Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Why Does It End Like This? April 12, 2016

Focus: Why does Bradbury end F451 this way?

1. Warming up with How To Read Literature Like a Professor


"So maybe on some level tossing characters into the river is (a) wish fulfillment, (b) exorcism of primal fear, (c) exploration of the possible, and not just (d) a handy solution to messy plot difficulties...

But back to our soggy character. Is he rescued? Does he swim out? Grab a piece of driftwood? Rise up and walk? Each of those would imply something different on the symbolic level. For instance, rescue might suggest passivity, good fortune, indebtedness. The piece of driftwood raises issues of luck and coincidence, serendipity rather than planning...

...He's not just alive. He's alive all over again...He's reborn." (Foster 153-155)

Reread pages 139-141, and consider the following question in your in-class notes: 

  • Why does Bradbury throw Montag in the river? Use the Foster quotation above to help unravel the symbolic possibilities!
  • How and why does the "news" fictionalize the end of Montag's journey? Think about the articles and clips on reality TV we reflected on yesterday.

2. Finding patterns among the symbols to form larger themes

On our class blog, try one (or more) of these:

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to warn us that...

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to criticize our society for...

Bradbury uses the symbols of ____________ and ___________ to encourage people to...

3. Diving into our final fishbowl of the year: The ending of F451

HW:
1. Make sure your F451 journals are finished. If you're handwriting, you will need to have them in class each day this week.

2. If you're giving your speech this Friday, April 15, now is the time to prepare.

3. Meet in the Forum this Wednesday, April 13 (tomorrow). Bring your scheduling questions. OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE COUNSELORS, KEEP PHONES AWAY UNLESS ASKED TO TAKE THEM OUT.

231 comments:

  1. Bradbury uses the symbols of Ashes and the Phoenix to encourage people that even if you are defeated you can always rise and conquer again

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    1. In The Truman Show, the main character seems to represent a phoenix because he is rising above regular customs and finding out his real purpose in life.

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    2. In "The Truman Show," the main character seems like he reaches a point in his life where he is virtually defeated. But it seems like Truman and his dedication could get him out of this fake world he's living in.

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    3. In the Truman Show, Truman is living in the fake world, but when time comes he can rise from his fake life and make a real one.

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  2. Bradbury uses the symbols of Time and Burning to encourage people to live life without worries and to find the good in others rather then judge them.

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  3. Bradbury uses the symbols of water and fire to criticize our society for always being opposites and at war with ourselves.

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  4. Bradbury uses the symbols of the river and the burning of Montag's house to encourage people to rethink their lives and possibly start over.

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  5. Bradbury uses the symbols of burning and campfire to encourage people that fire is not merely destructive, but it also provides sustainability and life.

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  6. Bradbury uses the symbols of lanterns and campfire to encourage people to see the light in the dark.

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  7. Bradbury uses the symbols of river and wave to encourage people to create a safe haven. feel that maybe to Bradbury, that the river represents something personal to him, like maybe a mother. To montag, it represents a safe haven, kind of like how a mother would cradle a baby or toddler or how a simple blanket would protect you from bad things, like monsters, or cops.

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  8. Bradbury uses the Symbol Mirrors and Leafs to criticize our society for not looking at itself and not making itself better.

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  9. Bradbury uses the symbols of The Bible to encourage people that there is a new beginning coming

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  10. Bradbury uses the symbols of the sun and burning to criticize our society for misinterpretations.

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  11. Bradbury uses the symbols of burning and the hound to criticize our society and the superfluous restrictions we place on literature, and to what lengths we go to "protect" our citizens.

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  12. Bradbury uses the symbols of Burning and the river to warn us that Montag might not be safe after all. Montag thinks he is save and at peace in the river, but can he out run the burning?

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  13. Bradbury uses the symbol of the hound to criticize our society for being too wrapped up in technology.

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    1. I agree with this, because almost everyone has something technology related today.

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    2. I think that The Truman Show is similar to F451 because Montag and Truman are lost in a fake world. They will eventually break the chains that they are part of.

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  14. Bradbury uses the symbols of the hound and burning to criticize our society for caging us in and preventing us from our own personal beliefs.

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  15. Bradbury uses the symbol of the hounds to show how the government can do extreme things to try to keep their power.

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  16. Bradbury uses the symbols of the camera and the TV to criticize our society for listening to everything the media is saying

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    1. This proves Joe's point because Truman is being watched and listened to his whole life.

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  17. Bradbury uses the symbols of Burning and Time to encourage people so they don't miss out on life because we all end up in the same place anyway

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    1. Truman in the movie seems like he is missing out on life since everything around him is scripted and not natural

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  18. Bradbury uses the symbols of the river and the phoenix to exemplify that rebirth of world and man can cleanse corruption.

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  19. Bradbury uses the symbols of the river and the hound to encourage people to try to wash themselves off, to clean up what has happened in the past and start fresh.

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  20. Bradbury uses the symbol of burning and campfire to encourage people to use fire for good and happiness rather than for destroying things.

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  21. Bradbury uses the symbols of the sun and fire to encourage us to find life in even the most extreme and impossible situations

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  22. Bradbury uses the symbols of fire and water to warn us about the good and evil in the world.

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  23. Branbury uses the symbol of the river to show there is a light at the end of the tunnel

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  24. Bradbury uses the symbols of the hound and fire to remind our society that trends spread like fires and if you let something like a hound scare you out of being who you are then what good are you doing?

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  25. On page 141 it says "The river had moved him toward shore". Why is it that the water is now helping him?

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    1. I think it shows a major shift in society because he was always in danger when he was controlled by the fire but it shows that as he escapes society, he is safe and that the water will protect him.

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    2. I think the water is "helping him" because it's rewarding Montag for all the change he has caused: And the water now wants to help Montag get rid of all the stress and frustration he went through on his journey.

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    3. Interesting, too, that the river moves/guides him. The river is the agent, and Montag merely the object. This suggests to me that his journey is a part of the natural movement of things...many men before him have taken this same journey.

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  26. "The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time . . . Time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time, that meant that everything burnt!" (Bradbury 141) This quote occurs when Montag is floating down the river and is what causes him to realize that if the firemen didn't stop burning things, then everything would be burning. What do you think the significance of this quote is? What do you think burning symbolizes?

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    1. He was explaining that as Time is constantly being consumed and won't break. But humanity is only a fleck in the timeline of the universe and burning books is guaranteed to end before Time ends. Books burning will end first because burning only leads to desolation.

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  27. "At least you were a fool about the right things" said Faber
    (pg. 130)
    I think this quote is saying that even you might be looked down upon by society, but if you know you are doing something for the right reasons, than that's all that matters

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  28. The quote from Genesis as well as Montag being submerged in the river and then reemerging is another symbol of the rebirth that is going to occur. Not only will society need to physically rebuild itself, it will also have to rethink the way they act

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  29. The ending quote in italics represents a fresh start for Montag. It talked about growth and it shows Montag the growth and the trials he has gone through to have a fresh start and that he has found the "fresh fruit," happiness.

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    1. After watching the trailer for The Truman Show, do you think that Truman is able to find this fresh fruit of happiness in his make believe world?

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  30. "We'l build the biggest goddamn steam shovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time..." pg 164 I believe that this is one of many ways that Bradbury shows a new beginning of barring the passed and starting a new. Where do they go from here?

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  32. On page 142 it says "Now the dry smell of hay,the motion of the waters, made him think of sleeping in a fresh hay in a lonely barn away from the loud highways". Montag has been through a lot in his life, how do you think he can go from running from death to being at peace in a few moments?

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    1. There's just something about nature that brings him peace. He hasn't been at rest with how the society is living throughout this book so by being alone in a barn where it's him and his thoughts, he can find time to think and process what has all gone on which gives him peace.

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    2. I think this shows how much can change by just a little thing. The reward of all that he has done to help the society.

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    3. I think maybe he was almost relieved that he got away. Also he could have learnd somthing that no one else has learned.

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  33. Faber says, "At least you were a fool about the right things." How large was Faber's role in Montag's success? Could he have done it without him?

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    1. I don't think he could have done to much without him. Faber was more like a father and a master to him. He showed him the wrong and right things and to stand up for the things he should.

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    2. Faber was a major role in Montag's success because originally, he helped him understand how to understand and comprehend the books that he was reading. However, I think that he still would have been able to be successful without Faber because he was making his own decisions.

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    3. I agree that Faber had a huge impact on Montag's success, but I believe that Montag could have done a few things by himself, but he wouldn't have had as big of an impact on everyone around him.

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  34. On page 149 the search crew said, "There's Montag! The search is done". Why does the city care so much about entertaining the civilians? Montag is still out there, but they can't accept defeat

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    1. I think that they are right on the cusp of losing many people to the idea of freedom so they are doing everything in their power to keep the people "happy"

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    2. If the society sees that Montag has escaped and they haven't been able to catch him then more people will join with Montag and that isn't what they want in this moment.

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    3. Since everyone watches TV, the whole country is watching and it would be bad to admit defeat in front of the whole country. They want to cover it up so they still seem powerful in front of their people.

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    4. Yes--the society was unwilling or unable to accept failure of any kind. Unfortunately, this also shielded them from the possibility of genuine success.

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  35. Now we are done with the book, do you think that Montag looks back at his life as a huge success or failure?

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    1. I think his life was a success because he made decisions on his own and could think on his own and try to turn the society around.

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    2. I don't think he thinks of his life as either. I think he looks at it as an experience to learn from, and he just wants to start it over

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    3. I think Montag sees it as a failure that ended with a success. He had a pretty uneventful, boring life until the end of the book where he stood up for what he believed in.

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    4. I think he will look back and see both success and failure in his life because he was able to successfully run from the firemen but failed by burning books and other things.

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    5. I think he looks back at his life as a loss and a waste. I think he will look back and remember how lost he was.

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    6. Montag believes what he did was right and that's what matters to him. Even if he doesn't completely change society he's set the way for others to follow.

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    7. I think as a success because I think the book is trying to convey, is that you can change for the better even if its going against your society.

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    8. I think he looks back as a failure because he was unable to collect all the book and had to run away. However I think he thinks it's a success that he got away from the firemen.

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    9. Does Truman think his life is like a failure after he realizes he's all a part of a show?

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  36. "It's strange, I don't miss her, it's strange I don't feel much of anything," said Montag. "Even if she dies, I realized a moment ago, I don't think I'll feel sad. It isn't right. Something must be wrong with me." Pg. 155
    Do you think something is wrong with Montag? Do you think Montag should miss mildred or should he not have any feeling for her?

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    1. In the Truman Show I believe that he will realize that he isn't happy and will make a difference like Montag in Fahrenheit 451

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  37. BAck to earlier when we were talking about the symbols, I said that the river represented a mother and montag was the son. Montag never rea;;t talked about his mother, was the river montag's mother in one way? For comfort?

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  38. Following up on the comment Clayton just made: "But our society reads." But do we really read? Or do we just read summaries?

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    1. I think that the majority of our class can admit for going onto sparknotes, but during these fishbowl discussions it is easy to tell who actually reads and who cheats their way out of things. The thing that sparknotes does is gives a summary of the chapter, but there are so many more passages that sparknotes doesn't mention

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  39. On Page 160 Montag says," I remember . Montag clung to the earth. I remember. Chicago. Chicago a long time ago. millie and I thats where we met!". So what were Montag's true feeling about mildred did he love her or not?

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    1. I think he felt sentiment and I think he felt sorry for her

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  40. Garret vs. Graham: Are we unlike the society in F451? Or are we quite similar to them?

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    1. If you don't mind Ms. Leclaire, I'm going to jump in on this. I think that our society is actually somewhat similar to F451 because there is destruction every where you go. Whether it is small or big, there are problems and it is never going to stop.

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    2. We've seen technology start running peoples lives. Heck some 3rd graders have their own phones, just because. I think as technology becomes more prevalent the skills of being around others is constantly eroding. In order to be comfortable around people and talking with people face to face you have to make a habit of it from when you are a kid. The attitude you approach technology with will determine how prevalent it is in your life. By creating the bad habit of constantly being on a phone or computer or watching TV, you are constantly drifting away from society and being social. It's not bad to have technology but we can't forget about the people around us and how every little thing you do affects others.

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    3. Preston i agree because i think you decide how frequently technology appears in your life. For example if you are constantly on your phone you will no doubt be less social because you aren't aware of your surroundings causing you to be more anti-social. This is why technology is heavily affecting young teens' lives and all of ours.

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    4. How can we compare our society to the truman show like we did here, comparing it to F451? Is our society turning into a big scripted TV show?

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  41. Why do you think that Montag remembered that he met Mildred in Chicago right before she died? It was a pretty big deal earlier in the book so do you think that the fact he remembered where they met is a big deal?

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    1. I think it shows closure and it ties up the loose end he had with her, allowing him to move on.

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  42. The inner circle was talking about how our society could easily head the way this book did and I think that this could easily happen. With the introduction of phones, I think that the government could easily begin brainwashing us. I mean people already spend most of the time on their phones to the point where maybe some of us already are brainwashed.

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    1. Sean, I agree with you i believe if our government did this it could easily destroy our society. Especially if they took away phones instead of books. No phones in our society would kill off tons of people just because of how anti social they are and how connected to phones so many kids and teens are nowadays.

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  43. By the way, as much as I love reading, I can't say that I'm "above" the wave of cheap, mindless entertainment offered by reality TV. Over spring break, I watched at least six episodes of "Wicked Tuna." And I'm an English teacher.

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    2. If there were a laughing face emoji on my computer, I would use it right now!!

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  44. Going back to the beginning of the book should this book have been banned?

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    1. I don't think it should have been banned but I can see how it couldve been banned it showed a lot of how the government could control us in the future and how television and technology is growing upon us.

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  45. In a sequel of the book, what do you think will happen? Will he continue to try to teach books to people, or will he live in secret, learning everything without anyone else?

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  46. If Bradbury were to walk through halls of Arapahoe High School today, do you think he would be relieved or alarmed? Would he see his worst fears becoming actualized, or would he be encouraged by our empathy and thoughtfulness?

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    1. I think both. He will see that people have their own opinions/thoughts, but he will be worried that we are too attached to media and entertainment.

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    2. He would be relieved because we can speak freely and we have such a large selection of books in our library. He would realize that the modern day students are very educated on the importance of knowledge and books; therefore ensuring the safety of the future.

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    3. I feel like he would be relieved that people still have their own opinions and are able to communicate with one and another but I also think he would be alarmed because in the halls so many people are on their phones listening to music.

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    4. I think Bradbury would be alarmed at how computers have grown on our society and that technology has done to us what it did to the people in farenheit 451.

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  47. Do you think fire is a good thing or a bad thing?

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    1. A bad thing. It brings destruction to lives and could potentially scare you.

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    3. Fire is a powerful thing and it can be both good and bad, just depends on whose hands its in.

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    4. It depends on the form it takes. For example, when Montag sees fire out of a flamethrower, it causes nothing but destruction but when he sees it as a sense of warmth and protection by the campfire, it is used for good.

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    5. A bad thing because it destroys lives and can destroy great things.

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    6. I agree with Jacob, Fire can be good, for example the Bonfire at the beginning of the year brings us together, but in a bad way it can destroy lives

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  48. Don't listen to the haters, Ethan.

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    1. Press the reset button Ferronit. Stay you<3

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  49. We are all looking at water and fire as if they have one single meaning. Both of these symbols could represent different aspects in the book. Fire has been looked to as life and rebirth, not just death and destruction. Water has been looked to as suffocation and hopefulness, not just purity and cleansing.

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    1. I think that The Truman Show will show the same progression that F451 had with Montag questioning whats going on in his society through those symbols of water and fire.

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  50. Bradbury uses the symbols of the TV and Seashells to represent how un-involved everyone is.

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  51. I think they fictonize it because it is entertainment for them

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  53. Bradbury uses The Bible as a symbol that their are new things to come and a rebirth of society.

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  54. Bradbury uses the symbols of river and sun to encourage people to get away from the negative things in their life and continue on the path to their goal.

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  55. Bradbury uses the symbols of the river and burning to encourage people to consider the good, bad, and necessity of these symbols.

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  56. Bradbury uses the symbols of time and darkness to criticize society for being impatient and selfish.

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  57. Bradbury uses the symbols of the TV and the camera to trick us into believing everything we see on TV is true.

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  58. Bradbury uses the symbols of the river and the sun to encourage people that anyone can keep hope for a second chance.

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  59. Bradbury uses the symbols of Burning and River to criticize our society because he wants montag to be the one who has changed how people think and act

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  60. Bradbury uses words like burning and victim to warn us that our society could be going downhill.

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  61. Bradbury uses the symbols of time and burning to warn us that keeping records and memories is important because nothing lasts forever.

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  62. Bradbury uses the bible as a symbol of rebirth and new teachings to criticize the society montag is currently living in, or the way our world may go.

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  63. Bradbury uses the symbols of the hound and fake "Montag" to warn us about the extremes the government is willing to go to keep their people under their control.

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  64. Bradbury uses the river as a symbol that being influenced by the government has now been washed away and he is on his own path now.

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  65. Bradbury uses the symbols of Railroad Track and the River to encourage people to keep going forward and not question your ideas.

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  66. Bradbury uses the words burning and campfire to warn us of destruction, yet also teach control.

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  67. Bradbury uses the symbols of the campfire and warming to show us that fire is life giving and good rather than destructive and evil.

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  68. Bradbury uses fire and burning as a symbol that the fire, as it is portrayed in the story is bad, but also provides life and is essential and integral in every society.

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  69. Bradbury uses the symbols of burning and fire to warn us that if not in the right hands with the right idea, fire can be used as a weapon instead of as a tool.

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    1. What if it's in the hands of someone who can be trusted with both? If someone was trusted as a tool and as a weapon, like batman?

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    2. What if it's in the hands of someone who can be trusted with both? If someone was trusted as a tool and as a weapon, like batman?

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  70. Bradbury uses the symbols of death and bombs to criticize our society for abandoning our original ideals.

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  71. Bradbury utilizes the symbols of the Phenix and the camera to criticize us for having the power to rise from the ashes but the inability to do so while mysterious people control history and our lives.

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  72. Bradbury uses the symbols of water and fire to criticize our society for not making a change and for following the crowd.

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  73. Bradbury uses the symbols of the railroad to say to expect the most expected

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  74. Bradbury uses the symbols of the Fake Man and the TV to show that it takes more than one person to against the people who are controlling everything

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  75. Bradbury uses the symbols of bomber jets and Wars to warn us that something bad might happen and that in the end Montag would have nothing left of his past.

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  76. Bradbury uses the symbols of the "family" and the Hound to warn us that although technology is used in their world to entertain them, the government that controls them also uses it to mask their society from the beautiful world books are capable of unlocking.

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  77. On page 149 the search crew said, "There's Montag! The search is done". Why does the government care so much about a threat to it's society? Are they over-reacting?

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    1. I think this scene shows how much they don't care about Montag, they only care about their image. Instead of going out of their way to find Montag, they killed an innocent bystander. They didn't see Montag as a threat as long as he wasn't in their city.

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    2. The government cares so much because it is a threat to their society, that is exactly it. The society will respond to threats, much like the U.S would

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    3. They care because they want to make sure that the rest of their society knows not to try and stand up, rebelling against the government. They want the people to know that they won't get away with rebelling then successfully running away right after instead of getting killed.

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    4. I actually agree with Collette and respectively disagree with Angie. I think the killing of the random bystander was just to please the civilians and make them feel safe. If the people think that Montag is dead, then they can rest easy thinking that the threat is died down.

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  78. Is the portrayal of how the news fakes stories accurate of real life news stations in today's society?

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    1. I feel like they make it a sound a lot worse than it really is.

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    2. Yes, I do. If you really think about it, the ones who stand up against the government in Fahrenheit 451 is how we see the murderers who make an uproar somewhere in our world. Putting it in perspective, maybe that's why they lied to the people about killing Montag. They don't want to encourage anyone else to attempt this attention/spotlight Montag had done and secretly got away with.

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  79. What does the "And then after a time of the men sitting around the fire their faces expressionless, an announcer on the dark screen said, The search is over, Montag is dead; a crime against society has been avenged. Darkness. What is the significants of the darkness?

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  80. When Montag finds a group of men around a fire after he gets out of the water, he is informed by one of them that they must remind themselves that they are not better than others just because they read books. Do you think Montag felt that he was better and smarter than the others in the society he escaped from?

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    1. I think that Montag did feel superiority to others.

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    2. I think he did think he was better than those who were oblivious, because he looked down upon Mildred and thought of the society as horrible people, but he didn't keep in mind that he was like them once.

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  81. What is the significance of the quote in italics on the last page?

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    1. The quote reads, "And on either side of the river was there a tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit in every month; And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." This quote means that when Guy crossed the river, he almost started a new life. His problems lost track of him, he is following his dreams, and he is about to make the world a better place. The quote about there being a tree on either side means that both sides of the river posses the power to do good, but only some pick fruits from the trees.

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  82. How do you think Montag's like would be if he had never met Clarisse?

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    1. I feel like it wouldnt have been as bright because clarisse is such a spunky person

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    2. I think he never would have found his purpose in life. Clarisse showed Montag that he has meaning and can make an impact.

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    3. I feel like he wouldn't cross the threshold to the other world that was extremely diverse from the one he was previously in. He would never have truly found his purpose in life, as well as his curiosity about books.

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    4. Honestly, this book would've never had a story to tell. There wouldn't have had any reason to question the government or make a move against the government. Guy would've turned out like Mildred and felt no purpose in life.

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    5. I think that he would've never changed and always gone with the ideas he was given but always been kind of curious

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    6. Just as Montag met Clarisse, Truman fell in love with a girl who was not scripted to be his wife and therefore he started questioning his path.

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  83. What happens if Montag couldn't get away from his jobs and his life at the beginning of the story?

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    1. I don't think there would be much of a story. Montag would remain stuck in his day to day life and not knowing he could change it.

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  84. "And then after a time of the men sitting around the fire their faces expressionless, an announcer on the dark screen said, The search is over, Montag is dead; a crime against society has been avenged. Darkness." Is this darkness actually montag's light?

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  85. I think that if Montag had been caught he would have just been "dealt with". Bradbury could not make Montag get caught just to die because it does not have the symbolism that the chase contains.

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  86. When Montag starts to witness to war begin he thinks of the people he care about, Clarisse, Faber and Mildred. He realizes that Mildred is the only one left. His worry for her grows, "And Mildred... Get out, run!" "The first bomb struck. 'Mildred!'" Pg. 159. Do you think Montag loves Mildred? Why is she the only one who survived until that point?

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  87. Will Montag be seen as a hero or just another criminal that failed at his mission?

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    1. I think he will be seen as a hero because without him their wouldn't be any change.

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    2. I don't think he'll be seen as either. The men he met around the campfire reminded him that his part is to wait for the next generations to realize that it was a bad idea burning books. Montag didn't necessarily have a strong impact on the society he escaped from but I think that's what Bradbury is trying to convey. You don't have to do something so gallant and effective to the whole world just to know you were successful in your "mission". He realized his true mission was to wait like the others around the campfire and he did just that.

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    3. I think that he will be seen as a hero because he fought for what is right and he got what he wants it to be. I feel that he had a lot of bumps in the road but he got to where he needed to be.

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    4. I think that the group of readers that Montag joined will be seen as heroes not just him because the book ends with him walking towards the next city and they all have the same goal which is to make some changes to improve the society that they live in.

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  88. Can clarisse be to blame for the actions that have taken place? Was she maybe a phoenix

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    1. I don't think she can take the blame but I think she was an influence. Without her Montag wouldn't of ever though that way.

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  89. I think a society without books would have very little creativity and curiosity and many rules. If Bradbury had not included the technology portion in the book the people would have had completely different personalities with less creativity and diversified personalities.

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  90. Do you think Montag was successful?

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    1. I do think that he was successful but do you think he feels successful or should he have done more?

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    2. I think he was in a position that was unwinnable. He at least walked away with his life, but dissent isn't that easy

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  91. I think were stuck in the middle of that society, and the opposite. I think that curiosity and creativity are being replaced by technology, just not as significantly.

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    1. I think in the Truman show, Truman starts to question his life and become curious of why is is here.

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  92. Beatty tells Montag that owning books is not a crime, its reading them. Why should people even have books if they cant read them? Does this open up the option for people to read them more than if they did not have the books at all?

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    1. I disagree with Beatty's perspective on that. Everyone was capable of reading in the world, I think it was the meanings people could get from the books they read, and that's why it was counted as a crime.

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  93. We may already be living Bradbury's nightmare but when we read fahrenheit 451 we realize that we may be close to becoming this society but it is still the people's choice as to who leads a country not a tv screen.

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  94. "I remember. Montag clung to the earth. I remember. Chicago. Chicago a long time ago. Millie and I. That's where we met!" (160) On this page Montag began to remember things such as where he met Mildred and part of a book. But why did the bomb trigger his memory? What was it about the bomb that made him think of Mildred and the Book of Ecclesiastes? Perhaps it was similar to how when people are in life endangering moments "their life flashes before their eyes" and Montag focused on the life changing moments such as meeting Mildred or reading a book despite laws against them.
    Did the news seem more like a reality show because they wanted to distract everyone from actual issues in the world such as the war? Are most of the laws and tv shows more like a distraction or a way for governments to keep everyone under their control?

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  95. On page 145 Bradbury describes the fire “It was not burning. It was warming” Why do you think he described the fire like this after he spent the majority of the book describing fire as a destructive force?

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    1. I think there are lots of ways to look at fire, just as there are different ways to look at everything. Fire can be sed to destroy, but also warming.

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    2. I think he probably sees fire as his old life. Maybe the fire is himself. He used to be burning, destructive, dangerous, and now he is describing the fire (himself) as warming, improving, and less dangerous.

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  96. Do you think Clarisse is really dead? Why do you think Bradbury left her death so opened ended?

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    1. I think the reason why he left Clarisse's disappearance as a cliff hanger is because Montag could use this thought that she was killed as a motivation for him to finish what she started.

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    2. I think he did this because it is a reflection of their society. Bradbury wanted to make it seem realistic and not always knowing what happens is a common occurrence. Like Beatty said, they just throw the dead into a fire soon after they die, so people are trained to not care or be interested in someone's life.

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    3. I think Bradbury left Clarisse's death so open ended because she is a large symbol of hope and when she is no longer in the book there is still a simmer of hope because it is not certain whether or not she is dead. The audience has to decide if they believe it or not.

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    4. Clarisse reminds me of Truman because they are both unlike any others in their story.

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  97. I do not think that this book needs to be censored or banned. The entire point of this book is that people need to have the freedom to be themselves. If this book were to be banned it would show how little freedom people have to be different and find themselves.

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  98. i think that the meaning of fire has changed throughout the book. It started as just a destruction tool controlled by the government. Eventually becoming something that the society is controlling.

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    1. I partly agree with your perception about fire. First, it started out being used as destruction. But later, I think Montag could see it being used as clarity because when he stepped in the river, I took it as him being reborn, having a fresh start from the beginning of the book. It was as if he was a phoenix himself and stepping in the water was him being "burned into ashes and then reborn," giving him clarity.

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  99. I love the question the inner circle is discussing: Is Montag happy now? I think it's important for the protagonist to undergo a transformation of some kind, and perhaps this is his big change: from inauthentic "happiness" to genuine happiness, even if it meant he had to say goodbye to everything he knew.

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    1. Is he happy or is he searching for something more? I know that when you achieve something great you feel you should do more

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    2. I think crossing the river marks the start of his new life, which is what Montag really wanted. He wanted to feel he had a purpose, and when he met Grainger and the people by the fire, he found his purpose.

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    3. In addition, I think that the river is pushing Montag to where it wants Montag to go. It always leads him to the right spot.

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    4. I don't think he can be happy at this moment, considering everything flashing through his mind, but he has knowledge and eventually once he has come to terms with everything he will become happy.

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    5. In the Truman show, the main character's choices are all controlled, much like Montag in F451.

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  100. What makes a happy life? Did Montag have one that he left. Or was he living it doing what he believed in. Or was all his work in order to make a happy life for the future?

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    1. Montag realized he was just told to be happy and he obeyed, he wasn't actually happy and he wanted out

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    2. Truman seemed happy in the world he was in until he started asking questioned and found a lot of the world he knew of wasn't real. This probably made him not nearly as happy.

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    3. In "The Truman Show", Truman is comparable to Montag, since they both came to the realization of the false reality they're living in, and both questioned their happiness.

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  101. What other character had the biggest impact on Montag?

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