1. Fahrenheit 451 Writing the Introduction and Conclusion

2. Writing an introduction. An introduction may be more than one paragraph, though in a short essay, it is typically only one. The thesis statement usually is placed at the very end of the introduction, or right after your hook statement at the start. NOT IN THE MIDDLE

3. More on introductions … A guideline to follow is that your introduction should contain at least five significant sentences, including your thesis statement.

4. All sentences should have weight and meaning. They may introduce background. They may introduce new concepts and/or definitions. They may provide transitions. They may introduce quotations. They may provide facts and support.

5. An effectively-written and well-organized introductory paragraph should act as a signpost for the rest of the paper.

6. Introduction Has an arguable thesis. Summarizes the novel as it relates to your thesis. -If your thesis is on the symbolism of fire, then your summary should include how the society views and uses fire. -If your thesis is about comparing and contrasting our society with theirs’, then the summary should be about how our society is structured and then that of the society in Fahrenheit 451. Provides any definitions that are needed.

7. An effectively-written and well-organized conclusion paragraph should act as a reminder and “teacher” for the entire paper.

8. Conclusion It is sometimes helpful to think of the conclusion as a reversal of your introduction. You may want to begin by rephrasing your thesis statement. Then move into the larger message(s) of what you were trying to prove and want the reader to understand, and then end with an impression left on the reader (a lesson, a warning, etc.).

9. Example #1: Intro and Conclusion Imagine this: a world where everyone is obsessed with technology and the old practice of reading books is dying and forbidden. Imagine men who once put out fires now burn these unlawful pages and bindings with a grin on their faces. In Fahrenheit 451, as in the scenario above, fire is a symbol of power and strength, especially in the firemen. Fire is also used as a symbol of destruction which is shown in the burning of books. By the end of the novel, however, fire is shown to be a symbol of hope, change, and warmth, a previously unseen view of fire. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury develops the symbol of fire through the view of different scenarios and characters from the idea of strength, power, and destruction to the idea of warmth, hope, and overall change of society. The idea of fire throughout the novel creates a range of associations ranging from ideas of pure destruction and power to ideas of change and hope for their society. The firemen use the power of fire, a destructive force, to limit the freedom of people and destroy all conflicting knowledge within their society. Montag had this belief at the beginning of the novel but he sees the light of hope, warmth, and change as the story progresses. Montag sees that the fire symbolizes hope that one day their society will change for the better. Our own society must continue to read books and learn about the past, allowing for controversy, conflicting ideas, and personal thoughts to occur and not be limited as it was by the use of fire in Fahrenheit 451.

10. Example #2: Intro and Conclusion In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses the symbol of fire to illustrate the evolution of cultural and technological changes in Montag’s society. The intended message in Fahrenheit 451 is the importance of being aware of our profound abilities as intelligent beings, and how our evolution is in jeopardy upon our awareness. Without acknowledging cultural situations, we allow things to get out of hand. This would be bad because when we allow things to decide themselves, we don’t always get what we intended. If we let the brainless dead people in society decide for everyone else, we would not have an education system because it would be too hard. With all these options ahead of us, it is our decision whether or not we want to be greedy warmongers, or educated social donors. I believe that that is the meaning behind the symbols of Fire! As we progress as a society, we will have many opportunities to expand ourselves socially, culturally, and technologically. The intended message in Fahrenheit 451 is the importance of being aware of our profound abilities as intelligent beings, and how our evolution is necessary upon our awareness. We could let our more unevolved elements inside of us allow decide for us or we can decide for ourselves as intelligent beings.

11. Example #3: Intro and Conclusion In 1984, Winston says, “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure,” but Ray Bradbury challenges this view through Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag lives in a society where firemen burn instead of putting out fire. It is perceived to be a society dependent on technology; even the firemen's hounds are mechanical. The television only plays programs that refrain the citizens from thinking; programs that are played have to be “approved” by the government. After meeting Clarisse, a seventeen year old “anti-social” girl, Montag suffers to accept the reality he lives in. A reality where books are burned so people do not ‘think’ and where the citizens are under constant surveillance. Even if Montag feels uncertain about his society, his wife Mildred, however, is completely dependent on surviving via technology. Not being able to read a good novel doesn’t affect her as much it should. Mildred’s mental picture of a perfect society is the one she is currently living in. Some characters in the novel such as Clarisse and Faber are, however, completely opposite of Mildred. Through indirectly comparing and contrasting the characters and settings in Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury sheds light on the effects of government controlled society where the citizens fear to speak their mind. The novel is not the only subject challenging the quote “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.” but so is the history of the world. The citizens in the novel are under constant fear of their own society. The people who do not fear the society are under the impression of it being a perfect society. In his novel, Ray Bradbury compares the ‘poster-child’ of the perfect society and the ‘odd duck’ of the same society. Bradbury shows what happens to people like Clarisse and Montag who do not follow the rules of the society and are different. The consequences of government controlled society are either people who are oblivious to the surroundings around them, for example, Mildred, or people like Clarisse who are opposite of the mass produced humans the society wants.

12. Example #4: Intro and Conclusion What is fire? Is it that warmth you feel in your hearth at home? Is it the fear you feel when you see smoke? Is it a means of destruction? A device of power and control? Or even a way to start fresh? In Fahrenheit 451 it has all of these meanings. In this novel fire is symbolized through; objects like candles, creatures like salamanders and phoenixes, and even non tangible objectives such as fear, purity, rebirth, and destruction. Ray Bradbury uses fire to symbolize the contrast between fire in the hands of those in power and those who are not. At the very beginning Montag was fully immersed in fire. It was a part of him, it was his life. Then Clarisse opened his eyes to the destruction around him and changed his outlook. He realizes that he is burning the candle at both ends and that sooner or later he will find himself in the path of the flames He realized that the flames they created were not to preserve the perfect world but to in fact destroy any chance of seeing the truth. Like the mythical Phoenix Montag was figuratively reborn, although, his rise from the ashes will not have been in vain. The government can try to control everyone by blinding them from the truth but they can never succeed. It only takes one match to start a fire, and they cannot suppress man’s thirst for knowledge forever.

13. Example #5: Intro and Conclusion Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a futuristic dystopia where things like books and individuality are discouraged. Through the use of an antithetic version of our firefighters, as well as unrelenting propaganda, found everywhere from TV, to headphones, to subway cars, literature and independent thought are all but extinct. The novel follows Guy Montag, a fireman-- as they are called in the book--who meets a young girl by the name of Clarisse, one of the last remnants of self-aware people in the novel’s setting. The conversations he has with her set off unprecedented events causing Montag to rethink his place in this dystopia and how things should really be, ultimately ending with Montag fighting against the very organization he was once a part of. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a fictional society to convey what he believes could potentially lead to the downfall of books: Technology. In conclusion, Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 of a future where books are completely disregarded and technology runs rampant in all aspects of one’s life is a warning we should all heed. If television or other technological devices continue to be our medium of choice and literature continues to be disregarded or frowned upon, we just might find ourselves in a setting similar to the one depicted in Bradbury’s novel. Thus, it is suggested one take a seat, pick up a book and read, over watching the latest episode of the newest sitcom. Such a thing will promote critical thinking, individuality, and diversity instead of being able to recite the most recent gag. To sum up, one can always remember the words of Patti Smith, “Please, no matter how [much] we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book."