43
votes
Accepted
What message is Bradbury trying to convey in Fahrenheit 451?
The book deals with a lot of themes about censorship, so naturally you would think censorship is one of his main points or themes he is trying to convey in the book. Strangely enough, censorship was ...
- 820
36
votes
Accepted
Why does Ray Bradbury use "flounder" for an action with a positive outcome?
While "flounder" is a negative term, it denotes a process, not an end result. If you flounder ashore after a shipwreck, that you have escaped drowning does not make your motion ...
- 5,446
14
votes
Why does Ray Bradbury use "flounder" for an action with a positive outcome?
This is an interesting observation. Checking definitions of the word "flounder" reveals that they are, as the OP claims, mostly very negative.
The key to the usage in this sentence is, I ...
- 18.6k
10
votes
Ray Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship. Is he right?
You can make an argument for anything, really. It just depends on whether it's a good argument.
I'd argue that the common interpretation of Fahrenheit 451 as being about government censorship isn't a ...
- 4,666
7
votes
Why does Ray Bradbury use "flounder" for an action with a positive outcome?
He used flounder because of the negative connotation. He is disclaiming all credit, saying that it happened despite his incompetence, not because of his competency.
It is a way of emphasizing that it ...
- 201
6
votes
Accepted
Did Montag ever have rebellious thoughts before meeting Clarisse?
Montag committed at least one lapse prior to meeting Clarisse, about a year earlier when he encountered an old man in the park. In addition to listening to a poetry reading (not in and of itself a ...
- 4,568
6
votes
Ray Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship. Is he right?
Have you been to a library recently? In olden times, libraries had books. Lots of books. That was how you learned things.
When newspapers and magazines came along, libraries added newspapers and ...
- 1,179
5
votes
Ray Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship. Is he right?
To me the censorship angle is there on the surface, but when you look more deeply, if you wanted to argue that it wasn't about censorship, the book itself does support that:
He does clearly say in ...
- 191
5
votes
Is religion still an important factor in the world of Fahrenheit 451?
It isn't, at least not in the form we know it. The society presented in the book is one of leisure, easily consumed entertainment and carelessnes. Any thoughtprovoking material (i.e. books, especially ...
- 252
4
votes
Accepted
Allusion to Plato in Fahrenheit 451?
This excerpt:
Montag shook his head. He looked at a blank wall. The girl's face was there, really quite beautiful in memory: astonishing, in fact. She had a very thin face like the dial of a small ...
- 1,711
3
votes
Accepted
Why does Bradbury use "had to" in "what they had to offer."?
'Had' is not used in the same sense in 'had to offer' as it is in 'had to send'.
In 'had to send' 'had' denotes, as you observe, a sense of compulsion. In 'had to offer' it denotes possession.
To ...
- 17.1k
2
votes
Accepted
How does Beatty know who has books and who does not in Fahrenheit 451?
I wondered about this, but I don't think Beatty has to know. Remember, people can be punished just for seeming different, or being the sort of person who evoke suspicion, in Bradbury's future.
On ...
- 530
2
votes
Accepted
What does Beatty mean by “Life becomes one big pratfall, Montag; everything bang; boff, and wow!” in Fahrenheit 451
The context to this quote is very useful. It's from the section when Beatty is telling Montag about the dumbing-down of life over the ages: shorten the books, add pictures, add games constantly, ...
- 4,666
2
votes
In The Martian Chronicles, why did everyone leave Mars when the war started?
This book was written soon after WWII and at the time there was a patriotic atmosphere where everybody wanted to enlist in the army. So maybe his thought was that everyone would feel compelled to go ...
- 21
2
votes
Was "All Summer in a Day" based on any real childhood event?
'"Ready ?"
"Ready."
"Now?"
"Soon."
"Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?"
"Look, look; see for yourself!"
The children pressed to each other like so many roses, ...
- 21
2
votes
Ray Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship. Is he right?
Firemen were analogous to The Banner in The Fountainhead - they didn't create the problem, they just capitalized on existing desires. They destroyed books because people wanted them destroyed. Firemen ...
2
votes
Accepted
What does "folds up its paws" and "fixes its eyes on eternity" mean?
Animals who "fold up their paws" are frequently considered to be preparing for retreat / preparing to enter a defensive posture; it is not generally believed to be a sign of comfort and ease,...
- 431
1
vote
Why are television shows in Fahrenheit 451 interactive?
I was under the impression that the “interaction” was completely fake but intended to create the impression that those in charge had meaningful relationships with the general population. I guess like ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible