Fahrenheit 451published in 1953

An Introduction

The novel was written by Ray Bradbury, a celebrated science fiction writer. It began as a short story in 1951 and evolved into a novel by 1953.

The novel was written a time when the world was threatened by nuclear war, new technologies were emerging and the world was getting smaller.

Historical Context

World War II had ended only a few years before– Threat of nuclear warfare loomed

Era of McCarthyismMany Sci-Fi books and movies reflected this fear

Lasting effects of WWII

Hitler has just been defeated

During his “power” reign he burned many books

Soviet Union also banned and burned books

Communist China also burned books

Threat of nuclear war and fear

Drills in schools, special bells, etc. that inspired fear in all generations

Drills in schools, special bells, etc. that inspired fear in all generations

McCarthyism

Questions about the integrity of the government

Movement where fear of Communism was wide-spread!

practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence

Predict or Prevent?

Bradbury claimed he was trying to “prevent the future”.

He did foresee many future developments:– Walkmans, earbuds, big-screen and interactive t.v., rise in violence, growing illiteracy, condensation of info into “sound bites”

The world was going crazy!!!

As the 1950s and the Cold War progressed Ray Bradbury saw the government taking a great deal of power over the people and this worried him.

How could a government with too much power be dangerous?

Ray Bradbury saw the world changing quickly and dangerously so this is why he wrote Fahrenheit 451 – to warn people of what would happen if society continued down what he believed was a dangerous path….

1945- fewer than 10,000 television sets in the entire United States

1950- More than 6 million in the United States

1960- More than 60 million in the United States

The Novel… Fahrenheit 451

The novel was written by Ray Bradbury, a celebrated science fiction writer. It began as a short story in 1951 and evolved into a novel by 1953.

The Novel… Fahrenheit 451 It is the 24th century.

Books are considered dangerous and illegal. Nobody is allowed to own them. Most people are happy being plugged into their technology, where they do not have to think too hard. All books that are found are burned.

Firefighters didn’t stop fires… they started them

The Novel… Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a type of DYSTOPIC

novel. That means it is about a future that is bleak, dark, and dreary.

The novel focuses on two central themes:

1. CENSORSHIP

2. IGNORANCE OF KNOWLEDGE

CENSORSHIP: is the suppression of speech

or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the government or media organizations as determined by a censor.

Why would something be censored?

What are the dangers of censorship?

IGNORANCE OF KNOWLEDGE:

Bradbury focuses on the importance of learning and how it impacts our ability to make decisions. He believes that without the ability to think about what we’re doing, we’ll be led to do wrong.

Themes To Watch For

Individual self-expression is important.

Violence is self-destructive.

Mindless pleasure seeking and materialism make for an empty life.

Humanity should preserve and value the culture of the past.

More Themes

Humanity has the ability to be reborn or revived.

In the wrong hands, modern technology can be dangerous.

Commercialism can erode spiritual values.

People lose their humanity when not able to communicate and interact with each other on a personal level.

Symbols To Investigate

FireBurningWaterThe salamanderThe Mechanical Hound

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