Fahrenheit 451 | Study Guide

Ray Bradbury

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Fahrenheit 451 | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury Fahrenheit 451by the Numbers The (fictional) temperature at which book paper combusts, as shared in the story 451º Amount Bradbury spent on a “dime-at-a-time” typewriter during the 9 days it took him to writethe novel $9.80 2011 The year Bradbury finally allowed Fahrenheit 451 to be published as an ebook Montag’s estranged wife Mildred Montag Firehouse captain& Montag’s boss Beatty Granger Fireman whose job is to burn books Montag Former English professor & Montag’s mentor Faber Leader of the outcast intellectuals who memorize books Montag’s 17-year-oldneighbor and friend Clarisse McClellan Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander W e need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real? Copyright © 2016 Course Hero, Inc. Sources: Dallas Public News, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post A beloved and controversial author, Bradbury infused science fiction with social commentary in his many stories and novels. Adamantly opposed to technology, he was vocal later in life that Fahrenheit 451 was not so much about censorship as how television destroys interest in literature and other intellectual pursuits. Fahrenheit 451 follows the journeyof Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books. After his young neighbor Clarisse opens his eyes to the distractions and technology that have drawn people away from intellectual freedom, he ultimately joins the fight to preserve books and rebuild a free, creative, and thoughtful society. Overview Author RAY BRADBURY1920-2012 The Mechanical Hound Symbolizes mindless violence, government control, and terror Salamander Symbolizes fire and survival, and evokes mythic fire-breathing lizards Seashells In-ear radio that symbolizes escapism and using technology as a way to tune out Symbolizes struggle, destruction, and rebirth; appears early as a symbol of Montag's firemen, but is echoed at the book's close when society must be reborn after the city's destruction Phoenix Symbols Main Characters Montag must go to the fringes of society to find someone who can help him understand books he has stolen. Discussion of Fahrenheit 451 is often about government repression, but Bradbury said that “Fahrenheit 451 is less about Big Brother and more about Little Sister.” Key plot points in the novel center around censorship and technology, revealing how people are prevented from reading—but also no longer interested in it. Censorship andTechnology THEMES Hearth and the Salamander TECHNOLOGY CENSORSHIP Wall-sized TVs, in-ear radios, and TV “families” have resulted in a society no longer curious about books. Tasked with burning books, Guy Montag is shocked when a woman chooses to burn with her library. Montag’s wife, Mildred, chooses her TV family over her husband, reporting him to authorities. The idyllic commune to which Montag escapes is the antithesis of the doomed, technology-dependent city. When the city is destroyed by bombs, the commune returns to forge a new society in which booksare celebrated,not censored. Burning Bright Sieve and the Sand Ray Bradbury 1953 English Novel Author Year Published Original Language Fahrenheit451 Science Fiction
Overview Context

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