Entry #6

The passage that I thought was most moving and had an impact on me was in page 68 of Fahrenheit 451, "It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end." I couldn’t understand this passage at all until Mrs. Lavender helped me and after looking back at the theme, I realized what it meant. Lots and lots of people gave up their hope and heart to others and live at their command rather than to resist and fight for what they think is right and there are only few people who actually fight back.
I found a character rather than a setting that I thought was beautiful. I thought Clarisse would have been like an angel if she were a real person. Her thoughts about the society were really mature and I loved her curiosity. She wanted to learn so much about everything, but couldn’t achieve that goal because of the surroundings. If she was able to read books, I bet she would have been another wonderful person to fight against the society. The setting of Fahrenheit 451 was very disturbing to me. How could a person watch the television and listen to the radio while taking pills and say life is fun? I wonder how the television brain washed her. I mean, how can people act like that? Human are different from animals because of their high IQ and knowledge. But that kind of behavior from a human being, does that make sense? That’s not human, that’s a robot! Also, Montag believed in her to keep his attempt to bring knowledge back to the society a secret, but she betrayed him and told Beatty. I was really disappointed in her. The part when Montag burned Beatty and took off, it’s still in my head vividly. I found that part to be very memorable because of the very descriptive language, and what Montag actually did. Stepping the hardest step, I was really inspired by Montag. I feel like he is one of my heroes now.

Entry #5

While reading Fahrenheit 451, I didn’t really understand why firemen burned books. But the main character was happy, and he was having fun with his job. I guess I felt glad like him during this part of the book. Then, the main character starts questioning his job. I was confused; if he liked burning books, why did he question his job? I think his curiosity made the conflict in this novel. As Beatty was explaining about why the job firemen had become from "protect people from fire" to "burn books and any other literature", I was pretty saddened. This is the part where I realized the society is corrupted, and everyone won’t think about anything, just let the government lead them. I understand why people were afraid of knowledge, but I still thought that they have to achieve knowledge in order to bring the society to a better, peaceful place to live. I felt gloomy as I read through, because I couldn’t believe that ones with knowledge let people head on to a state so contaminated people don’t even like to think. When Montag killed Beatty, I knew that Montag was in a big trouble but I felt a relief inside me and started to encourage Montag to do what is right even more. I started to worry about Montag when the Mechanical Hound chased him down. I was really impressed when the Mechanical Hound pierced him but he kept on running away even though he was injured badly! I thought Montag would die when the car was following him and was about to crash into him, but there was a twist. The car wasn’t the police’s! I kept on urging Montag to escape this corrupted society and come back with full of knowledge. I was finally relieved when he met the others who have run away just like him and each represents a book with knowledge. I was disappointed that the novel ends without telling the readers what happens next. But I felt proud of Montag and I was glad enough that there was still a ray of hope glimmering in the contaminated society.

Entry #4

When Montag and other firemen are called to the fire station to burn another house, he finds out that they were called to burn his house. He realizes that Mildred, Montag’s wife, betrayed him and told Beatty about Montag’s attempt. Montag steps in front of Beatty and kills him because he thinks that Beatty must be killed in order to save Montag himself and the society from decaying. Then, people and the Mechanical Hound begin to chase him and it gets pretty intense. I think this part of Fahrenheit 451 is the climax. I think this part is the most important moment for Montag because he can’t go back in time and change what just happened. He takes a step forward and keeps on walking the road he was going. This step was probably the hardest step because he actually sacrifices a person in order to keep going on. Maybe he didn’t want to, but Beatty was pleading to kill him indirectly. I think Beatty was shameful of himself that there are people who try their best to alter the path the society was rushing into: destruction, chaos. I think these events in the book make me think about the real world and how it is activating. In my opinion, if the world keeps going on like this, although it will be slower than in the book, the world would be brought to corruption. But there are many talented people who have much knowledge than me, so I believe that they will keep on reaching for their goals and pass it on to the next generation. We are in a better situation than in Fahrenheit 451, and I see many rays of hope still streaking across the sky.

Entry #3

In Fahrenheit 451, there are 5 main characters that play a major role in this book. Guy Montag is the character who plays the most important role in this book. In the beginning of the book, he lives a normal life in the society which is pretty different from the real world, and does a job he likes, burning books. The role of a fireman changes as time passes. People start not to like thinking, and gaining knowledge. Books has enormous amount of knowledge, so the society needs a person who can burn books and get rid of knowledge. Burning books is an amazing job for someone like Montag, no thinking, just burning. But his thought for the society begins to change. He starts questioning, “Why do firemen burn books?” And he learns about the past and goes on a voyage to make people read books again. He is the brave kind of hero who tries to save the world from stupidity, and contamination. Then there is this character, Mildred, who is the wife of Montag, and all day long she watches the television. She is an example of a person who doesn’t have the strength to resist and let the flow of the environment go right through her. She is very immature, and doesn’t even think about what she think is right. She just does the same thing as most people in this book do : eat, sleep, and watch T.V. Then there is this character named Clarisse who is the main person to change Montag’s point of view of the outside world. She is very curious about every little detail. She questions the society, and wants to gain knowledge. She wants to, but since there are no books to read and no other alternative courses of action to achieve knowledge, she just observes how people behave. Clarisse is the character who relates to people that needs knowledge, but because of the environment around them, they cannot do anything because their voice will not be heard. There are two other characters who know that ignoring knowledge is unwise, but are afraid of the circumstances of after they announce it to the outside world. But one fights and the other gives up. Beatty is a fireman like Montag, and knows why knowledge has been pushed away but doesn’t do anything to make people realize that knowledge is the key way to making the world more peaceful if used in the correct way. He asks for death because he knows what’s right but is afraid of doing it. But on the other hand, Faber, sucks it all up and becomes courageous to resist and fight. He was afraid just like Beatty, but meets Montag and realizes that there are people who actually fight for what they think is right, and he starts to change his mind. Faber helps Montag to actually publish a book in the situation he’s in, and helps all he can to make people read books and achieve knowledge. I favor Montag and Faber, because the stand up for what they believe is right, but I can understand Beatty because if I were to be in that situation, I think I wouldn’t have been able to fight for what I believe what’s right against so many odds. I like Clarisse’s curiosity, she’s the reason Montag is questioning about everything. I think if she was old enough, she would have fought against the society with Montag. I think Mildred is just an example of a person who is helpless and needs to be rescued from contamination. I think each character resembles different characteristics, the brave, weak, and the helpless. I think they each reveal that the benefit of knowledge is more enormous than any other power.

Entry #2

I think that the situation in the world right now relates directly to the novel. For instance, the different types of magazines are increasing, with more television shows. You can see for yourself if you walk down the street, that there are more pictures than words. People are more comfortable with looking at pictures than to read the text and imagine using their creativity. There are many awesome novels out there, and some of the most famous novels, come out as a movie. People rather watch the movies of the books than to actually read the book. They don’t want to look up in the dictionary what the definition means for each word they don’t understand. People prefer to watch what is happening than to imagine every single scene that actually is described very detailed in the book. I think sometimes looking at a picture is clearer to me because you might not understand everything in the text, and you sometimes want to get an understanding of it before reading it. And you know what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." But, in this case, it’s not always about the "imagining", it’s also about gaining knowledge, and to have critical thinking. You don’t know what a copper is even if you see it, you only find out how it looks like. Is a picture going to show all the chemical/physical properties it has? In these areas, I think reading is a lot easier to understand than to watch. Also, I read in an article that the average amount of books a person above the age of 13 reads is decreasing. This is a bad sign that people are not paying attention to literature, and reading. Yes, the society has become more comfortable over the years, but don’t you think it is because of all the books and knowledge people earned to make the world become like this? I think people should appreciate books more and more throughout the years. The novel is telling us indirectly to pay attention to what is happening to us. We are becoming more lazy and weak minded. We should try to attain as much knowledge as you can and reading is one of the major ways you can attain knowledge! I think that current situation can be resolved if people start reading more books and ask questions to one another. I noticed this after I read Fahrenheit 451 and now I am trying to achieve more knowledge by reading books, and asking teachers about the areas that I am curious about.

Entry #1

In Fahrenheit 451, society has come to a devastating state that no literatures are allowed because books raise questions, and they sometimes bring forth revolution, even anarchy. Books give you knowledge, and allow you think differently and the government doesn't want to take the risk of letting people question them. As you’re reading throughout the book, you can find that the government isn't trying to do something corrupted, but people don't want to think about the problem that arises in the society. So people's minds become weaker and weaker and they start to fear knowledge, the ability to think. They rely on other people (governments, etc) to think for them. Now this is where television comes in. Since they don't think about anything and have nothing to do, people watch television all day long and their minds get brainwashed. I think the major theme of this novel is to not to be afraid of knowledge, use it to your own benefits because yes, knowledge can bring destruction to us, but it can also allow us not to repeat the same mistakes we made in the past. Reading books is one of the best ways to think and question one another and achieve knowledge. There is a minor theme about anti-television in this book because the author is speaking of television and the government with a critical eye. For example, Montag’s wife Mildred, watches the television all day long and doesn’t think about anything. In the text, you can see that Mildred only eats, sleeps, and watches the television.

I think this novel is important to a teenager like me because of the way the theme relates to society. Teenagers are not full-grown, not yet, so the author, Ray Bradbury, is telling us teenagers to think a lot about the problems that arise in our own society to be prepared when we actually become fully grown adults. I think the author wants us to read books and think about anything, have curiosity. I think the character Clarisse in this book plays an important role since she has so many questions and observes any detail she can find and eventually makes Montag think. Clarisse was just a teenager, and I bet she could’ve answered all her questions through reading books.