FARENHEIT 451
CHOOSE WISELY...
I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE TIME.
I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE TIME.
scroll down if you choose to...
READ...
...AND SO IT BEGINS.
What does it mean to "Ban Books"?
Essential Question
- Freedom of Speech: Is censorship, in any form, justified?
Read this Newsela Article entitled Why banning books like "13 Reason's Why" is never the answer according to the author to hear an interview with the author on the actions of banning books.
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Burning a Book by William Stafford
William Stafford (1914-1993) was an American poet. In 1970, he was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now known as Poet Laureate. In this poem, the speaker describes book burning, a common method of censorship in which people set fire to books they object to on political, cultural, or religious grounds. In a 1991 interview, Stafford once said that he wrote this poem after purposefully burning a book that he found “attractive, shallow, [and] misleading…” “Why should I keep it around?” he thought.
As you read, identify the main idea of each stanza.
William Stafford (1914-1993) was an American poet. In 1970, he was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now known as Poet Laureate. In this poem, the speaker describes book burning, a common method of censorship in which people set fire to books they object to on political, cultural, or religious grounds. In a 1991 interview, Stafford once said that he wrote this poem after purposefully burning a book that he found “attractive, shallow, [and] misleading…” “Why should I keep it around?” he thought.
As you read, identify the main idea of each stanza.
Protecting each other, right in the center
a few pages glow a long time. The cover goes first, then outer leaves curling away, then spine and a scattering. Truth, brittle and faint, burns easily, its fire as hot as the fire lies make-- flame doesn’t care. You can usually find a few charred1 words in the ashes.* And some books ought to burn, trying for character but just faking it. More disturbing than book ashes are whole libraries that no one got around to writing—desolate2 towns, miles of unthought in cities, and the terrorized countryside where wild dogs own anything that moves. If a book isn’t written, no one needs to burn it-- ignorance can dance in the absence of fire.** So I’ve burned books. And there are many I haven’t even written, and nobody has. |
Let's Discuss...
*What is the central image of the first stanza?
A. a book refusing to burn B. a book burning by accident C. a book burning from its outermost layers inwards D. the differences between how truth and lies burn **According to the speaker, what is more disturbing than book burning? A. empty libraries that towns cannot afford to fill B. wild dogs that keep people from learning C. not bothering to write certain books at all D. people who hate reading books |
Comparison Text:
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I AM VERY REAL by Kurt Vonnegut, 1973Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American author and humorist. One month after an English teacher at Drake High School in North Dakota decided to teach Kurt Vonnegut’s novelSlaughterhouse-Five in his classroom, Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board, decided that the novel’s “obscene language” was not appropriate. Every copy of Slaughterhouse-Five at Drake High School was burned in the school’s furnace. In response, Vonnegut wrote this letter to McCarthy.
Pair “Burning a Book” with “I Am Very Real” and compare the perspectives of the poem’s speaker and of Kurt Vonnegut. What are the primary concerns that each text brings up? How might Kurt Vonnegut respond to the speaker in “Burning a Book”?
Complete the COMMONLIT assignment in your Google Classroom.
Remember you can go to CommonLit to annotate or have text read aloud if your device does not offer that accommodation.
Pair “Burning a Book” with “I Am Very Real” and compare the perspectives of the poem’s speaker and of Kurt Vonnegut. What are the primary concerns that each text brings up? How might Kurt Vonnegut respond to the speaker in “Burning a Book”?
Complete the COMMONLIT assignment in your Google Classroom.
Remember you can go to CommonLit to annotate or have text read aloud if your device does not offer that accommodation.
Fahrenheit 451
Essential Questions
- Freedom of Speech: Is censorship, in any form, justified?
- Technology and Humanity: Is more technology always a good thing? What are the costs and benefits of technology?
- Knowledge: Why are "reading" and "knowledge" important for society? What are the dangers that can come with a lack of knowledge?
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Complete the Anticipation Guide Handout.
Then scroll down to learn more.
Setting
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 the setting takes place in a DYSATOPIAN society. We are submerged in an American city somewhere in the twenty fourth century. Since 1990 there has been two atomic wars and somewhere within this society, uprising is spiraling out of control where war is being declared. Already, the reader knows that the Utopia is coming to a downfall. In Montag's world, the government censors all books. No one is allowed to read, own or publish any written forms of literature. The people within this society use electronic devices and television as their only purpose of life and forms of entertainment. In a way, the technology is brainwashing the citizens to watch more and more and interact with the technology and devices. Once Montag "discovers" Books his curiosity is prodded by a series of events. Montag is beginning to see just how much knowledge and information they hold, he realizes why the government censored books.
Characters
Activities Checklist
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Brief Histories of the Firemen of America
Established, 1790, to burn English- influenced books in the Colonies.
First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin
Rules
Established, 1790, to burn English- influenced books in the Colonies.
First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin
Rules
- Answer the alarm swiftly.
- Start the fire swiftly.
- Burn everything.
- Report back to firehouse immediately.
- Stand alert for other alarms.
Visual Applications of the Book
Extensions - Extra Credit
Essay Idea #1: Explain the importance of Clarisse in Montag’s life.
Essay Idea #2: Analyze the phoenix symbol and how it characterizes Montag.
Essay Idea #3: Write a backstory for Captain Beatty that explains his personality in the book.
Essay Idea #4: How does Beatty represent Bradbury’s fictional society as a whole?
Essay Idea #5: Is Mildred’s overdose an attempted suicide?
Essay Idea #6: Describe the role Mildred plays in Guy’s life.
Essay Idea #7: Describe Clarisse’s role in Fahrenheit 451.
Essay Idea #8: Compare and contrast Clarisse McClellan and Mildred Montag.
Essay Idea #2: Analyze the phoenix symbol and how it characterizes Montag.
Essay Idea #3: Write a backstory for Captain Beatty that explains his personality in the book.
Essay Idea #4: How does Beatty represent Bradbury’s fictional society as a whole?
Essay Idea #5: Is Mildred’s overdose an attempted suicide?
Essay Idea #6: Describe the role Mildred plays in Guy’s life.
Essay Idea #7: Describe Clarisse’s role in Fahrenheit 451.
Essay Idea #8: Compare and contrast Clarisse McClellan and Mildred Montag.