Fahrenheit 451 - Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury Curriculum...

Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
Curriculum Unit
Victoria M. Jones

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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

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Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451
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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.