žF451 Warm-up and Discussion
Monday-
žSimile or Metaphor???
ž1. ….his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter.
ž2…..he stood there, very cold, his face a mask of ice.
ž3. He opened the bedroom door. It was like coming into the cold marbled room of a mausoleum after the moon had set.
ž4. His wife stretched on the bed….like a body displayed on the lid of a tomb….
ž5. Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall…
ž6. “You shin that pole like a bird up a tree.”
ž7. And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound…
žCause and Effect
Technology has dramatically altered society and changed the way people interact with one another. For each technological breakthrough listed below, explain its effect on society and human relationships in the novel.
ž1. Televisions, rather than teachers, teach students.
ž2. Radios become small enough to carry in one’s ear.
ž3. Televisions become interactive and can be programmed to address each viewer.
ž4. Cars eliminate the need for walking.
ž5. Television screens become large enough to fill a room and supply the viewer with artificial friends and family.
žHearth and the Salamander
žHearth-a brick, stone, or concrete area in front of a fireplace b : the floor of a fireplace; also : fireplace žSalamander- : a mythical animal having the power to endure fire without harm
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žWhat is the significance of the name of Part I?
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žTuesday-
žContext Clues
ž1. The subway trains slid silently down its lubricated flue in the earth.
žA. tunnel b. Fireplace c. machine
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ž2. Captain Beatty didn’t think that Montag was really ill; he thought that Montag was feigning sickness.
žA. Causing B. faking C. facing
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ž3. Because of his proclivities to eat too much and not get enough exercise, Bob is overweight.
žA. habits or tendencies B looks or appearance
žC. jobs or occupation
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ž4. Montag and Faber made an insidious plan that they were sure would fool the authorities.
ž A. Stupid or inept B. innocent C sly or tricky
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žSymbolism- A centrifuge is a symbol that the author uses to describe Montag’s society. A centrifuge is a machine that rotates or spins at a very high speed in order to separate things. Explain the meaning of the following two passages from the novel in which a centrifuge is used as a symbol.
ž1. As Mildred watches television, Montag tries to get her to discuss their relationship. When it (the television show) was over he felt like a man who had been thrown from a cliff, whirled in a centrifuge, and spat out over a waterfall that fell and fell into emptiness…..
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ž2. Beatty is describing society and its values to Montag. “Whirl man’s mind around about so fast under the pumping hands of publishers, exploiters, broadcasters that centrifuge flings off all necessary, time-wasting thought!”
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ž3. Why is a centrifuge a good symbol for describing Montag’s society?
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ž4. In what ways might our society be compared to the action of a centrifuge?
žWednesday-
žTONE- Tone can be defined as the speaker’s attitude about something or someone. It can be revealed through dialogue or description. Select one of the following words to describe the tone of each excerpt from the novel.
žSolemn bitter sarcastic ironic
žDesperate hysterical
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ž1. “Millie, does—” He licked his lips. “Does your ‘family’ love you, love you very much, love you with all their heart and soul, Millie?”
ž2. And Beatty rose up again, “Montag, you don’t look well. I’d hate to think you were coming down with another fever…..”
ž3. “But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority.”
ž4. “Would you like to go to that house that burnt last night? And rake ashes for the bones of the woman who set fire to her own house! What about Clarisse McClellan, where do we look for her? The morgue! Listen!
ž5. “Nobody listens any more. I can’t talk to walls because they’re yelling at me. I can’t talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read.”
ž6. “Jesus God,” said Montag. “Every hour so many damn things in the sky! How in the hell did those bombers get up there every single second of our lives! Why doesn’t someone want to talk about it! We’ve started and won two atomic wars since 1990! Is it because we’re having so much fun at home we’ve forgotten the world? Is it because we’re so rich and the rest of the world’s so poor and we just don’t care if they are? I’ve heard rumors; the world is starving, but we’re well fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we’re hated so much?
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