Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury Biography Born August 22, 1920 in Illinois Mother was Swedish Father worked for Electric Company Grandfather was a newspaper publisher

Ray Bradbury Biography Bradbury was 12 when he went to the Carnival in 1932. He met Mr. Electrico who “ touch him with an electrified sword, made his hair stand on end, and shouted ‘Live Forever’”! Bradbury began writing after this incident…. He wanted to blend literature and science.

Ray Bradbury Biography Ray moved to Los Angeles when he was 13. He graduated from LA High, but did not go to college. He sold newspapers and wrote stories in the UCLA library basement.

Ray Bradbury Biography 1938 Bradbury published his first Science Fiction story (earned $15). He married in 1947 and had 4 daughters. He published Fahrenheit 451 in 1953.

Historical Context Bradbury wrote in the 1950’s anti- conservatism / post – modernism / disillusionment. He was influenced by WWII and science of atomic bombs. Who else wrote in this context?

Setting Setting is a futuristic American town. Why is the setting so vague?

Main Characters Guy Montag – protagonist, fire man Mildred Montag – married to Guy, vapid conformist Clarisse McClellan - non conformist, teenage neighbor who is the catalyst for change Captain Beatty – chief of the fire dept., an enigma

Main Characters Mechanical Hound – robotic dog Mrs. Blake’s neighbor – a martyr who burns house Faber – retired, non conformist English professor Granger – leader of “rebels”

Important Themes Dystopia vs. Utopia Conformity vs. Non conformity Censorship Reactions to Technology

Utopia Plato’s Republic Sir Thomas More, Utopia, 1516 (1) An ideal place that does not exist in reality. It possessed a perfect socio-political system. (2) A work about such a place Height of the genre nineteenth-century Anglo-American literature

Distopia The opposite of utopia: A horrific place that does not exist in reality. A society in a repressive and controlled state (often under the guise of creating a utopia).

1984 George Orwell

The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood