Fahrenheit 451 entry #1
The story opens up on a man named Guy Montag. Guy
lives in a bleak and grim futuristic United States and works as a fireman. In this
future instead of putting out fires, the firemen start fires. They burn any and
all printed books that they can find, and then they proceed to burn down the
houses that the books were found in. Guy wears a helmet with the number 451
placed on the side. 451 is the temperature in Fahrenheit at which paper will
burn. The story begins with Guy Montag burning down a house and finding a “special
pleasure” in doing so. What “special pleasure” is there to find in burning down
another person’s home? Why must they
burn down these homes that they find the books in? Why does this futuristic
America, no less, want all printed books and the houses they are found in
burned down and destroyed? Is America now beginning to start to reach this
point of censorship, with people being much more easily offended by what other
people have to say? How are there still books to burn at this point in the
story? On his way home Guy encounters a curious girl, which he later makes the
discovery that she is his new neighbor. She introduces herself as Clarisse
McClellan, in their first conversation she explains that she is “seventeen and
crazy.” Guy fills the initial conversation that he has with Clarisse with
nervous laughter, due to how uneasy she makes him. She jumps back and forth
between subjects and speaks of things like reading and being a pedestrian and such
that are against the law and Guy knows this. Their conversation comes to an end
and the reader is then introduced to Guy’s wife, Mildred. Why do you think Guy is so interested in Clarisse and why is she so different from everyone else in the future?
Fahrenheit 451 Entry #2
ReplyDeleteI think Montag really takes an interest in Clarisse because of the fact that she is different from everyone else, the fact that she sees things differently. Do you think that she herself is hiding books and that is why she values responsibility and is different from all the other crazy kids? Later we find out that Montag`s wife tries to kill herself, and does not succeed due to the technology in the future, why do you think she tries to commit suicide? Also, the crew that revived her said that this was a very common thing, why do you think so many people are trying to kill themselves, and do you think that other firefighter killed himself with the dog so he would succeed? We also find out that the “dog” that lives in their firehouse does not like Montag. Do you know why? After all it is just a computer, and it cannot do something like that on its own. Do you think that someone is trying to kill Montag? Maybe Beatty? It was also mentioned that Montag was guilty and could be hiding something in the vent, do you think Montag could be hiding a book and that is why the dog does not like him? Clarisse disappears for a while in this section, do you have any idea why she would? Do you think it could be that she was hiding books and got caught? Towards the end of our section two they get a call and a woman is there. Why do you think that she did not leave and killed herself by lighting the match? Does the government do really bad things to the people that have books and that is why the people caught with books tend to try and kill themselves with them?
Fahrenheit 451 entry #3
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about Montag the more I have to agree with you about why he enjoys being around Clarisse. Guy is a very complex character, more so than even he knows. I believe that the only reason he enjoyed his job as a fireman so much before meeting Clarisse was because that was all he knew, and now that he has met Clarisse she has opened up his eyes to how great the world CAN be. I don’t at this point believe that she is hiding books, or at least I’m not convinced totally of that, however I believe that she has a love for books and would probably read any kind that she came across. Moving on I believe that with Mildred’s “suicide attempt” that it was just an accident and that is why it is so common, just that she went in to take the sleeping pills and then later forgot that she took them and went back for more. I do believe and it is actually confirmed by Montag himself who hide a book under his pillow on his bed at home that he is indeed hiding a book. As far as why does the old woman kill herself, it probably has at least something to do with how the government handles people that are caught with books, which is why Montag silences Mildred when she tries to point out to Beatty that he is hiding a book under his pillow. Why do you think Mildred tried to get Montag caught with a book? What does that say about her character/motives? Does she try and do this because she doesn’t love her husband anymore, or has she just become a mindless slave who doesn’t know any better but to turn in anyone caught with a book? As to why does Clarisse leave in this section, which may just be because she moved/is moving with her family as explained by Mildred in this next section. The main bulk of this next section is the conversation between Beatty and Montag after he calls in sick to work and contemplates leaving his job as a fireman. Beatty then comes over to Montag’s home and tries to talk him into coming back to work by saying that these new feelings he is having about quitting are all normal and something that every fireman goes through. My question is why does Beatty even come and talk to Montag? Why doesn’t she just burn down him and his home? She already knows that he is guilty of having books.
Fahrenheit 451 Entry #4
ReplyDeleteIn answering your question about why Beatty doesn’t burn down Montag`s home even though Montag is guilty for having at least one book, Beatty says that every fireman is temped at some point to read a book, and that Beatty has dealt with it too. Also, all the fireman have twenty four hours to turn a book in. My question for you is why do you think Montag showed Mildred all of the books he has stolen over the years he has been a fireman? He tries to change her but I do not think he will ever be able to, she is too far gone. On page 74 Montag says, “Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave.” What do you make of this quote? I think that it is a direct reference to the Allegory of the Cave, and that Montag represents the people that leave the cave and Mildred represents the people that stay in the cave. Why do you think Montag wants to switch the Bible for another book? Do you think he will convert to Christianity and be saved? On page 76 Mildred says, “See what you`re doing? You`ll ruin us! Who`s more important, me or that Bible?” When I read this quote I had to go back and read it again, in order to “save” the people from the conflicts of religion they do not teach anything about it. It is crazy to see that what is the most important book of all time is what could separate Montag and Mildred. Do you think that if Mildred gives the Bible a chance she could be saved too? Later Montag decides that he wants to see Faber, do you think Faber has the answers Montag is looking for? Do you think all of this will get Montag and Faber caught?
Fahrenheit 451 #5
ReplyDeleteAs to your first question I believe that Montag showed Mildred the books because he wanted to maybe see just how far gone she really was and if he could potentially bring her to his side. However I think you are right in that he will not be able to bring her over because she is too far gone and I believe that Montag is beginning to understand that, but he had to try because Mildred is still his wife. With regards to your question on the quote, I think you are right to think that it is a reference or direct reference to the allegory of the cave. It only makes sense to that Guy has probably read the Allegory and the Cave and now he is applying it to his world and how he wishes to change it. I believe that Montag wishes to change the Bible out for another book in order to protect it is because he understands that it holds at least some about of value, maybe not necessarily or specifically to him but that it does have some value so therefore he would like to at least try and keep it safe. At the moment I do not believe that Guy will convert to Christianity because he doesn’t yet understand what the Bible is saying. This is why he travels to a man named Faber in order for Montag to learn about what it is the Bible is saying. Once he learns what the bible is saying I do believe that he very well may convert to Christianity and bring other with him. Faber does have the answers that Montag is looking for and is a big help to Guy. As far as Mildred goes she may just be a lost cause at this point. Now back to Montag and Faber, they plan on using a printing press to make more Bibles. My question is do you think people will accept these Bibles and take the message it offers to heart or will they reject it because that is what they have been taught to do? Also if Montag see the Bible as so important he is willing to sacrifice his life and or a different book for it, why does he start tearing out pages of it in order to force Faber to help him?
Fahrenheit 451 Entry #6
DeleteThe only reason I think that Montag could have ripped the pages out of the bible was to make a necessary point. Montag knew that he needed Faber to continue and develop from the books they had, and ripping the pages was something Faber could not bear, so Montag used it (even though he did not want to) in order to team up with Faber. I do not know if this book will continue to have any of the bible in it anymore, since Beatty knew he had books and drove the firetruck to his house, this might be the end for Montag. I honestly do not know what will happen to him. Do you think Montag will lose his library? Is there any way that Faber can get him out of this situation or is Montag too far gone? I have no idea why Montag showed the poem to all of the women over at his house, which seemed like a terrible idea. I thought it was a bad idea to show his wife Mildred (which if she did in fact rat him out that would be the case). I think that if he did not show the women he might have been okay because of the fact that his wife could have kept his secret, but since the other women knew, she could have been forced to turn him in by the women she had over, or at least felt like she needed to. Do you think that Faber will be captured by all of this? I mean he did give the earpiece to Montag maybe they could find him because of that. Do you think that the poem Montag read had any significance? I did not recognize it but if Faber showed him it could be very important.
Fahrenheit 451 entry #7
ReplyDeleteFirst off why did Montag marry Mildred? What did he ever see in her? She is so ready to betray him and turn Guy into the authorities, it makes me wonder whether she ever loved or cared about Montag as much as he seems to care for her? As to your question about Montag’s library in this passage Beatty makes Montag burn down his home and with it MOST of his books, it is later revealed that Guy hid some of his books so not all of them are lost. However he does use some of if not all of these spare books by planting them in the homes of other firemen to distract the authorities from chasing after him. (if I’m not mistaken) What was your opinion on Montag’s actions after having to burn down his home? Was it right for him to burn Beatty to a crisp and knockout the other firemen? How was he able to overpower all of them and escape the hound? I agree that it was a terrible if not reckless idea to share the poem with those women. I still believe that this act of sharing the poem did not change the fact that he was going to get into trouble, because I am not convinced that Mildred would have kept this secret on her own and Beatty already knew that there were more books. However I could very well be wrong and the only reason she turned Guy in was because he shared the poem with the others. I am not sure about the significance of the poem or if it really had any, but we learn that in this section Faber gets away safely and is on his way to his printer friend. The end of this section leaves Montag with a strange group of homeless men who all memorized a section of literature and are waiting for the world to accept books again so that they may help society to rebuild through books. After reading the end of this section I get kind of a Book of Eli type feel, where instead of one man who memorized an entire King James Bible there are a large number of people who have memorized a large number of books and are ready to recite them at any moment. What are your thoughts on that?
Fahrenheit 451 Entry #8
ReplyDeleteWho even knows how they ended up together, but Montag does know that they met in Chicago. I do not think that she ever cared about Montag, everyone seems to be getting married and divorced like its nothing and I do not think love or commitment have anything to do with it. Oh I totally think that it was okay for Montag to toast Beatty to a crisp, Beatty was basically asking for it to happen, just like everyone else that does not want to live in that world anymore and decides there is only one way out. I have never seen the book of eli, but I do think it was good that Montag was almost caught. Since he managed to escape and join the scholars on the railroad tracks, he now has an important job to do. If he had not escaped when he did he would be just as useful to society as toasted Beatty is. He missed the bombing and now is able to help rebuild the city, and can contribute with parts of the bible to share. I do not understand a couple of things in the book, why were the scholars able to live out in the hills so long and the government did not care? It seems like if they cared so much about people with books in the city they would care the same amount where ever they were. I liked that they used the analogy of the phoenix, that they would rise up out of the ashes, because I think it has two meanings. One, that they would rebuild the city that was literally turned to ash, and two, that they would be able to using the knowledge that was gained from reading the books that were now ash. It represents the rebirth of not only the city, but the knowledge they gained from the books.
Great interaction--you bounce your thoughts off each other well, so that you're tracking character development together. Good observations on the phoenix and on what Mildred and Beatty seem to want/how their views are skewed by this society. It's interesting that within your question-heavy early entries, those questions imply their own analysis--and about halfway through you both shift toward analysis rather than just questions. In addition to your already good character motivation musings, improvement for next time would include an emphasis on other lit devices/meaning of the work as a whole(themes)/other analysis beyond plot summary (remember you've both read the plot already). Also please remember to analyze at least one quotation per entry. Thanks! Grade on Portals.
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