Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
Curriculum Unit
Victoria M. Jones
ii
Fahrenheit 451
Curriculum Unit Author
Victoria M. Jones earned her M.A. in English from the University of Mis-
souri at Kansas City. The recipient of a grant from the National Endowment
for the Humanities, she is certified in gifted education. She has also taught
methods courses on the university level and was a fellow at the Summer
Institute for the National Writing Project. She is the author of The Center
for Learning novel/drama curriculum units
The Metamorphosis/The Death
of Ivan Ilyich, The Power of One,
and
The Book Thief.
Editors
Mary Anne Kovacs, M.A.
Tammy Sanderell, B.A.
Cover Design
Susan Chowanetz Thornton, B.S.
Cover illustration of books on fire
©
iStockphoto.com/Franc Podgoršek
Copyright © 2011 The Center for Learning, Cleveland, Ohio.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Printed on recycled paper.
This curriculum unit is a revision of the 1990 edition created by Ann S. Kemezis.
The worksheets in this book may be reproduced for academic purposes only
and not for resale. Academic purposes refer to limited use within classroom and
teaching settings only.
ISBN 978-1-56077-952-0
Fahrenheit 451
iii
Page
Handouts
Contents
Introduction
v
Teacher Notes
vii
Lessons
1
Prereading Activities
1
1, 2, 3, 4
2
Investigating Part 1
11
5, 6, 7
3
Book Burning
19
8, 9
4
Exploring Irony
25
10, 11
5
The Future Is Now
31
12, 13
6
Allusions: Making Connections
37
14, 15, 16
7
Specific, Concrete Imagery
45
17, 18, 19
8
Hidden Meanings: Archetypes and Symbols
53
20, 21, 22
9
“I Am the Book”
63
23, 24
10
Unasked Questions
69
25, 26, 27
Supplementary Materials
Objective Test:
Fahrenheit 451
76
Answer Key
79
Creative Assessment:
Fahrenheit 451
82
Essay Test:
Fahrenheit 451
83
iv
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
v
Introduction
Reading Ray Bradbury’s
Fahrenheit 451
in the twenty-first century
is as exciting as when it was first published in 1953. Probably Bradbury’s
most famous and influential novel, this work of science fiction explores
a not-too-distant future when citizens are forced to conform and books
are banned and burned. Written during the Cold War and the era of Mc-
Carthyism, this novel also addresses the destructive capacity of totalitarian
government. The early 1950s was also the time period when America’s love
affair with television and mass communication began. Bradbury indicts
consumerism and dependency on technology by illustrating how creativ-
ity and individuality are destroyed by rampant advertising and intrusive
government control.
Another intriguing aspect of this novel is Bradbury’s distinctive style,
which combines a suspenseful story line with poetic devices such as allu-
sions, figurative language, and sensory imagery. Bradbury’s preoccupation
with humanism is also illustrated by the sentimental value of friendship
and loyalty over visionary technology. The social commentary that is both
satirical and optimistic is never simplistic or predictable. Most of all, Brad-
bury celebrates the spirit of human imagination.
