Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.
“Have you ever watched the jet cars racing on the boulevards down that way? 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! A pink blur! That’s a rose garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows. My uncle drove slowly on a highway once. He drove forty miles an hour and they jailed him for two days. Isn’t that funny, and sad too?” (Page 9)
This passage is my favorite from the entire book, and plus, Clarisse McClellan, the young seventeen-year-old girl who’s talking right now in this passage, is my favorite character in this book as well. She is very unique and optimistic, and she is definitely different from her classmates in her school. Actually, she is different from the adults in the society, too. Compared to Mildred, who has no hope, no reason to live, and watch TV all day long, Clarisse is very mature and thoughtful. The people and the setting in this book is very dull and dark, however, Clarisse’s bright, funny, wild acts and words made me want to keep reading. She is always full of questions and she’s very emotional - I liked her very much. The passage basically talks about how adults look like from Clarisse’s eyes. She thinks they are too busy and hurrying, and she says it’s very funny and sad as well. It is actually sad because those drivers do not even know what flowers and grass are. They are so beautiful to see and look at, but how could the people not even know what they are? Clarisse might have been a little exaggerating, but she was mainly trying to say how adults are only focused on what they want to do and what’s easy for them. They would never get to think or wonder why roses are pink and grass is green, or why the sun shines everyday because they don’t know about anything and they would not want to know anyway. Her words about the fast drivers pin-pointed the problem of the society directly, and Montag just replied by saying that she is thinking “too much.”
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Farenheit 451 #7
Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful?or disturbing?or memorable?Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.
The most memorable moment that I could never forget even after I finished the book was when the old lady burns herself with her books. Unlike what most of the people did when they got caught, she was very firm and did not scream or cry. The firemen were a little surprised to see her reaction however they didn’t care much about her and looked for the books that are hidden. After burning all the books, they were starting to burn the house. They told the woman to come out, but awkwardly, she did not move. She had a match in her hands, so she took it out and burned the house and herself. When other firemen didn’t take this so seriously, Guy Montag was a little shocked. He could not get rid of the old lady burning herself out of his head. After Clarisse McClellan’s death, Montag gets more serious and starts thinking about how these two women were different from the others in the society. They searched for the truth, the nature, and the beginning of everything, and they wanted to know more about them. They knew how to think seriously and deeply about one thing, and they did not listen to what the society tells them like a robot and a remote controller. Especially the old woman thought of books as very special and precious belongings of her, and wanted to keep them with her forever even if they lead her to the end of her life. I think I can understand her feelings and minds. She was sure that even if she dies and the books get burned, the truth is the truth so everything will be revealed one day.
The most memorable moment that I could never forget even after I finished the book was when the old lady burns herself with her books. Unlike what most of the people did when they got caught, she was very firm and did not scream or cry. The firemen were a little surprised to see her reaction however they didn’t care much about her and looked for the books that are hidden. After burning all the books, they were starting to burn the house. They told the woman to come out, but awkwardly, she did not move. She had a match in her hands, so she took it out and burned the house and herself. When other firemen didn’t take this so seriously, Guy Montag was a little shocked. He could not get rid of the old lady burning herself out of his head. After Clarisse McClellan’s death, Montag gets more serious and starts thinking about how these two women were different from the others in the society. They searched for the truth, the nature, and the beginning of everything, and they wanted to know more about them. They knew how to think seriously and deeply about one thing, and they did not listen to what the society tells them like a robot and a remote controller. Especially the old woman thought of books as very special and precious belongings of her, and wanted to keep them with her forever even if they lead her to the end of her life. I think I can understand her feelings and minds. She was sure that even if she dies and the books get burned, the truth is the truth so everything will be revealed one day.
Farenheit 451#6
Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful?
The passage that I like the most from this novel, Fahrenheit 451, is when Clarisse McClellan, the young teenage girl, talks about the fast drivers who do not know what flowers, grass, and trees are because they drive too fast. Clarisse says that it’s funny and also sad because all they would see would be different colors of blurs. I think this passage implicates the people in the society who prefer watching televisions rather than looking at the beautiful flowers, trees, and the birds. Even though she only talks about the people in her society, I think it also applies to people today in our society as well. We are always so busy that we have no time to ride on our bicycles or maybe just walk along the road filled with big trees with green leaves, fruits, and animals on them. A long time ago, when there were no cars, ships, and air planes, people walked and sailed all the way. It of course took much longer than nowadays to get to a place to another, however, people never complained or grumbled because they enjoyed the time that they could watch the sunlight in the sky, fish in the water, and the grasslands shining brightly. The people in Clarisse’s society and even today’s world have no time to do all these things that the men and the women did in the past because we have subways that run underground, railroads and driveways that destroyed the living environment of the nature.
*To find the entire passage and my thoughts on it, go to Question #8
The passage that I like the most from this novel, Fahrenheit 451, is when Clarisse McClellan, the young teenage girl, talks about the fast drivers who do not know what flowers, grass, and trees are because they drive too fast. Clarisse says that it’s funny and also sad because all they would see would be different colors of blurs. I think this passage implicates the people in the society who prefer watching televisions rather than looking at the beautiful flowers, trees, and the birds. Even though she only talks about the people in her society, I think it also applies to people today in our society as well. We are always so busy that we have no time to ride on our bicycles or maybe just walk along the road filled with big trees with green leaves, fruits, and animals on them. A long time ago, when there were no cars, ships, and air planes, people walked and sailed all the way. It of course took much longer than nowadays to get to a place to another, however, people never complained or grumbled because they enjoyed the time that they could watch the sunlight in the sky, fish in the water, and the grasslands shining brightly. The people in Clarisse’s society and even today’s world have no time to do all these things that the men and the women did in the past because we have subways that run underground, railroads and driveways that destroyed the living environment of the nature.
*To find the entire passage and my thoughts on it, go to Question #8
Farenheit 451#5
What is the mood of this novel?Do you find this novel saddens you in any way?Why?
The mood of this novel is very dark and somewhat tragic. When I was reading the beginning of this book, I was so confused and could not accept the idea of this kind of world. As I read more and more, I started to get used to the book’s society and instead of being shocked and terrified, I began to get serious. I was worried that my future will be like this when I have my kids and my grand children. To be honest, I didn’t want this to happen ever in my life and even in my children’s lives. I imagined what it would be like to be living in a world where I have to go to school, do nothing, come back home, watch TV, and feel basically numb through my daily life. Sometimes at school, I feel like I don’t want to study and think too hard, but after reading this book, I realized how thankful and wonderful it is to think and study. It is because all the things we do in our lives are not just thinking and studying. We manage our time wisely and enjoy our free time by watching a funny TV program or chatting with our friends. I felt sorry for the people in the book’s society from my heart and told myself that I should be thankful of the environment and the opportunities I have right now. Also, I reminded myself that I should think about my life and future more seriously because sometimes I tend to feel that it’s bad and stressing to learn new things, apply in real life, and have different opinions and conflicts. This kind of thinking was very selfish and childish because if everyone feels and thinks the same way and does not learn any new materials, the world will be so boring and dull.
The mood of this novel is very dark and somewhat tragic. When I was reading the beginning of this book, I was so confused and could not accept the idea of this kind of world. As I read more and more, I started to get used to the book’s society and instead of being shocked and terrified, I began to get serious. I was worried that my future will be like this when I have my kids and my grand children. To be honest, I didn’t want this to happen ever in my life and even in my children’s lives. I imagined what it would be like to be living in a world where I have to go to school, do nothing, come back home, watch TV, and feel basically numb through my daily life. Sometimes at school, I feel like I don’t want to study and think too hard, but after reading this book, I realized how thankful and wonderful it is to think and study. It is because all the things we do in our lives are not just thinking and studying. We manage our time wisely and enjoy our free time by watching a funny TV program or chatting with our friends. I felt sorry for the people in the book’s society from my heart and told myself that I should be thankful of the environment and the opportunities I have right now. Also, I reminded myself that I should think about my life and future more seriously because sometimes I tend to feel that it’s bad and stressing to learn new things, apply in real life, and have different opinions and conflicts. This kind of thinking was very selfish and childish because if everyone feels and thinks the same way and does not learn any new materials, the world will be so boring and dull.
Farenheit 451 #4
What is the climax of this novel?What happens?How do the events of this novel make you feel?
The climax of this novel is when Montag kills his captain, Beatty with the flamethrower when Montag gets caught that he has a hidden stack of books at his house. It was because Captain Beatty was barraging Montag with words from old literature works that mainly contradicted that reading books is a very hideous and shame thing to do. Montag could not stand it. Moreover, Mildred, his wife, betrayed him when she, too, realized that she is part of the crime. Beatty kept berating and being abusive to Montag. Montag was so mad because he was already angry about the society he was living in, which did not accept people’s opinions and thoughts at all. He realized he was ignored and neglected through all of his life and wanted to do what his minds and hearts tell him to do. If Montag didn’t kill Beatty, the story would have just ended; Montag would get caught and punished and all of his books would get burned. Nothing would change except that most of the characters die. However, Montag slay his captain and keeps following his road to a change. As he kills his captain, Montag definitely showed his anger and his strong mind about believing and listening to his thoughts instead of the society and the people. When this climax happened, I was pretty satisfied and worried as well. The reason why I was worried was because I thought that if Montag kills the captain, he somehow will get caught and cause much bigger trouble and receive greater punishment. On the other hand, I was satisfied because I really did not like how Beatty had talked to his colleague, Montag, with no respect or love. Beatty was always full of sarcasm, bitterness, and pride. I was glad that he died ,but I was surely worried very much as well about Montag.
The climax of this novel is when Montag kills his captain, Beatty with the flamethrower when Montag gets caught that he has a hidden stack of books at his house. It was because Captain Beatty was barraging Montag with words from old literature works that mainly contradicted that reading books is a very hideous and shame thing to do. Montag could not stand it. Moreover, Mildred, his wife, betrayed him when she, too, realized that she is part of the crime. Beatty kept berating and being abusive to Montag. Montag was so mad because he was already angry about the society he was living in, which did not accept people’s opinions and thoughts at all. He realized he was ignored and neglected through all of his life and wanted to do what his minds and hearts tell him to do. If Montag didn’t kill Beatty, the story would have just ended; Montag would get caught and punished and all of his books would get burned. Nothing would change except that most of the characters die. However, Montag slay his captain and keeps following his road to a change. As he kills his captain, Montag definitely showed his anger and his strong mind about believing and listening to his thoughts instead of the society and the people. When this climax happened, I was pretty satisfied and worried as well. The reason why I was worried was because I thought that if Montag kills the captain, he somehow will get caught and cause much bigger trouble and receive greater punishment. On the other hand, I was satisfied because I really did not like how Beatty had talked to his colleague, Montag, with no respect or love. Beatty was always full of sarcasm, bitterness, and pride. I was glad that he died ,but I was surely worried very much as well about Montag.
Farenheit 451 #3
Who are the main characters in the novel?Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them?What do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main characters in Fahrenheit 451 are Guy Montag and Professor Faber because they are the main two characters who try to make changes. First of all, Guy Montag is a fireman who burns all the books and the houses of people in an unknown society. He has a wife named Mildred Montag who tried to commit suicide several times. She likes to watch TV and talk with her friends. She does not like to talk with her husband about his hope to read books and cause a revolution, or how they met before they got married. She has no hope about anything in her life. As I just said, Montag has a hope to change the world by disobeying what the government wants people to do; they were prohibited to read books and gain knowledge. How could he, as a fireman, try to read books instead of burning them? One day, he heard an alarm and went off to burn a house and the books just like usual. What was different was that the old lady resisted leaving her books; she wanted to rather get burned with her books. Firemen burnt the house, the books, and the old lady as well. Montag was shocked as he was seeing the old lady, burning with her books, desperate for something. Burning the woman was not it. Montag met a young, beautiful girl named Clarisse McClellan who brings Montag into a totally different world of thinking and looking at the truth and the nature. She teaches Montag how to love, enjoy, and have emotions. The acquaintance with the two ladies let Montag’s thinking change and that’s when the real story starts. However I personally do not like Montag’s personality though because he is too sanguine and sentimental. On the other hand, Faber is the opposite, so the two do not fit each other very well. Still, they worked things out step by step and carried out their plans so I was actually pretty impressed. Their different ways of thinking then the others in their society are what makes them special. Even though Montag made a few mistakes because of his “too-sentimental” emotions sometimes, he knew what’s right and never gave up his hope - at this moment, I wanted to complement him. Montag taught me a great lesson, to never give up. There’s a story about a man who always succeeds in finding gold in a mine. The difference in him than other workers was that he never gave up, and that was why he never failed in finding gold. Just like this man and Montag, we should all never give up because there is always going to be a reward for us if we keep trying. Moreover, people today should search for the truth and what’s deep down in our minds just like the man who always succeeds in searching gold.
The main characters in Fahrenheit 451 are Guy Montag and Professor Faber because they are the main two characters who try to make changes. First of all, Guy Montag is a fireman who burns all the books and the houses of people in an unknown society. He has a wife named Mildred Montag who tried to commit suicide several times. She likes to watch TV and talk with her friends. She does not like to talk with her husband about his hope to read books and cause a revolution, or how they met before they got married. She has no hope about anything in her life. As I just said, Montag has a hope to change the world by disobeying what the government wants people to do; they were prohibited to read books and gain knowledge. How could he, as a fireman, try to read books instead of burning them? One day, he heard an alarm and went off to burn a house and the books just like usual. What was different was that the old lady resisted leaving her books; she wanted to rather get burned with her books. Firemen burnt the house, the books, and the old lady as well. Montag was shocked as he was seeing the old lady, burning with her books, desperate for something. Burning the woman was not it. Montag met a young, beautiful girl named Clarisse McClellan who brings Montag into a totally different world of thinking and looking at the truth and the nature. She teaches Montag how to love, enjoy, and have emotions. The acquaintance with the two ladies let Montag’s thinking change and that’s when the real story starts. However I personally do not like Montag’s personality though because he is too sanguine and sentimental. On the other hand, Faber is the opposite, so the two do not fit each other very well. Still, they worked things out step by step and carried out their plans so I was actually pretty impressed. Their different ways of thinking then the others in their society are what makes them special. Even though Montag made a few mistakes because of his “too-sentimental” emotions sometimes, he knew what’s right and never gave up his hope - at this moment, I wanted to complement him. Montag taught me a great lesson, to never give up. There’s a story about a man who always succeeds in finding gold in a mine. The difference in him than other workers was that he never gave up, and that was why he never failed in finding gold. Just like this man and Montag, we should all never give up because there is always going to be a reward for us if we keep trying. Moreover, people today should search for the truth and what’s deep down in our minds just like the man who always succeeds in searching gold.
Farenheit 451 #2
Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel?What are they, and how do they relate?Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or fixed?
As I said on Question Number One, people in the society in this book are basically what we might or will become one day. People think less than the past because there are so much things to do around us. For instance, my mom always gives me books as gifts for me to read, even if there aren’t any special occasions or events. However, I, most of the time, have no time to read so out of five books she has given me past several months, I had barely read one or two. This shows that I am very busy and occupied with things in my life, but it also shows that I am lazy, dishonest, and negligent. The reason is because I am basically saying that I have no hope to read, learn, and think about the world, relationships, myself, and my life. Instead, I talk on the phone, watch TV, or do many other things that I enjoy more and that are easy to do, which means that those things can be done without thinking and feeling what’s deep inside of me. Then I regret quiet often, not just because of the books, but because of my attitudes and my concepts that had changed through my teenage life. This novel taught me a lot of lessons. It made me think back of my past and realize that I have been smudged with what the world and the people around me wanted and pursued from me, and that I soon will become just like the people in Montag’s society as well. Finally Fahrenheit 451 also encouraged me by telling me that I can solve my problem by changing my acts and thinking. If all of us teenagers try to be more free from what the world wants from us instead of being slaves of the world, we will be able to prevent from being alike the people in Montag’s society because we would know that being happy and comfortable is not just everything in our lives.
As I said on Question Number One, people in the society in this book are basically what we might or will become one day. People think less than the past because there are so much things to do around us. For instance, my mom always gives me books as gifts for me to read, even if there aren’t any special occasions or events. However, I, most of the time, have no time to read so out of five books she has given me past several months, I had barely read one or two. This shows that I am very busy and occupied with things in my life, but it also shows that I am lazy, dishonest, and negligent. The reason is because I am basically saying that I have no hope to read, learn, and think about the world, relationships, myself, and my life. Instead, I talk on the phone, watch TV, or do many other things that I enjoy more and that are easy to do, which means that those things can be done without thinking and feeling what’s deep inside of me. Then I regret quiet often, not just because of the books, but because of my attitudes and my concepts that had changed through my teenage life. This novel taught me a lot of lessons. It made me think back of my past and realize that I have been smudged with what the world and the people around me wanted and pursued from me, and that I soon will become just like the people in Montag’s society as well. Finally Fahrenheit 451 also encouraged me by telling me that I can solve my problem by changing my acts and thinking. If all of us teenagers try to be more free from what the world wants from us instead of being slaves of the world, we will be able to prevent from being alike the people in Montag’s society because we would know that being happy and comfortable is not just everything in our lives.
Farenheit 451#1
What is the major theme of this novel?Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
The major theme of this novel is the ignorance of knowledge and the truth. In this book, Fahrenheit 451, the society does not allow people to gain knowledge, and what people do everyday is watching television and listening to the radio. In other words, all they do everyday is entertaining themselves and making their days as comfortable and easy as possible. If they try to understand and learn about the truth and the past, they would get caught and the firemen would burn their house and the documents that they had been reading. It is quiet terrifying. In my opinion, I think the theme ‘ignorance of knowledge and the truth’, is trying to tell us the readers that we will become one of the people of the society in this book. People today in 2007, especially the teenagers tend to enjoy themselves too much. For instance, except for the time we do our homework and study, we either watch TV or do fun things on Internet. Other times, we talk on the phone, text massage, or listen to music. Cell phones, computers, TV’s, and iPod’s are the “Must-have” products for teenagers today. We carry them everywhere; even televisions and Internets are now available on iPod’s or cell phones. It is very hard to see young girls and boys staying home to help out their parents with their works, or reading books to build up knowledge and inform themselves. A long time ago, especially in Korea, what all teenagers did was going to school or helping out their parents at home or farms. For leisure, they would play games like hide and seek or marbles. Compared to what we teenagers do today in 2007, the teenagers in the past had a very sound and reasonable entertainment for themselves. If we keep “wasting” our time like this with useless things that will never ever help us in our future, I’m positively sure that our future will be just like the society in Fahrenheit 451. We won’t be able to learn and study about the past and gain knowledge, and watch TV all day long. If we think about this situation now, some of us would say that it’s a great idea and they would surely live that way. However, if this kind of society is what we are living in right now, we will regret and mourn about how we are not able to learn and actually think deep in our hearts and minds.
The major theme of this novel is the ignorance of knowledge and the truth. In this book, Fahrenheit 451, the society does not allow people to gain knowledge, and what people do everyday is watching television and listening to the radio. In other words, all they do everyday is entertaining themselves and making their days as comfortable and easy as possible. If they try to understand and learn about the truth and the past, they would get caught and the firemen would burn their house and the documents that they had been reading. It is quiet terrifying. In my opinion, I think the theme ‘ignorance of knowledge and the truth’, is trying to tell us the readers that we will become one of the people of the society in this book. People today in 2007, especially the teenagers tend to enjoy themselves too much. For instance, except for the time we do our homework and study, we either watch TV or do fun things on Internet. Other times, we talk on the phone, text massage, or listen to music. Cell phones, computers, TV’s, and iPod’s are the “Must-have” products for teenagers today. We carry them everywhere; even televisions and Internets are now available on iPod’s or cell phones. It is very hard to see young girls and boys staying home to help out their parents with their works, or reading books to build up knowledge and inform themselves. A long time ago, especially in Korea, what all teenagers did was going to school or helping out their parents at home or farms. For leisure, they would play games like hide and seek or marbles. Compared to what we teenagers do today in 2007, the teenagers in the past had a very sound and reasonable entertainment for themselves. If we keep “wasting” our time like this with useless things that will never ever help us in our future, I’m positively sure that our future will be just like the society in Fahrenheit 451. We won’t be able to learn and study about the past and gain knowledge, and watch TV all day long. If we think about this situation now, some of us would say that it’s a great idea and they would surely live that way. However, if this kind of society is what we are living in right now, we will regret and mourn about how we are not able to learn and actually think deep in our hearts and minds.
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