Kristine Pham H. Freshmen Lit & Composition Summer 2014 Dialectic Journal Assignment FAHRENHEIT 451 TEXT CHAPTER & PAGE RESPONSE (Question, Predict, Connect, Clarify, Reflect, Evaluate) 'With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting it's venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. ' Chapter 1 Page 1 Predict This sentence has negative and a happy tone at the same time.
Bradbury makes the character sound like he's vil or perhaps has a lot of things to hide, considering that snakes in general slither around and seem to hide themselves. Yet, he has no remorse for what he was doing either with the included phrase, 'and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies. I predict that this person is doing this as it was he's job. I also wonder why he is burning whatever he was trying to get rid of. This reminds me of a firefighter because of the way the author is describing what this person was doing, but instead of water it is kerosene.
Maybe this person's job was to purify the area in the society by urning it. 'He remembered nothing like it save one afternoon a year ago when he had met an old man in the park and they had talked…. ' Chapter 1 Page 8 Predict/Clarify This sentence holds a mysterious tone. Who is this man and why is 'they' in italics? Did something peculiar happened a year ago that made him remember it in a odd way? I think we shall learn more about this other man later in the story. Maybe this man is related to the girl, that's why Montag suddenly remembers the man after the conversation with the girl. It was said that he saw Clarisse's face in the walls too.
It has been confirmed hat the man, Montag, is a firefighter, but with no usage of water what so ever. He's job is to purify the community by burning book because it is illegal. I wonder why that is and also why other things that should be okay illegal as well. This shows sign of a world that supposedly utopian, but in reality, a dystopian society in itself. 'He felt his smile slide away melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and now collapsing and now blown out. ' Chapter 1 Page 9 Evaluate The author explains that Montag is not only unhappy, but he is now ncapable of pretending otherwise. Which he is revealing his true emotions.
By comparing his smile to a burnt our candle, it shows how definite his unhappiness is. Then when you read the part where it describes the candle that can never be lit again tells us readers that Montage can never truly be happy with himself again. Predict There is something that is bothering him and he has been unhappy for awhile now. 'He felt that the stars had been pulverized by the sound of the black jets and that in the morning the dart would be covered with their dust like a strange snow. ' Chapter 1 Page 11-12 Evaluate
The author is describing how Montag feels like the stars are being ruined by the black jets. The starts represent his perfect world and the black jets are something that is destroying his perfect world. Bradbury is creating a somber situation. Predict The sentence shows hidden darkness within Montag. Maybe the black jets represents Mildred swallowing the pills and how he is aware of the imperfect world that is around him with the author's usage of the words, 'pulverized' instead of 'crushed' or 'ruined. ' 'You don't need an M. D. , case like this; all you need is two handymen, clean up Chapter 1
Page 13 Predict The word that are placed in this sentence the problem in half an hour. ' demonstrates insensitive words towards one another humanity has become. Mildred was dying and society cared enough to send only two 'handymen' to fix the 'problem. ' This sentence has surprisingly cold connotation which shows Montag and the readers the heartlessness of the world. I wonder why that is? Also, why they didn't send professional help instead of people (who we don't know if they were qualified) with machines to essentially replace almost all the inner liquids of the body with new (from a stranger) liquids.
Again, the question of why Mildred was trying to kill herself? I think this is one of the reasons why Montag is unhappy with life. 'He felt his body dive itself in a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other. ' Chapter 1 Page 21 Evaluate The author is showing us that Guy was having contradicting feelings about what Clarisse has said. Bradbury has chose to put the contradicting words next to each other to create a pulling effect.
As a result, it makes the reader feel the confusing tug-of-war effect as Montag did. Even though e has an uneasy feeling about the girl, Montag is still fascinated by her and is interested enough to stick around to listen to what she says. Predict This is character development and where Montag learns more about her. Then afterwards, they go on an adventure to figure out why their society is the way it is. Eventually, Montag will regain his happiness again by spending more time with Clarisse possibly. I wonder what kind of a relationship they will build as we progress in the plot. 'Montag's hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest. '
Chapter 1 Page 34 Evaluate Guy's hand represents his subconscious and his true desire. Bradbury illustrated this by describing it like Montag's hand has a mind of its own. This is change in Guy's heart and the start of something new. He is beginning to show what he really wants as opposed to what he's supposed to be doing. Predict Eventually, Montag will have a change of heart of what is right and what he is required to do. It makes me wonder if Clarisse and Guy will find the truth of the world they live in. Why isn't everyone curious about why they are doing what they are doing? 'He felt her there, he saw er without opening his eyes, her hair burnt by chemicals to a bottle straw, her eyes with a kind of cataract unseen but suspect far behind the pup is, the reddening pouting lips, the body as thin as a praying mantis from dieting, and her flesh like while bacon. ' Chapter 1 Page 45-46 Clarify I never really thought that Clarisse would disappear like that. I thought Clarisse was a character that would come back and continue the story with Montag.
Also, it seems to be that Mildred was really scatterbrained. I honestly never really thought that she had that kind of personality. It makes me wonder even ore why she wanted to kill herself and if the society is doing it to her. Evaluate Bradbury used imagery to describe the detailed features of Mildred and how she doesn't seem to be a healthy being. The abnormally white flesh and burnt hair shows that they live in a place where artificial beauty through hair dye and diets are required. They way she is described is almost like a walking corpse and is hopeless.
The only Montag remembers her is that he 'saw her without opening his eyes' because she is so distant. 'If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't Chapter 1 Page 58 Predict This sentence is ive him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. ' optimistic and gives a general picture of how the society is looking at things. They're seeing that if we give people one choice then everyone can be happy or at least content with life. Which I don't understand why since there are still people upset because they are losing their books and other odd events such as children killing other children. I have a feeling that after reading a book or two, Montag could question the motives of the society and where it is heading like the reader is. I don't understand how the people agreed to this to et the world involve into this.
If this was America and the 'Land of the Free,' shouldn't the people be allowed their freedom of owning books? It looks as though the 'authors' are more worried about books and pedestrians then the lives of the citizens. 'Again he found himself thinking of the green park a year ago The thought had been with him many times recently but now he remembered how it was that day in the city park when he had seen that old man in the black suit hide Chapter 2 Page 70 Clarify Again, we hear about this man Montag met at the park. He can't seen to shake that memory.
Although this time he escribes it in more detail. Predict something, quickly, in his coat. ' What is so significant about this person? Was that man hiding a book in public? Is he connected somehow with Clarisse? Guy mentioned the man after talking about her, so maybe they are connected in some relevant way. At this point he is stuck and doesn't know what his move is next. I think that he's going to go out and find this man to learn more about books. Assuming he find the old man, possibly he will fight for the rights for books and for things to go back to the way it used to be, breaking the dystopian society he is facing.
Author: Arron Johnston