fahrenheit 451
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Fahrenheit 451. An Introduction. Historical Context. World War II had ended only a few years before Era of McCarthyism Threat of nuclear warfare loomed Many Sci-Fi books and movies reflected this fear. Predict or Prevent?. Bradbury claimed he was trying to “prevent the future”. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Fahrenheit 451
An Introduction
Historical Context
World War II had ended only a few years before
Era of McCarthyismThreat of nuclear warfare loomedMany Sci-Fi books and movies
reflected this fear
Predict or Prevent?
Bradbury claimed he was trying to “prevent the future”.
He did foresee many future developments:– Walkmans, earbuds,
big-screen and interactive t.v., rise in violence, growing illiteracy, condensation of info into “sound bites”
Settings
Historical Setting
Physical Setting
Social Setting
Themes To Watch For
Individual self-expression is important.
Violence is self-destructive.
Mindless pleasure seeking and materialism make for an empty life.
Humanity should preserve and value the culture of the past.
More Themes
Humanity has the ability to be reborn or revived.
In the wrong hands, modern technology can be dangerous.
Commercialism can erode spiritual values.
People lose their humanity when not able to communicate and interact with each other on a personal level.
Symbols To Investigate
Fire Burning Water The salamander The Mechanical
Hound Seashells Parlor Walls Titles of each
section
Names Guy Montag
– Guy Fawkes, who attempts to change current state of affairs through nonconformist actions.
– Name of a paper company
Clarisse– Form of Clara, from
the Latin for “bright”– Clarisse is often
associated with a brightness different from that of a fire
Faber– Name of a pencil
company
Fire Imagery
Many cultures have gods associated with fire– Egyptian goddess
Sekhet Many myths try to
explain the origin– Greek myth about
Prometheus stealing fire from the gods
Scientists used to believe all matter was made of the 4 elements: fire, earth, water, & air
Connections & Background Info: The Hearth and the Salamander
Ben Franklin helped organize America’s first fire company and founded its first circulating library.
Franklin was also a writer and printer who believed in free speech and press.
Connections & Background Info: The Hearth and the Salamander Dante: Dante Alighieri was an Italian
poet who wrote The Divine Comedy Jonthan Swift: Author of Gulliver’s
Travels Marcus Aurelius: Roman philosopher
and emperor Hamlet: Written by William
Shakespeare Little Black Sambo: children’s book
with racial stereotypes that are offensive
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: novel that condemns slavery
Connections & Background Info: The Sieve and the SandAuthors mentioned by
Montag:
Thomas Jefferson Henry David
Thoreau: author of famous essay on civil disobedience, and Walden.
Connections & Background Info: The Sieve and the Sand
Texts: “Dover Beach” by
Matthew Arnold-Reflects a personal sense of isolation and doubt. Montag does not read aloud the first two stanzas.
Connections & Background Info: The Sieve and the SandTexts:The Bible:
– Montag attempts to read a portion of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount that criticizes materialism.
– Another character reads to Montag from the Book of Job, about a man whose faith is tested by a series of great calamities.
– The Bible has often been a target of censorship.– When the New Testament was 1st translated into
English by William Tyndale, copies were seized and burned. (He was also burned at the stake as a heretic.)
Connections & Background Info: The Sieve and the SandBeatty’s Quotes and Paraphrases:Shakespeare, The Merchant of
Venice– “Truth will come to light; murder cannot be
hid long.”– “He doth nothing but talk of his horse.”– “The Devil can cite Scripture for his
purpose.”
Connections & Background Info: Burning BrightWilliam Blake’s “The Tyger”
Tyger! Tyger! Burning brightIn the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry?
Connections & Background Info: Burning Bright “Old Montag
wanted to fly near the Sun and ... he's burned his wings”– Daedalus and
Icarus
Connections & Background Info: Burning BrightThomas Hardy: British novelist &
poet
Charles Darwin: Survival of the fittest
Aristophanes: Ancient Greek playwright
Connections & Background Info: Burning Bright“Mr. Lincoln”: yes, it’s Abraham Lincoln
Machiavelli: The Prince
The Phoenix