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Fahrenheit 451. The temperature at which paper burns…. "If someone gives you ruled paper. "...write the other way.". A Preview…. Think far into the future… after two atomic wars A world where books are strictly forbidden…
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Fahrenheit 451 The temperature at which paper burns…
"If someone gives you ruled paper... "...write the other way."
A Preview… • Think far into the future… after two atomic wars • A world where books are strictly forbidden… • A world where firefighters seek out knowledge, and burn it to the ground… • One person stands out… • Would you be willing to die for books?
Characters • Guy Montag – Protagonist; stands against book burning • Mildred Montag – Guy’s wife; lost in a world of false reality • Captain Beatty – Antagonist • Professor Faber – forms an alliance with Guy
Themes • Censorship How far should one go to protect another’s innocence? Does this yield ignorance? • Knowledge vs. Ignorance Are we safer if we do not have knowledge? Are we truly happy or merely conditioned?
Symbols • Hearth and the Salamander (Hearth is a symbol for home & warmth – The salamander is an official fireman symbol & and an animal believed to be unaffected by fire) • Sieve & the Sand (A sieve is a sort of sifter – symbolic of knowledge (sand) not being absorbed quickly enough – example: reading a book as quickly as possible in a vain attempt to keep all of the knowledge it holds.) • The Phoenix: mythological bird that rises from the ashes
Dystopia • A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.
Characteristics • • Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. • • Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. • • A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. • • Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. • • Citizens have a fear of the outside world. • • Citizens live in a dehumanized state. • • The natural world is banished and distrusted. • • Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad. • • The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
Types of Dystopia • • Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man. • • Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil. • • Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot. • • Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.
The Dystopian Protagonist • often feels trapped and is struggling to escape. • questions the existing social and political systems. • believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives. • helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.
Section Two NotesAllusions • Benjamin Franklin – 1st firefighter & creator of the fire brigade • “Play the man, Master Ridley…” (36) – refers to a 16th century Bishop that was burned alive because he rejected Catholic doctrine • Tower of Babel – refers to Genesis in the bible where it is said that God created diversity • “People want fun…don’t we give them fun” –allusion to the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence • Little Black Sambo / Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Sambo is a character in the book UTC, and the term has long been associated with racism • FABER and MONTAG – names of a pencil manufacturer and a paper company • Book of Job – allusion to the bible story where Job must endure great struggles but still remains faithful. There is irony in the fact that Montag chooses this to memorize • Cheshire Cat – grinning, mischevious character in Alice in Wonderland • Book of Ruth – another bible allusion, refers to people as sheep that have gone astray