1. Focus Writing Prompt:
Please respond to the following statement in one paragraph: With the invention of technology, such as cell phones and the Internet, people are becoming more self-reliant and secluded.

2. Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury

3. About the Book
Ray Bradbury’s most well-known novel-first began as a short story (“The Fireman”), published in 1951
Turned into a novel and published in 1953 during the Cold War
Takes place in a futuristic society; war is about to break out, but citizens are so “busy” they don’t notice or care
reflects Bradbury's concerns about censorship and conformity during a period when free expression of ideas could lead to social and economic ostracizing
Book burning
Memorization of texts for preservation

4. Basic Values GOOD: BAD: Mindless entertainment, volume, speed
TV takes place of human interaction
No interest in other people or literature
Society is completely ignorant of its past & present
BAD:
Independent thought, questioning, time alone, nature
Books= forbidden
You must burn any home that contains books
You must imprison or kill people who own books

5. Characters
Guy Montag
The central character of the novel and its hero. Fahrenheit 451 is about the transformation of Montag from an obedient servant of the state to a questioning human being. As a fireman, Montag's job is not to put out fires but to start them, in order to burn books that are illegally harbored by wayward citizens.

6. Characters continued Mildred Montag
Montag's wife, Mildred, represents those who completely accept the basic beliefs of the society.
Is a perfect citizen in this society
Craves constant entertainment and diversion
Avoids personal or emotional connections
Does not know how to communicate with Montag; does not desire communication with Montag
Associated with the language of death (tomb, mausoleum) and cold, rigid, lifeless things (marble, stone)
Mildred is empty of anything real or meaningful—especially evident in contrast to Clarisse McClellen.

7. Characters continued Clarisse McClellan
A teenage girl who is a neighbor of Montag's. Clarisse represents innocence. She questions the rationale of the ideas that govern Montag's life and is the stimulus that makes Montag begin to doubt what he is doing. Clarisse is shown in contrast to Montag's wife, who totally accepts the values of the society
She enjoys everything she shouldn’t: nature, solitude, questioning things/ people around her
At school, Clarisse is an outcast; she does not enjoy the mindless activities everyone else loves: TV, sports, destruction, violence
“They” see her as a threat: she questions, she sees beyond shallow diversions. She must go to a psychiatrist; her uncle was jailed twice

8. Characters Continued Captain Beatty
The captain of the firefighters and Montag's superior. Beatty's character, who represents those who rationalize the bookburnings of the firemen, contrasts with Montag's. It is Beatty who explains the history of firefighting in the story and who fully embraces its justification, ironically quoting from literature to support his arguments.
Black and Stoneman
Fellow firemen.
Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Clara Phelps
Mildred Montag's friends.

9. Characters continued Professor Faber
Montag met Faber, who is a retired English professor, in the park a few months prior to the events in the novel. After Montag begins doubting his role as a fireman, he turns to Faber for guidance.
Granger
Granger is one of the book people who live in the woods. He introduces Montag to a number of the book people.
Mechanical Hound
A robotic dog that can detect the location of illegal books and is also able to destroy people. With the representation of the Mechanical Hound, Bradbury is able to convey how technological advances can be used for destructive purposes.

10. About the Author Born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois
Died June 5, 2012
Many of his stories are set in towns similar to Waukegan.
As a young child he was exposed to the horror movies of the period, such as The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Like Montag in Fahrenheit 451, the heroes of these stories are social outcasts.
He began writing stories at the age of fifteen

11. Author continued
Many of his stories have been televised on shows like The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the Ray Bradbury Theater.
The sheer volume of Bradbury's science fiction writing guarantees his importance in that genre.