“
It was a pleasure to burn
.” Fahrenheit 451 details a dystopian future in which a fireman's sole job is to burn books, thereby maintaining a society made up of people who are oblivious and manageable.
How does Fahrenheit 451 begin?
When the novel begins,
fireman Guy Montag is burning a hidden collection of books
. He enjoys the experience; it is “a pleasure to burn.” After finishing his shift, he leaves the firehouse and goes home. … At home, Montag discovers his wife, Mildred, unconscious from an overdose of sleeping pills.
What is the first line in Fahrenheit 451?
“
It was a pleasure to burn
” (Bradbury 1).
Who is the girl in the beginning of Fahrenheit 451?
Clarisse McClellan
is a free-spirited young woman whom Montag encounters in the neighborhood on his way home from work.
What is the effect of the first line in Fahrenheit 451?
The first line and opening paragraphs of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury immediately
inform readers that Guy Montag enjoys his job as a fireman who burns books
, thus setting the dystopian tone of the novel.
What are the most famous opening lines for books?
- ‘Call me Ishmael' …
- ‘I am an invisible man' …
- ‘The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. …
- ‘Mother died today. …
- ‘It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York'
Why is Fahrenheit 451 a banned book?
Sometimes a few libraries will refuse to carry a certain book if they believe it is too offensive. Fahrenheit 451 was banned from a school district
because it used the phrase “God damn!” The
school board felt that this language was inappropriate for students to read.
Do books really burn at 451 Fahrenheit?
Not quite. Bradbury's title refers to the auto-ignition point of paper—the temperature at which it will catch fire without being exposed to an external flame. … Bradbury asserted that
“book-paper” burns at 451 degrees
, and it's true that different kinds of paper have different auto-ignition temperatures.
What is the main message of Fahrenheit 451?
Fahrenheit 451 is his message
to humanity
about the importance of knowledge and identity in a society that can so easily be corrupted by ignorance, censorship, and the tools designed to distract from the realities of our world. Bradbury, Ray.
What are three themes in Fahrenheit 451?
Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 addresses complex themes of
censorship, freedom, and technology
. Unlike most science fiction, Fahrenheit 451 does not view technology as a universal good. Rather, the novel explores the potential for technological advancement to make humans less free.
Does Montag fall in love with Clarisse?
In Fahrenheit 451,
Montag is not in love with Clarisse
in a conventionally romantic sense, but he does seem to love her free spirit and her unusual way of looking at the world.
How old is Montag?
Guy Montag is
thirty years old
in Fahrenheit 451. He became a fireman at the age of twenty, and he has held the position for a decade.
How old is Clarisse?
Clarisse McClellan
A beautiful
seventeen-year-old
who introduces Montag to the world's potential for beauty and meaning with her gentle innocence and curiosity.
What did Montag mean when he said it was a pleasure to burn?
At the beginning of the book, at least,
Guy believes in what he's doing
, so he considers it “a pleasure to burn.” In other words, he feels he's doing his patriotic duty by helping to rid the world of provocative material.
What figurative language is it was a pleasure to burn?
In the first paragraph of the novel (the bulk of the quote between “It was a pleasure . . . driven back by flame”), Bradbury describes the kerosene hose to a “great python” and the kerosene is compared to venom. This would be considered a
metaphor
or an analogy.
What is the promise at the end of Fahrenheit 451?
The promise at the end of the novel is that
a new time is about to begin and that humanity will have another chance to build a meaningful society with the help of ancient texts that have been saved and memorized
.
