Book Talk - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Book Talk – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

1.    Detailed Description of Text:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a firefighter named Guy Montag. Unlike the real-world firefighters, in this book ironically, they are not the ones who put the fires out but actually start them instead. They are the ones who are in charge of not only burning illegally owned books but also the homes of those who were hiding them. Books in this novel are seen as a threat to society people are not supposed to be thinking about things. Rather than thinking, they are expected to give up their own individuality and spend their time watching tv and listening to the radio. As the story progresses, Guy Montag begins to question his entire life when he meets Clarisse. Clarisse is his neighbor who is a young girl that loves to ask deep, thought-provoking questions. Although Clarisse has made a rather large impact on Guy Montag and his life, things did not begin to change with Montag until he had a run-in with a woman who ended up burning in her house along with her books because she could not bare to live without them. This moment was when we begin to see a real change in Guy Montag. This woman burning with her books really got to him and he realized that perhaps it is through reading that he can find true happiness. Guy Montag begins to read any book he can get his hands on and begins to grow as an individual. Although his reading is great for him, very quickly the people who are close to him soon find out and he is quickly outcasted. As the book progresses Guy Montag joins a rebellion full of people who have memorized books before they are burned in order to preserve them and this is where I will end this summary due to spoilers for those of you who have not read it.

 2.    Why I Chose This Text and who Would Read it:

I think that today especially, this book can have a huge impact on everyone of all ages. This book describes the world we live in now, where individuals are constantly being lured in by social media and television. I think that this book really highlights the impact both books and the media can have on our lives. Although I am one to constantly be on my phone or watching tv, I think that this book was a good reminder that books can be just as important and just as alluring. This book is truly great for all ages. I think that this could even be an easy read for middle schoolers. This book is filled with messages that are affecting everyone in todays society and so both high schoolers and middle schoolers would be able to benefit and read this book with ease. 

 3.    Teaching Ideas:

Something that could be done with this book are journal entries. Having students write on each of the sections each time they read a part of the book can really allow them to think more about the book in the context of their own lives. Some questions that could be used as prompts for their journal entries would be: “Is social media making us less social?” “Have you ever been impacted negatively by social media?” or “Has social media replaced boredom? If so is that good or bad?” I think that getting students to think about these types of things would allow for a more in-depth look at the book and would open them up to being able to relate to the book more and compare the book to their own lives. Another thing that could be done with this book with students is to have a class discussion and to guide them into taking a look at the symbolism that the author presents within this text. Some things that could be discussed as a class is the way the author describes and uses Clarisse, fire, and books. Another thing that could be done with this book and a way to allow students to connect more to the book would to have them pick a quote, as they are reading, from the book that describes how they feel towards reading and to share the quote and their reasoning behind it with the class.

4.    Challenges:

Quite honestly, I could not think of very many challenges with reading this book. So many schools have it as a part of their curriculum already and so many students are already being expected to read it. Something that may be troubling for some administrators and parents is that there is talk about the Bible in this books and perhaps it may offend some people. Another thing could be that there is the usage of drugs in this book. One challenge that may arise with students is that they may disagree entirely with the book either because they are not a fan of reading in general and this book is all about the importance of reading or that it sort of makes fun of those who are enthralled in technology and this may offend them or make them feel called out.

5.    Importance:

I really think that this book is important to have in the classroom because of the fact that besides the technology that is being used (it is very futuristic), this book is truly describing todays use of technology and I think that especially as English teachers, it is important to remind students the importance of reading and the affect that it can have on all of us.