. open your eyes to differences, and don't be opposed to new or different ideas) In order for us to 'lead the next era of the human race' we have to look beyond ourselves, and 'open our eyes' to other cultures, and peoples.

http://www.wpl.lib.oh.us/teens/censorship.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrptOS7Tfn4