Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

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FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury

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Standards Focus Activities for

FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury From Fahrenheit 451 Literature Guide Developed by Kristen Bowers for Secondary Solutions®

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Part One Standards Focus: Characterization and Character Motivation Characterization is the technique by which authors develop characters.  Direct characterization is when the author or narrator tells the reader what the character is like. For example, “Rhonda works diligently to make sure her cookies are the best in town.”  Indirect characterization is when the author gives information about a character and allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about that character. Two ways we can learn about a character through indirect characterization are:  A character‟s own thoughts, feelings and actions— the reader witnesses what the character does or says, and learns something about the character from these thoughts, feelings or actions. For example, “On her way to class after lunch, Susan saw some trash on the ground that wasn‟t hers. She decided to pick it up anyway, and threw it in the trash can.” The reader can make some assumptions about Susan from this excerpt: she cares about the environment, she takes pride in her school, she likes things neat and tidy, etc. Each of these are appropriate assumptions based on Susan‟s actions.  Interactions with other characters— the reader witnesses the interactions between characters, such as how other characters act and what they say about each other. For example, “Emma said, „Julia seems to not care about her school work anymore. It‟s as if she is distracted or concerned about something. What do you think?‟ „I don‟t know, but it is certainly unlike her to get bad grades,‟ Ashley replied.” The reader can make assumptions about Julia from the conversation between Emma and Ashley. The reader can conclude that Julia used to work hard and get good grades in school, that she is distracted about something, and that she is not behaving like her usual self. Character Motivation is what drives a character to do what they do. In other words, ask yourself: what is this character‟s strongest desire? Characters‟ decisions are important to the plot, and in many cases, their decisions will affect the play‟s outcome. Just as we can tell a great deal about a person by the way he or she lives his or her life, we can also learn a lot about characters by what they say and do. Similarly, just as some of the decisions we make in our lives are minor and trivial, and others change our lives forever, a skilled writer develops characters that also make both seemingly unimportant as well as life-altering choices. Directions: For each of the characters below, complete the chart with textual examples of indirect characterization from Part One of the novel. First, find a quote in which another character describes something about that character, and then find a quote in which the character describes himself. Be sure to give the page number from where you obtained the quote. Then in your own words, fill in what you think is the character‟s main motivation as evident this far in the story. Character Another Character’s Description

Guy Montag

Page #

Description of Himself Motivation



Character

Clarisse McClellan

Page #

Mildred Montag

Page #

Beatty

Page #

The Mechanical Hound

Page #

Another Character’s Description Description of Herself

Motivation Character Another Character’s Description Description of Herself

Motivation Character Another Character’s Description Description of Himself

Motivation Character Another Character’s Description

Motivation



Part One Standards Focus: Setting, Tone, and Mood 

Setting is the time, place, and atmosphere in which the action of a story takes place. Setting can include time of day, weather, season, era, location, and social or political atmosphere; for example: The year is 1914. It is early morning, outside the barn on Foster‟s farm in Glenn, Kansas. The sun is rising slowly, and the animals begin to flutter about, welcoming a new day.



Tone is the author‟s attitude toward his subject; a clever writer can use a sympathetic tone to make the reader feel sorry for a character, for example. Conversely, writers can use a distant, detached tone to keep the reader from relating to or feeling sentiment for a character. Some words to describe tone are: somber, sarcastic, bitter, matter-of-fact, sentimental, etc.



Mood is the general emotional response that a reader feels when reading. Writers use figurative language, details, dialogue, and foreshadowing to help set the mood in a piece of literature. Mood is often expressed in adjectives which describe how the writer intends to make you feel, like: tense, serene, somber, optimistic, dark, and depressed.

In Part One, Bradbury creates a mood of tension and unrest from the very first sentences of the novel: “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” By equating the idea of “pleasure” with burning and fire, we immediately feel uneasy. Our conscience tells us that something on fire is generally a bad thing. Directions: For each of the quotes from the text, underline the words that reveal the setting, including clues about time, place, and atmosphere, then on the line labeled “setting,” explain how these particular words indicate specifics about the setting. Next, explain the tone Bradbury uses to create mood. Include comments on the use of figurative language, imagery, etc., if apparent. Finally, describe the mood of the excerpt using as many details and appropriate adjectives as possible. An example has been done for you. Ex. “The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward.” a. Setting: It is autumn, after dark. It is windy and leaves are thrown into the air as the girl walks along. b. Tone: distant, detached, ominous, threatening, eerie; the tone makes us feel as if there is no one else around, and the girl appears with the gust of wind, almost with a ghostly quality c. Mood: lonely, uneasy, skeptical, suspicious



1. “It was like coming into the cold marbled room of a mausoleum after the moon has set. Complete darkness, not a hint of the silver world outside, the windows tightly shut, the chamber a tomb world where no sound from the great city could penetrate. The room was not empty.” a. Setting:

b. Tone:

c. Mood:

2. “Without turning on the light he imagined how this room would look. His wife stretched on the bed, uncovered and cold, like a body displayed on the lid of a tomb, her eyes fixed to the ceiling by invisible threads of steel, immovable….The room was indeed empty. Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning.” a. Setting:

b. Tone:

c. Mood:

3. “As he stood there the sky over the house screamed. There was a tremendous ripping sound as if two giant hands had torn ten thousand miles of black lines down the seam…The jet bombers going over, going over, going over, one two, one two, one two, six of them, nine of them, twelve of them, and one and one and one and another and another and another, did all the screaming for him.” a. Setting:

b. Tone:

c. Mood:



4. “Laughter blew across the moon-colored lawn from the house of Clarisse and her father and mother and the uncle who smiled so quietly and so earnestly. Above all, their laughter was relaxed and hearty and not forced in any way, coming from the house that was so brightly lit this late at night while all the other houses were kept to themselves in darkness. Montag heard the voices talking, talking, talking, giving, talking, weaving, reweaving their hypnotic web.” a. Setting:

b. Tone:

c. Mood:

5. “Montag stayed upstairs most nights when this went on. There had been a time two years ago when he had bet with the best of them, and lost a week‟s salary and faced Mildred‟s insane anger, which showed itself in veins and blotches. But now nights he lay in his bunk, face turned toward the wall, listening to the whoops of laughter below and the piano-string scurry of rat feet, the violin squeaking of mice, and the great shadowing, motioned silence of the Hound leaping out like a moth in the raw light, finding, holding its victim, inserting the needle and going back to its kennel to die as if a switch had been turned.” a. Setting:

b. Tone:

c. Mood:



Part Two Standards Focus: Poetry Analysis In Part Two, Montag reads a poem called “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold (1822-1888). Arnold‟s poem is considered one of the most important of the 19th Century, as it explores the emptiness of the self-indulgent Victorian Era in England: a time when machines and industry took the place of manual labor, Darwinism and science questioned religious views, and epidemics of cholera and typhus killed thousands. The fact that Montag reads this particular poem to the women in Fahrenheit 451 is no accident. Bradbury parallels the problems of the Victorian Era to those of the society of Fahrenheit 451; that the women don‟t understand the poem at all even further exemplifies the poem‟s significance. Directions: For this exercise, you will be analyzing the poem “Dover Beach.” Next to each stanza, write what you think the poet is saying in the poem. If you would like, you may analyze it line by line, or summarize the message. When you have finished, complete the tasks and answer the questions on the next page. Dover Beach 1

The sea is calm tonight,

_______________________________

2

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

_______________________________

3

Upon the straits; on the French coast the light

_______________________________

4

Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, _______________________________

5

Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.

_______________________________

6

Come to the window, sweet is the night air!

_______________________________

7

Only, from the long line of spray

_______________________________

8

Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land, _______________________________

9

Listen! you hear the grating roar

_______________________________

10 Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling, ______________________________ 11 At their return, up the high strand,

_______________________________

12 Begin, and cease, and then again begin,

_______________________________

13 With tremulous cadence slow, and bring

_______________________________

14 The eternal note of sadness in.

_______________________________

15 Sophocles long ago

_______________________________

16 Heard it on the Agean, and it brought

_______________________________

17 Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

_______________________________

18 Of human misery; we

_______________________________

19 Find also in the sound a thought,

_______________________________

20 Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

_______________________________



21 The Sea of Faith

_______________________________

22 Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore

__________________________

23 Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

_______________________________

24 But now I only hear

_______________________________

25 Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

_______________________________

26 Retreating, to the breath

_______________________________

27 Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear

_______________________________

28 And naked shingles of the world.

_______________________________

29 Ah, love, let us be true

_______________________________

30 To one another! for the world, which seems

_______________________________

31 To lie before us like a land of dreams,

_______________________________

32 So various, so beautiful, so new,

_______________________________

33 Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

_______________________________

34 Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;

_______________________________

35 And we are here as on a darkling plain

_______________________________

36 Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, 37 Where ignorant armies clash by night.

__________________________

_______________________________

1. Circle the words in which alliteration is used. (Hint: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of (usually consecutive) words—this is NOT the same as rhyme!) 2. Underline the words in which assonance is used. (Hint: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in a line—again, this is not the same as rhyme, and the spelling may be different.) 3. Which of the following BEST describes the author‟s tone in this poem? _____ a. sympathetic c. apathetic b. disenchanted d. optimistic 4. Which of the following lines contains a simile? ______ a. The tide is full, the moon lies fair b. Listen! you hear the grating roar c. Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled d. Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light 5. To what is Arnold MOST likely referring with the phrase “Sea of Faith”? ______ a. art c. science b. poetry d. religion 6. Which of the following BEST describes the poem‟s theme? _____ a. Man is far more powerful than nature. b. Nature‟s power can be felt in our souls. c. Faith is disappearing, like the retreat of the waves on a beach. d. Like a wave covering the sand, time disappears forever.



Part Two Standards Focus: Figurative Language One of the most captivating aspects of good literature is the use of figurative language, or ideas communicated beyond their literal meaning to create an image in the reader‟s or audience‟s mind. There are several types of figurative language, also called figures of speech. For this exercise, you will use the following figures of speech:  metaphor- a comparison, based upon similarity or resemblance, of two or more objects: “The pillow was a cloud.” Metaphors can also be more complex: “His recliner was his throne and his remote, his scepter; with these he ruled his kingdom.”  simile- a comparison made between two unlike objects, using the words “like” or “as” in the comparison: “The pillow was like a marshmallow.”  personification- giving human qualities or characteristics to non-human objects: “The wind sang its sad song.” Directions: Read each quote from Part Two. Look at the underlined figure of speech in the sentence, then decide what type of figure of speech is being used. Finally, analyze the comparison being made, the object being personified, or the image being created by explaining the meaning of the figure of speech. An example has been done for you. Ex. “„Each page becomes a black butterfly. Beautiful, eh? Light the third page from the second and so on, chain smoking, chapter by chapter” …There sat Beatty, perspiring gently, the floor littered with swarms of black moths that had died in a single storm.” Figure of Speech: metaphor Analysis: Bradbury compares the burnt pages of the book to a swarm of black moths, as the pages lie there, “dead” from the fire. 1. “She was beginning to shriek now, sitting there like a wax doll melting in its own heat.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 2. “There were people on the suction train but he held the book in his hands and the silly thought came to him, if you read fast and read all, maybe some of the sand will stay in the sieve.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 3. “The train radio vomited upon Montag, in retaliation, a great tonload of music made of tin, copper, silver, chromium, and brass.” Figure of Speech:



Analysis: 4. “The night I kicked the pill bottle in the dark, like kicking a buried mine.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 5. “[Christ is] a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar-crystal and saccharine when he isn‟t making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshipper absolutely needs.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 6. “And the faster he poured [the sand], the faster it sifted through with a hot whispering.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 7. “„Don‟t ask for guarantees. And don‟t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.‟” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 8. “The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe into one garment for us.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 9. “„Denham‟s Denham‟s Denham‟s,‟ the train hissed like a snake.” Figure of Speech: Analysis: 10. “Montag, go home. Go to bed. Why waste your final hours racing about your cage denying you‟re a squirrel?” Figure of Speech: Analysis:



Part Three Standards Focus: Developing Style In order to become a great writer, each must learn to develop his own style. Bradbury spent many years of his life developing, practicing, and polishing his unique style. While practice is arguably the most important aspect of great writing, there are a few techniques writers use to make their writing even better. Once you learn to incorporate these techniques, your writing will improve immensely. Technique #1: Incorporate Vivid Words Using vivid nouns and verbs rather than adjectives and adverbs can improve your writing immediately. Be specific with your words, and choose them wisely. For example, rather than saying went, use strolled, sauntered, wriggled, raced, shuffled, or sprinted. Technique #2: Vary Sentence Length Sentence length can make the difference between your writing sounding as if it was written for a child or for an adult reader. Short, choppy sentences with little variety are sentences a second grader might read. For example, Sam went to the store. She bought a candy bar. It was her favorite. However, combining sentences together creates a much more sophisticated and interesting sentence: Sam went to the store to buy her favorite candy bar. Although this sentence is not brilliant, it is an improvement. That being said, however, an author may deliberately use short, choppy sentences to convey a tone or mood. For example, Bradbury wrote: The beetle was rushing. The beetle was roaring. The beetle raised its speed. The beetle was whining. The beetle was in high thunder. The beetle came skimming. This use of repetition and short, choppy sentence structure helps to build the intensity of the situation as the car chases after Montag in Part Three. Technique #3: Vary Sentence Openers Rather than beginning each sentence the same way (unless you are trying to achieve a certain tone or mood as in the example above), try varying each sentence opener with a new type of phrase or part of speech. For example, try opening with an adverb: Softly, she touched the rose petal to her cheek. Or a prepositional phrase: Without her knowledge, he sneaked into her room and read her diary. Or a verbal (participial) phrase: Waiting for his chance to speak, he rehearsed what he would say. Similarly, a dependent (also called a subordinate) clause can also improve the opening of a sentence: Underneath her pillow, she found a crisp dollar bill. Technique #4: Vary Sentence Structure Varying sentence structure is similar to varying sentence length; however, by varying your use of punctuation, both sentence length and structure can be improved. Try to combine thoughts by using a semi-colon, which connects related ideas that might normally be separated into two sentences. For example: Rachel is a great student; she studies very hard. Use coordinating conjunctions and, but, for, nor, yet, or, and so to combine simple sentences. For example: Many people know that calories are energy for the body, yet few understand how calories work. Use subordinators (used with a subordinate clause) such as: although, though, because, since, if, unless, when, whenever, and until. For example: Until she met me, she had never had a best friend.



Use transition words such as however, as a result, with time, on the other hand, to sum up, and for example. For example: They had decided to meet at a restaurant, however they failed to indicate which one. Use appositives to improve a noun‟s description and to specify particulars. For example: Her blanket—a soft, fuzzy, and bright pink ball of fabric—lay strewn across her bed. Technique #5: Use Figurative Language Use metaphor, simile, and personification to add life to your writing. For review on figurative language, see page 35. Try also using hyperbole, which is exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect. For example: “I died laughing.” Directions: Below are sentences taken directly from the text of Fahrenheit 451. Use the techniques described on page 44 to modify the sentences from the text and help develop your own unique style of writing. Once you have rewritten the sentence(s), indicate which technique you used to modify the sentence. An example has been done for you. Ex. Beatty grabbed Montag‟s shoulder as the beetle blasted away and hit seventy miles an hour, far down the street, gone. My Version: Unsympathetically, Beatty seized Montag‟s stiff shoulder as the beetle, the anonymous transporter, blasted away and hit seventy miles an hour, far down the street, gone forever, a black dot of memory and despair. Techniques: use of adverb to begin sentence; use of the more vivid verb “seized” rather than grabbed; use of the adjective “stiff” for describing Montag‟s shoulder; use of an appositive “the anonymous transporter” to describe the beetle; use of an appositive to describe the beetle at a distance. 1. He tried to think about the vacuum upon which nothingness had performed, but he could not. He held his breath so the vacuum could not get into his lungs. He cut off the terrible emptiness, drew back, and gave the entire room a gift of one huge bright yellow flower of burning. My Version:

Techniques:

2. He heard a number of people crying out in the darkness and shouting. He reached the backyard and the alley. My Version:



Techniques:

3. Nowhere. There was nowhere to go, no friend to turn to, really. Except Faber. And then he realized that he was, indeed, running towards Faber‟s house, instinctively. My Version:

Techniques:

4. He washed his hands and face and toweled himself dry, making little sound. He came out of the washroom and shut the door carefully and walked into the darkness and at last stood again on the edge of the empty boulevard. My Version:

Techniques:

5. He decided not to count his steps. He looked neither left nor right. The light from the overhead lamp seemed as bright and revealing as the midday sun and just as hot. My Version:

Techniques:



Part Three Standards Focus: Author’s Style Style is a literary technique used by an author to create a piece of literature that reveals the author‟s uniqueness. Word choice, figurative language, imagery, rhythm, sentence structure, foreshadowing, symbolism, use of dialect, and other literary devices, all work together to make an author‟s writing distinctive. The style in which an author writes influences how well we understand and identify with the literature, and reveals an author‟s biases and beliefs. Ray Bradbury uses numerous techniques of style which helped to make Fahrenheit 451 such a literary success. He uses long, wordy sentences, short, choppy sentences, difficult vocabulary, and figurative language extensively. Directions: Identify the elements of style that are being used in each of the following excerpts, choosing from the box below. Elements may be used more than once, and there may be more than one right answer for each. Once you have identified the elements of style that have been used, explain the effect that these techniques have on the reader. An example has been done for you. figurative language short, concise sentences stream of consciousness use of allegory use of dialect imagery

repetition complex vocabulary long, wordy sentences formal tone clear rhythm pattern flashback

sensory images symbolism plain, simple vocabulary conversational tone foreshadowing

Ex. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he‟s burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. a. Elements of style: use of figurative language in “wanted to fly near the sun and now that he‟s burnt his damn wings”; use of allegory, since the reference is to the Icarus myth of Greek mythology; conversational tone; plain, simple vocabulary b. Effect: The use of the figurative language continues the theme of “fire” which is throughout the entire book. While I was not familiar with the allegory, I knew there was something unusual about the words Beatty used, so I looked it up in the list of allusions on pages 13-16; the sentence also has a conversational tone with simple, clear vocabulary 1. Montag‟s face was entirely numb and featureless; he felt his head turn like a stone carving to the dark place next door, set in its bright border of flowers. a. Elements of style: b. Effect:



2. He burnt the bedroom walls and the cosmetics chest because he wanted to change everything, the chairs, the tables, and in the dining room the silverware and plastic dishes, everything that showed that he had lived here in this empty house with a strange woman who would forget him tomorrow, who had gone and quite forgotten him already, listening to her Seashell Radio pour in on her and in on her as she rode across town, alone. Elements of style: Effect:

3. And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering mannikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him. Elements of style: Effect:

4. Two dozen [police helicopters] flurried, wavering, indecisive, three miles off, like butterflies puzzled by autumn, and then they were plummeting down to land, one by one, here, there, softly kneading the streets where, turned back to beetles, they shrieked along the boulevards or, as suddenly, leapt back into the air, continuing their search. Elements of style: Effect:

5. The beetle was rushing. The beetle was roaring. The beetle raised its speed. The beetle was whining. The beetle was in high thunder. The beetle came skimming. The beetle came in a single whistling trajectory, fired from an invisible rifle. Elements of style: Effect:



Answer Key Characterization and Character Motivation Answers will vary widely. Sample student answers are given. 1. Montag: Another Character‟s Description: “You laugh when I haven‟t been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I‟ve asked you.”; Description of Himself: “Was I given a choice? My grandfather and father were firemen. In my sleep, I ran after them.” ; Motivation: to find out the truth and discover why books are so attractive to him and the others. 2. Clarisse: Another Character‟s Description: “How odd. How strange. And my wife thirty and yet you seem so much older at times.”; Description of Herself: “I‟ve got to go see my psychiatrist now. They make me go. I make up things to say.”; Motivation: to keep enjoying the beauty of life; to try to help Montag realize the beauty of the world and how ugly things have gotten. 3. Mildred: Another Character‟s Description: Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, but felt no rain; over which clouds might pass their moving shadows, but she felt no shadow; Description of Herself: “I wouldn‟t do a thing like that. Why would I do a thing like that?” ; Motivation: to keep herself happy in any way possible 4. Beatty: Another Character‟s Description: (this one is very difficult to find) “And men like Beatty are afraid of her.”; Description of Himself: “Well, Montag, take my word for it, I‟ve had to read a few in my time, to know what I was about, and the books say nothing!”; Motivation: to keep Montag‟s curiosity under control 5. The Mechanical Hound: Another Character‟s Description: “It doesn‟t like or dislike. It just „functions.‟ It‟s a lesson in ballistics. It has a trajectory we decide on for it. It follows through. It targets itself, homes itself, and cuts off. It‟s only copper wire, storage batteries, and electricity.”; Motivation: to seek out and destroy anything that has been set as the enemy Setting, Tone, and Mood Answers will vary. Sample student answers have been given. 1. possible underlined words: cold marbled room, mausoleum, moon, darkness, silver, windows tightly shut, chamber, tomb, no sound a. In Montag‟s home, it is after dark. It feels cold and empty but his wife is home. b. cold, distant, detached, eerie; the tone feels as if he is walking into a tomb, silent, full of dead bodies c. uneasy, unwelcome, lonely 2. without light, uncovered and cold, body displayed on the lid of a tomb, eyes fixed, threads of steel, immovable, empty, waves, tides of sound, floating her…toward morning a. Mildred‟s bedroom; Montag sees his wife asleep, looking like she is dead in a tomb. b. cold, sterile, somber c. depressed, dark, frightened, uncomfortable 3. screamed, tremendous ripping sound, two giant hands, black lines, (repetition of numbers), screaming a. Millie‟s bedroom while the planes going to war fly overhead. b. matter-of-fact, straight, repetitive c. panicked, uneasy, nervous, scared



4. laughter, moon-colored, smiled, quietly and earnestly, laughter, relaxed, hearty, not forced, brightly lit, talking, giving, weaving, hypnotic web a. Outside Montag‟s house; Clarisse‟s house; neighbor‟s house b. dreamlike, pleasant, welcoming, comfortable, inviting c. happy, relieved, curious, comfortable, secure 5. lost, insane anger, veins and blotches, face turned toward the wall, whoops of laughter, scurry of rat feet, violin squeaking of mice, great shadowing, motioned silence, leaping out like a moth, raw light a. the Firehouse b. warning, careful, admonishing, cautious sounds c. afraid, disturbed, frightened, disgusted Poetry Analysis Line by line analysis will vary. 1: the sea is calm 2: the tide is up and the moon is out 3: the moon shines on the land and on the coast in France 4: the light shines and disappears; the cliffs of England are there 5: shining and wide, all the way to the ocean 6: come to the window—smell the nice, clean air! 7: in the spray of ocean mist 8: where the sea meets up with the land, the moon shining 9: you can hear the waves crashing 10: on the rocks, and the waves continue 11: back and forth upon the land 12: the waves seem to stop and start 13: they build and build 14: as if they are bringing in sad feelings 15: Sophocles 16: heard these sad sounds on the sea 17: and remembered these sad sounds 18: of human misery 19: we also hear these sad sounds 20: on the distant ocean 21: religion 22: was at one time full and hearty 23:laying like the waves 24: but now I only hear 25:a sad roar of what used to be 26: and the disappearance 27: of this faith 28: left with just the leftovers that don‟t mean anything 29: oh, let us be true 30: to each other, for the world seems 31: to be right in front of us seeming like a dream 32: shining and new 33: is without love, joy, or light



34: and without peace or pity 35: and we as human beings on this land 36: are confused and struggle and fight 37: like the militaries that don‟t know what they are fighting for 1. Answers may vary. Students may have circled the words “full, fair” in line 2, “gleams, gone, glimmering” in lines 4 and 5, “long line” in line 7, “meets, moon-blanched” in line 8, “which, waves” in line 10, “love, let” in line 29, “true, to” in lines 29 and 30, “lie, like, land” in line 31, “so, so, so” in line 32, “nor, nor, nor” in lines 33 and 34, and “swept, struggle” in line 36. 2. Answers will vary. Students may have underlined the words “Sophocles long ago” in line 15, “misery, we” in line 18, “girdle furled” inline 23, “darkling plain” in line 35 3. b. disenchanted 4. c. Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled 5. d. religion 6. c. Faith is disappearing, like the retreat of the waves on a beach. Figurative Language Analysis will vary. Sample student answers are given. 1. simile; comparing her to a melting wax doll; she was scared 2. metaphor; maybe something will actually change this time 3. personification; the radio was really loud and overbearing, ringing in his ears 4. simile; a hidden explosion—something that was going to cause a lot of harm 5. metaphor; Christ is sweet and colorful and portrayed like some cartoon character 6. personification; the sand was hot, and the whisper was made by the sounds of sand falling through the sieve 7. metaphor; if you die, at least you know you died in pride, or died trying to accomplish a goal 8. metaphor; throughout the years, the world was put together and made sense in books 9. simile; the sound of the train is being compared to a snake‟s hissing 10. metaphor; why deny what you have become?—there is no way out now Developing Style Answers for this activity will vary widely. Students should attempt to change the sentences using the techniques described, then are to explain the techniques they used. Accept all reasonable responses. Author’s Style 1. a. use of figurative language: “like a stone carving”; short, concise sentence; use of imagery “numb and featureless”, “bright border of flowers”, relatively simple vocabulary; b. the use of the figurative language and imagery really help to give a clear picture of Montag‟s sense of shock 2. a. stream of consciousness; long, wordy sentence; conversational tone; simple vocabulary; b. it gives the feeling of Montag‟s heart beating and adrenaline pumping; the long sentence separated by commas gives the reader a feel for the panic and mania Montag is feeling 3. a. use of figurative language “a shrieking blaze”; use of vivid verbs “jumping, sprawling, gibbering”; use of imagery “writhing flame” and “continuous pulse of liquid fire”; b. gives



vivid description of what Beatty looked like while he was being burned to death; he was obviously twisting and turning as he burned 4. a. use of vivid verbs: “flurried, wavering, plummeting, kneading, leapt”; use of figurative language “like butterflies”, “shrieked along”; long, wordy sentence, continuous stream of consciousness; b. gives the feeling of panic like being attacked; the continuousness makes it feel like they are coming down, one after another, bombarding them; there is also a feeling of suffocation as the air becomes inundated with the helicopters 5. a. short, choppy sentences; use of vivid imagery “rushing, roaring, whining, skimming” use of figurative language “fired from an invisible rifle”; b. the short sentences make it feel as if the beetles are coming closer and closer; give the feeling of a heartbeat increasing; make us feel overwhelmed and unable to think



Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

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