STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR FAHRENHEIT 451 As you read each section of the novel, answer briefly the following questions.
Part I: The Hearth and the Salamander (pages 1-65)
1. What do the "firemen" do for a living?
In our world, firemen fight fires. In “Fahrenheit 451, “the firemen burns books. They do this to fight ideas and to keep their society safe from disruptive influences.
2. What is never washed off completely?
In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag says that “you never wash it off completely,” referring to the kerosene. (Page 4)
3. According to pages 1-2, what does Montag think of his job?
Montag loves his job! The first words of the chapter say that it was a “pleasure to burn.” He loved to see things “eaten” and to see
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10. How is life in Montag 's house very different from that of Clarisse 's house? 11. How does Mildred react after she wakes up from her previous night 's experience?
12. What does Mildred do all day?
13. Describe the setup of Montag 's TV room.
14. What is Clarisse doing when Montag sees her on page 19?
15. How is Clarisse different than Mildred?
16. What is the mechanical hound and what is its purpose?
17. What is the hound 's reaction to Montag?
18. Why does society consider Clarisse “anti-social” (page 26-27)? 19. What are the five rules for firemen?
20. At the fire, how does the old woman choose to end her life? 21. Why do the firemen do their job at night? (page 36)
22. What is the significance of “Mister Ridley” and what do we learn about Beatty in this exchange? (page 37-38)
23. What does Montag take and where does he stash it? 24. What technology does Mildred use to go to sleep? 25. Who is Mildred 's "family"? (page 41-43)
26. What has happened to Clarisse? How did it happen? 27. What is unusual about the way Mildred told Montag about Clarisse? 28. What does Mildred look like according to Montag? (page 45-46)
29. What does Beatty say happened to books and learning that led to the present censorship and book-burning? (page 51-52)
30. Why is Montag so upset with Mildred while Beatty is speaking?
31. What does Beatty say are the three things that led to the current state of the world? (page 55)
32. Beatty says that
In this passage in which a conflict between Beatty and Montag results in Beatty’s death, Ray Bradbury uses imagery, dialogue and pace to develop both characters. Bradbury develops Montag as a character who finds a new appreciation for the deeper meanings within the forbidden books of his society. Beatty, on the other hand, is developed as a character who is closed minded and considered the norm of his society.
In conclusion, Beatty hates books and Charles loves them. Beatty thinks books are worthless and meaningless. Charles view books as powerful and transformational. Blow and Beatty are complete opposites. If you think about both of their views you will see who is correct. Charles uses points to back up what he says whereas Beatty only repeatedly says they are
Supporting Point #1: Montag met a strange girl named Clarisse while walking home one night. After brief conversation, Montag realized how
There are no more books to burn, and they send themselves out. Firemen are supposed to go places without being called and there is no point for them anymore.
The violence that takes place in the story is a preview of what may one day come true if individual rationalism ends. The lack of daily human interaction by most has significantly transformed the way in which all of the characters in the story live and act on a daily basis. A revealing point of the government’s censorship is when Captain Beatty states, “They were given the new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of
He knows she called about his books. Captain Beatty then tells Montag again to burn all of his books, but instead he burns all of Mildred’s things. He loves the desire of burning and destroying all of her things. Captain Beatty tells Montag that he is to be arrested afterwards. All of the firemen watch as Montag’s house burns. Captain Beatty and Montag start to argue about books and their importance again. They start a physical fight. The fight escalates to Montag pointing a flame thrower at Captain Beatty. Captain Beatty goes on to taunt Montag, so Montag decides to burn Captain Beatty
She sits home all day and watches her three walls in the living room, that they had equipped with giant TV’s. Mildred bugs Montag for a fourth TV wall. She thinks it would be necessary to achieve the full effect of her TV programs, but Montag refuses knowing that it is a useless and expensive investment. Montag finds Clarisse waiting at the bus stop the next day. She then informs him that she doesn’t go to school because she’s been labeled anti-social by her teachers. Montag and Clarisse continue to carry on a conversation for a while before he eventually had to go and head off to work. Once he arrives at the fire station an alarm sounds to notify the firemen that someone is in the procession of books and that it is time to perform their duty of burning the house of books. Before the firemen begin to incinerate the house, Montag snatches two of the criminal’s books, and when the old lady who owns the houses refuses to leave her personal possessions to be burned the fireman are ordered to burn the house and its books along with her. This act dwells on Montag to the point where is makes him feel sick and very depressed about the inhumane actions he had performed.
This passage suggests that Montag realized one of them had to stop burning, and that it would have to be him. In spite of what has happened Montag finally sees the harm of fire. Montag realizes the negatives of burning "After a long time of floating on the land and a short time of floating in the river he knew why he must never burn again in his life" (Bradbury 141). This example shows why people including Montag should not burn. Overall Montag realizes the negatives of burning things and decides he needs to
During the burning of Montag’s old life, his tone shows the inevitability and pleasure of self destruction. At the beginning of the
The novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a futuristic American city. In the novel, firemen burn books of all sorts. Guy Montag, the main character of the story, is a fireman. However, Montag secretly loves books, which is an aspect that differentiates him from his coworkers.
In this quote Beatty shows that since he wants all of the books to burn. He also wants to keep his power above everyone else and keep them ignorant and
Mildred call Beatty and turned in Montag for having the books. When they get to the house Beatty makes Montag burn his house down he does, but he feels relief that the walls that separated Montag from his wife are finally gone. ‘"We never burned right..."’ (Bradbury 78-79). After he says that he burns Beatty to a crisp. That made Montag feel good that he burned his house down but lie to himself that Beatty wanted to die.
Later on in the book, Beatty could have also been a force acting on him as the story opening in the first part.
His explanation to why books are burned and destroyed furthers this even more. Beatty says that people that read books are “Loaded Guns” and is not a part of the “Equalization” that is the goal of society that the firemen are to carry out. Beatty’s main point behind this being the right way is that he wants even to be made equal and not “Born free and equal, as the constitution says,” yet he is his own enemy in this debate. He reads books himself and can clearly see that he has more knowledge than everyone else. Beatty’s job makes this even more confusing since it is his job to make sure that doesn't happen. Overall, I believe he does make good points, but not nearly enough for the burning of books to be
Fahrenheit 451 is a creative, thought provoking piece of literature that encompasses a futuristic society in which books are illegal and banned. Through an analysis of the novel and use of research, specifically focused on characterization, the reader will see and understand an assortment of characters. Bradbury constructed dynamic, flat, and round characters throughout the story that help the plot to develop, rise into conflict, and culminate in a finale where the protagonist rises above the rubble as a new, changed man with a life of opportunity ahead. The characters provide a great foundation to expose the many themes discovered in the story of Fahrenheit