Sunday, September 15, 2019
ââ¬ÅFahrenheit 451ââ¬Â Study questions and answers Essay
Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander 1. a) When does this story take place? The story takes place in the future, approximately 500 years from the time this book was written, so we estimate around the year 2450. The story is also set in the autumn. b) What clue does the author offer to support this theory on page 4? The author uses technology that doesnââ¬â¢t exist yet to support his theory. The example on page 4 would be: à « the silent air-propelled train slid soundlessly down its lubricated flue in the earth and let him out with a great puff of warm air onto the cream-tiled escalator rising to the suburb. à » On page 5 we know it is autumn when the author writes: ââ¬Å" The autumn leaves blew overâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ . 2. a) What does Guy Montag do for a living? (p. 3-4) Guy Montag is a fireman. In this book, firemen start fires in houses to be able to burn the books inside of these. b) How does he feel about his job at the beginning of the novel? Find one sentence that supports your answer. (p. 3) The main character is very happy with his job in the beginning of the novel as we can see in the first two lines: ââ¬Å"It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.â⬠3. a) Find a metaphor on page 3. The metaphor found on page 3 is: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the worldâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ b) Find a metaphor on page 5. The metaphor on page 5 is: ââ¬Å"Her face was slender and milk-white, and in it was a kind of gentle hunger that touched over everything with tireless curiosity.â⬠4. a) Explain the symbolism of the girlââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"milk-whiteâ⬠face and white dress. (p. 5) The girlââ¬â¢s face and dress are milk-white and thisà symbolises purity. She is only 17 years old and very pure. White also symbolises the girlââ¬â¢s frailty and femininity. It also serves as a contrast to the very dark nature of the novel. b) At what other point in the story does the author use this same technique? (p. 36-38) When the author is speaking of the book as an innocent thing: ââ¬Å" A book lit, almost obediently, like a white pigeon, in his hands, wings fluttering. In the dim, wavering light, a page hung open and it was like a snowy feather, the words delicately painted thereon.â⬠Once again, the author has used the whiteness to show the oppression in this world so sombre. 5. a) Why do they have 200 foot-long billboards on the side on the highway? (p.9) The author explains this well when Clarisse asks Montag: ââ¬Å"Have you seen the two hundred-foot-long billboards in the country beyond town? Did you know that once billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last.â⬠b) What is Clarisse referring to when she talks about green, pink, white, and brown blurs (p. 9) When Clarisse speaks of green blurs, she is referring to grass, pink blurs to rose gardens, white blurs to houses and brown blurs to cows. This is telling us that the drivers are driving very fast and therefore do not take the time to examine whatââ¬â¢s around them. 6. What clue does the author give in order to describe human interaction in Guyââ¬â¢s world? (p. 10) The author describes human interaction in Guyââ¬â¢s world as very superficial when he describes his apparently casual meeting with Clarisse as unusual. We know this when the author writes: ââ¬Å"What a strange meeting on a strange night. He remembered nothing like it save one afternoon a year ago when he had met an old man in the park and they had talkedâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ 7. The author describes Montagââ¬â¢s bedroom as cold, dark, and quiet. Find two words that support this statement. (p. 11) The author describes his room as cold, dark, and quiet when he says words like: ââ¬Å"mausoleum, tomb and darknessâ⬠The first two are resting places for the dead and the last one speaks for itself. 8. a) In your own words, summarize how Mildred was saved from certain death after overdosing on pills. (p. 14-15) Mildred was saved from certain death after overdosing on pills by a couple of machinists. The first machine pumps out the poison with a tube that went into her stomach. It had a camera at the end of it that the operator looked through. The other machine served as a blood transfusion mechanism. It replaced the contaminated blood with new one. b) What is significant about the manner in which the ââ¬Å"Operatorsâ⬠saved Mildredââ¬â¢s life? (p. 14-15) The fact that it was a the operators saved Mildred in a very mechanical way, instead of doctors, shows us how evolved the technology has become. It is also significant in the sense that it is done in a casual manner and that it is very normal to do so in this world. c) Why do you think Mildred decided to take all of these pills? I think Mildred decided to take all of these pills because she was not satisfied with her life. She knew there was better ways to live and decided that she could never achieve this way of living because of her social status. We know there are a lot of these cases when the operator says: ââ¬Å"We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many, starting a few years ago, we had the special machines built.â⬠9. What is the significance of Guyââ¬â¢s meeting with Clarisse? What effect does it have on him? Guyââ¬â¢s meeting with Clarisse is very significant because it opens him to the thought process. He never stopped to analyse anything before. He just did what he was supposed to do, like burn books. It has the effect that he is beginning to think things out. Example: ââ¬Å"Of course Iââ¬â¢m happy. What does she think? Iââ¬â¢m not? he asked the quiet rooms.â⬠(p. 10) and ââ¬Å" There are too many of us, he thoughtâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (p. 16). 10. On page 18, what clue does the author give to show that this story is taking place in the future? The author shows the us that this story is taking place in the future with the help of technology again when he says: ââ¬Å"Toast popped out of the silverà toaster, was seized by a spidery metal hand that drenched it with melted butter.â⬠and ââ¬Å"She had both ears plugged with electronic beesâ⬠. 11. Find an antithesis on page 24. The antithesis found on page 24 are: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not tremblingâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ and ââ¬Å"slept but did not sleep, lived but did not liveâ⬠. 12. a) How does Captain Beatty describe the Mechanical Hound? Find on sentence that supports your answer. Captain Beatty describes the Mechanical Hound as emotionless and it acts upon our reactions / way of thinking, on page 26, when he says: ââ¬Å"It doesnââ¬â¢t like or dislike. It just ââ¬Ëfunctions.ââ¬â¢ Itââ¬â¢s like a lesson in ballistics. It has a trajectory we decide on for it. It follows through. It targets itself, homes itself, and cuts off. Itââ¬â¢s only copper wire, storage batteries, and electricity.â⬠b) What is symbolic about the Hound? The Hound is a symbol of cruelty and bitterness. We know this when Montag describes the programming as: ââ¬Å"all we put into it is hunting and finding and killing. What a shame if thatââ¬â¢s all it can ever know.â⬠(p. 27) Beatty further proves the symbolism of the type of justice in this world when he replies to Montag by saying: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s a fine bit of craftsmanship, a good rifle that can fetch its own target and guarantees the bullââ¬â¢s-eye every timeâ⬠. It is also symbolic of the society because it just does and doesnââ¬â¢t think before doing. 13. a) How does Clarisse describe the education system in her society? (p. 29) Clarisse describes the education system in her society as her society in general, that is that you are told what to think. She describes a typical day at school: ââ¬Å"An hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports, but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most donââ¬â¢t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film teacher.â⬠b) Contrast Clarisse and the other Students her own age (p. 29-31). Clarisseà is considered antisocial and doesnââ¬â¢t mix with the others. While the others do as they are told, they are considered social. She gives this diverging opinion on socialism when she tells Montag: ââ¬Å"Being with people is nice. But I donââ¬â¢t think itââ¬â¢s social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you?â⬠. c) What is ironic about the other studentsââ¬â¢ perception of Clarisse? It is very ironic that other children donââ¬â¢t like Clarisse because she is afraid of them. I say this is ironic because it would be normal to be afraid of people who kill each other. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m afraid of children my own age. They kill each otherâ⬠¦Iââ¬â¢m afraid of them and they donââ¬â¢t like me because Iââ¬â¢m afraid.â⬠14. a) How does the author exemplify societyââ¬â¢s indifference or lack of caring and understanding on page 32? The author exemplifies societyââ¬â¢s indifference when the firemen are playing cards nonchalantly while a war is going on outside. ââ¬Å" November fourthâ⬠¦sighing on their cardsâ⬠¦The voice clock mourned out the cold hour of a cold morning of a still colder yearâ⬠¦war may be declared any hourâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ b) Find another example of this on page 44. Another example of societyââ¬â¢s lack of caring would be when the author writes: ââ¬Å" And he remembered thinking then that if she died, he was certain he wouldnââ¬â¢t cry. For it would be the dying of an unknown, a street face , a newspaper imageâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ 15. What do we learn about Guy and Mildredââ¬â¢s relationship on pages 43 and 44? We learn that the Montags donââ¬â¢t really know each other when they canââ¬â¢t remember when they met: ââ¬Å"ââ¬Å"Why it was at-â⬠She stopped. ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t know,â⬠she said. He was cold. ââ¬Å"Canââ¬â¢t you remember?â⬠ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s been so long.â⬠ââ¬Å"Only ten years, thatââ¬â¢s all, only ten!â⬠The author also mentions the wall between the two: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦wasnââ¬â¢t there a wall between him and Mildredâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ 16. a) What do we learn about Clarisse on page 47 We learn that Clarisse is dead on page 47 when Mildred tells Montag: ââ¬Å"I think sheââ¬â¢s goneâ⬠¦I think sheââ¬â¢s deadâ⬠¦no the same girl. McClellan.â⬠b) Analyze Mildredââ¬â¢s speech. How does the way she talks reflect her personality?à Mildredââ¬â¢s speech shows us that she is impersonal when she forgets about the neighbour being killed by a car four days ago. She also isnââ¬â¢t sure of the situation and doesnââ¬â¢t seem to care to much when she says: ââ¬Å"No, not sure. Pretty sureâ⬠¦Forgotâ⬠¦I forgot all about itâ⬠. 17. a) What is the cause of Montagââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"illnessâ⬠? Montagââ¬â¢s illness is caused by the fact that a woman has died in a fire that they caused the night before. ââ¬Å"We burnt a thousand books. We burnt a womanâ⬠¦.she was rational as you and I, more so perhaps, and we burnt her.â⬠(p. 50-51). b) Do you believe he is actually sick? Explain. I donââ¬â¢t believe he is actually sick because he is questioning his career and has a book he wants to read. ââ¬Å"Montag fell back in bed. He reached under his pillow. The hidden book was still there. Mildred, how would it be if, well, maybe, I quit my job awhile?â⬠(p. 50-51). 18. On page 51, what reason does Montag give for becoming a fireman? Montag tells us that he didnââ¬â¢t have a choice of career. He had to follow his family line of work when he says: ââ¬Å"ââ¬Å"Thought!â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Was I given a choice? My grandfather and father were firemen. In my sleep, I ran after them.â⬠on page 51. 19. How does captain Beatty justify the burning of books? What reasons does he give to support his theory? (p. 58-63) Captain Beatty justifies the burning of books as a means to eliminate prejudice against intellectualism and thus improve happiness. We see this when he says: ââ¬Å"the word ââ¬Ëintellectualââ¬â¢, of course, became the swear word it deserved to be.â⬠(p. 58) and ââ¬Å"You must understand that our civilization is so vast that we canââ¬â¢t have our minorities upset and stirredâ⬠¦People want to be happy, isnââ¬â¢t that right?â⬠(p. 59). He also says that this happiness is the backbone to his theory when he speaks of death on page 60: ââ¬Å"Five minutes after a person is dead heââ¬â¢s on his way to the Big Flue, the Incinerators serviced by helicopters all over the country. Ten minutes after death a manââ¬â¢s a speck of black dust. Letââ¬â¢s not quibble over individuals withà memoriums. Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean.â⬠20. As Montag looked through a window, he remembered that Clarisse had once mentioned that most houses had no front porches, no gardens, and no rocking chairs. Why do you think this is so? Most houses donââ¬â¢t have any front porches, gardens or rocking chairs because this led to discussion and analyzation of the day passing by. It is considered as dead time, time to think. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the real reason, hidden underneath, might be they didnââ¬â¢t want people sitting like that, doing nothing, rocking, talking; that was the wrong kind of social life. People talked too much. And they had time to think. So they ran off with the porches. And the gardens, too.â⬠(p. 63).
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