Fahrenheit 451 Notes 1

Pages 3-21

3 - opening scene: diction, imagery, tone, metaphors

burning a book has great power, great symbolism--more than burning pages, all the history, knowledge, etc. destroyed. conductor metaphor "his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor . . . bringing down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history."

proud to be destroying, not proud of what he has created

superficiality--permanent smile. Title of 451 = symbol, =the path of book burning is dangerous==> bradbury's social commentary

4 - Montag “thinking little about nothing in particular”

5 – contrast to Clarisse “in it was a kind of gentle hunger that touch over everything with tireless curiosity”

odd conversation

9 – “I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly . . . If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh Yes! He’d say, that’s grass . . .”

9 – Clarisse vs. Montag: different silences thoughtful vs. clenching

10 – uncle reference—allusion to “The Pedestrian”

10 – “But what do you talk about?”

“Are you happy?”

Current technology: ear phones, touch sensors

11 – people were like “torches, blazing away until they whiffed out”

11 – why does she make such a big impression on him?

11-12: tone

12 – “He wore his happiness like a mask”

13 – jet bomber description: what happened?

18 – What happened to Mildred? How was she healed? What does this signify? What does it reveal about the entire society?

20-21: Mildred’s character and the TV show