Fahrenheit 451 Final essay documents DUE MONDAY

Fahrenheit 451 final paper points ____/10 draft with star revision marks ____/10 draft with conference notes ____/80 final draft _____/10 paragraphs follow the formula _____/10 proper MLA citations _____/60 based on student generated rubric

Essay toipcs:

Beatty tells Montag that it was the minorities that first began to censor books (and remember that he’s not just talking about racial minorities). Explain how the minorities began the censorship movement in Fahrenheit 451 and then analyze our own society. Does our society have similar problems? How so? Are we in danger of becoming like the society in Fahrenheit 451? How can we avoid this pitfall? Faber discusses three things that are missing from the Fahrenheit 451 society. These missing things are the reasons why the people in this society don’t want or need books. Identify and explain the three reasons Faber gives and then analyze our own society to see if we suffer from the same maladies that infect the Fahrenheit 451 society. Choose one of the short stories we read this semester, “The Pedestrian” or “Harrison Bergeron,” and compare/contrast it with Fahrenheit 451. Consider the following aspects of each story: theme, setting, values of each society, and final outcome for characters and society. Bradbury has said that his book is about the TV replacing books in society, not about censorship. What types of technologies have replaced books in Bradbury’s future? Do we see this technology today, 60 years after Fahrenheit 451’s publication? Do you think Bradbury was right to fear that modern technology would replace books? Do you think books are appropriately valued in our society (as in not valued too much or too little)? How are books different from TV or movies (according to Bradbury, and according to you)? One of the subjects in this book is happiness vs. discontentment. Are the people in the Fahrenheit 451 society happy? What does true happiness look like? Which characters are happy and why? Which characters are unhappy and why? Evaluate the happiness of our own society. Do we suffer from some of the same maladies that infect the Fahrenheit 451 society? Creative option: Re-write the ending to Fahrenheit 451 or write a new chapter. Many readers are disappointed that Clarisse does not reappear at the end, or that we never know exactly what happens to Faber, or Montag, for that matter. While writing, you must consider how the characters would actually act and what they would actually say and do based on our knowledge of them. For some ideas (Bradbury himself has questioned the ending and has been tempted to change it) see the Afterword (starting on page 167). Your piece should clearly reflect your understanding of the themes and characters in the novel (in other words, don’t go completely off track and imagine Montag ending up in an ice crystal on Mars).

Argumentative rubric Put this in your own words on the blank rubric Essay questions 1-5

Narrative rubric Put this in your own words on the blank rubric For essay topic #6 only

Blank Rubric

Category 5 4 3 2 1 Essay Prompt: Exceptional Great Good Needs Improvement Incomplete   Essay Prompt:

Pre-writing paper Define words in prompt that you do not know Page number in the book that your prompt reminds you of Re-word the question Thesis statement = restate question + opinion + 3 reasons why) Topic sentence #1 Evidence #1 Topic sentence #2 Evidence #2 Topic sentence #3 Evidence #3 Mrs. Amini/Ms. Raitter signature

Topic sentences You should have three topic sentences. Each topic sentence should support one of your three reasons why Your topic sentences should state opinion as fact Your WHOLE paragraph should support your topic sentence

Evidence Quotations from the book Should directly and clearly support your topic sentences Only 10 words long Proper MLA citations Blah, blah, blah” (Bradbury 45621).

Paragraph #1: Introduction Name Date Period Title Paragraph #1: Introduction Grabber/hook Last sentence = thesis Paragraph #2: Body Paragraph #1 1st sentence = topic sentence that supports the 1st reason why in your thesis. 1 piece of evidence (10 sentence quotation with MLA citation) Paragraph #3: Body Paragraph #2 1st sentence = topic sentence that supports the 2nd reason why in your thesis. Paragraph #4: Body Paragraph #3 1st sentence = topic sentence that supports the 3rd reason why in your thesis. Paragraph #5: Conclusion Restate thesis in a new and interesting way Connect your content to your reader

What to turn in… Original rubric (31 classwork points) Pre-writing sheet with 11 steps completed (55 classwork points) 1st Draft with start revision marks (10 writing and project points) Pre-conference questions 2nd Draft with conference notes (10 writing and project points) Final draft (80 writing and project points)