Name: ______

Period: ______

This is worth 300 points! Work hard!

Vocabulary Week 1

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Definition
  1. venomous
/ Adj / Poisonous; malicious or mean
  1. minstrel

  1. lubricate

  1. waft

  1. illuminate

  1. refract

  1. imperceptible

  1. mausoleum

  1. cataract

  1. inclined

  1. nectar

  1. olfactory

  1. proboscis

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Vocabulary Week 2

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Definition
  1. proclivity

  1. condemn

  1. ravenous

  1. fathom

  1. centrifuge

  1. cacophony

  1. feign

  1. pratfall

  1. breach

  1. censor

  1. combustible

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Vocabulary Week 3

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Definition
  1. monologue

  1. suffused

  1. vacuum

  1. gorge

  1. retaliation

  1. submission

  1. strewn

  1. saccharine

  1. jowls

  1. intuitive

  1. profusion

  1. mediocre

  1. loam

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Vocabulary Week 4

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Definition
  1. insidious

  1. treason

  1. linguist

  1. complement

  1. filigree

  1. invigorate

  1. distill

  1. hone

  1. scripture

  1. torrent

  1. oracle

  1. discourse

  1. moor

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Vocabulary Week 5

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Definition
  1. perfunctory

  1. vantage

  1. concussion

  1. chaff

  1. phosphorescent

  1. valise

  1. perpetual

  1. aesthetic

  1. anesthetized

  1. penance

  1. excursion

  1. thoroughfare

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Vocabulary Week 6

Directions: Use the dictionary to look up the definition of each word. Then go through the book and find the word used in the sentence. Make sure your definition makes sense by reading the sentence in the book. Is the word used in the correct part of speech? Do the other context clues indicate that you have found the correct definition?

Word / POS / Defintion
  1. trajectory

  1. quarry

  1. objectively

  1. stationary

  1. ricochet

  1. juggernaut

  1. gingerly

  1. converge

  1. simultaneous

  1. incriminate

  1. resolve

  1. convoluted

  1. scythe

Directions: Choose 7 words from the list and find them in the novel. (Hint: They are listed in the order they can be found in the novel above.) Write the sentence that Bradbury uses and then write a sentence of your own using the word.

Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:
Bradbury’s Sentence:

Themes in Fahrenheit 451

Knowledge vs Ignorance

Montag, Faber, and Beatty’s struggle revolves around the tension between knowledge and ignorance. The fireman’s duty is to destroy knowledge and promote ignorance in order to equalize the population and promote sameness. The most important part of knowledge is critical thinking – challenging ideas rather than accepting them as absolutely correct. Mentors and teachers are integral to this process, not only for passing on knowledge but for opening the door to independent thought.

Government Control/Conformity

Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a world of strict rules and order. Books are illegal, free thought is essentially prohibited, and activities are tightly organized. What’s interesting is that much of the restrictions on the general populous are self-enforced. The government has taken away the citizens’ ability to dissent and veiled all dissatisfaction with a cheap version of "happiness." This means that little external regulation is required, as the citizens conform contentedly to the status quo.

Over Reliance on Technology

TV is the enemy in Fahrenheit 451. It’s responsible for replacing literature, intellectualism, and curiosity. On top of that, it’s become a substitute for family, friendship, and any sort of real conversation. The reason cited is "happiness." People are happier when they don’t have to think, or so the story goes. TV aside, technology is the government’s means of oppression, but also provides the renegade’s opportunity to subvert.

Man vs Natural World

Fahrenheit 451 creates a dichotomy between the world of technology and the world of nature. The former is cold and destructive, while the latter is engaging and informative. It is only in nature that the novel’s main character is able to think clearly and draw conclusions from his experiences. The novel argues that nature, in fact all of life, is a cycle of construction and destruction. This is the natural way of things, but technology has focused only on destruction and violence, leaving man in a devastating, unnatural state.

Dissatisfaction

In the world of Fahrenheit 451, everyone seems to be happy. They watch TV all day, they never ask difficult questions, they’re never forced to face anything unpleasant, and they’re never truly bothered by anything. That being said, everyone is horribly dissatisfied. It’s just that no one is willing to admit it. The deep ennui that runs through the population is subdued by mindless activity and an insistence on happiness, both on the part of the government and the citizens themselves.

Violence

Excessive violence in the futuristic world of Fahrenheit 451 betrays a problematic underbelly to the status quo. Teenagers go around killing each other, TV is filled to the brim with violence, and even driving a car brings on the crazed thirst for speed and destruction. Violence is an outlet, and the cravings for such behavior mark the dissatisfaction of the general populous.

Censorship

Fahrenheit 451 doesn’t provide a single, clear explanation of why books are banned in the future. Instead, it suggests that many different factors could combine to create this result. These factors can be broken into two groups: factors that lead to a general lack of interest in reading and factors that make people actively hostile toward books.

The first group of factors includes the popularity of competing forms of entertainment such as television and radio. More broadly, Bradbury thinks that the presence of fast cars, loud music, and advertisements creates a lifestyle with too much stimulation in which no one has the time to concentrate. Also, the huge mass of published material is too overwhelming to think about, leading to a society that reads condensed books (which were very popular at the time Bradbury was writing) rather than the real thing.

The hostility towards books, (the second factor), is focused more on the ideas in the books rather than the books themselves. Ideas are what make populations think rather than following the status quo. This inhibits the government from keeping tight control over the masses.

Note-taking Strategy: Focus on Theme

Directions: Use the chart to keep track of the reading. This chart will help you with the weekly quizzes and the unit test on this book.

Pgs.3-14 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs.14-28 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs.28-42 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs.42-53 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs. 53-68 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs. 68-80 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs.80-93 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pgs.93-107 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pg107-121 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pg121-136 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pg136-150 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes
Pg150-166 Three Main Points / Setting / Characters / How it Relates to Themes

Study Guide Questions

Directions: Make sure you know the answers to these questions! They will show up on your weekly quizzes and your final exam for the first semester.

  1. Why is Clarisse and her family so unusual? ______

______

  1. What happened to Mildred? ______
  1. What does Mildred want Montag to buy for her? ______
  1. Why does Clarisse want to rub a dandelion on Montag’s chin? What is the result? ______

______

  1. Why does Clarisse have to leave Montag? Who must she go visit? Where is she going?

______

  1. What is so unusual about the house call that Montag and the fireman make? ______

______

  1. What happens to the woman at the house? ______
  1. What information about Captain Beatty do Montag and Stoneman discover that cause them to be distracted and miss their turn?

______

  1. Where does Montag hide the book that he took from the woman’s burning house after he arrives at home?

______

  1. What has happened to Clarisse? ______
  1. What was outside that Montag feared? ______
  1. Who shows up at Montag’s house and why? ______
  1. What does Captain Beatty say will happen if a fireman “accidentally” takes a book?

______

  1. According to Clarisse’s uncle, what is the real reason that porches were eliminated?

______

  1. How does Montag surprise Mildred? ______
  1. What is the White Clown? ______
  1. Who is Faber and how did Montag meet him? ______
  1. What book does Montag bring with him to Faber’s house? ______
  1. Why does Faber say he is cowardly? Why does he think that the people, not the government, brought the present state of affairs upon themselves?

______

______

  1. What plan do Faber and Montag come up with to save their society? ______

______

  1. Describe the small green metal device that Faber gives Montag? Why is this device important?

______

  1. What argument does Faber make for books? What are the three components that he says people must have in order to get meaning from books?

______

1. ______2. ______3. ______

  1. What does Faber offer to do while Montag sleeps?

______

  1. How are the presidents elected? ______
  1. How does Mildred cover up the fact that Montag has pulled out a book in front of her friends?

______

  1. How does Mrs. Phelps respond to the poetry reading? ______
  1. What is Captain Beatty doing when Montag enters the firehouse to return the book?

______

  1. What is Captain Beatty’s dream about? ______
  1. What is Montag’s destination at the end of part II? ______
  1. What does Beatty do to warn Montag? ______
  1. Who set off the alarm? ______
  1. What happens to Captain Beatty?______
  1. Why is Montag’s leg bothering him? ______
  1. Who was chasing Montag in the beetle? And` what was the only thing that prevented his death?

______

  1. What did Montag do to Mr. and Mrs. Black? ______
  1. Where does Faber tell Montag to go? ______
  2. What do the police tell all the people in the entire area of Elm Terrace to do on the count of ten? Why?

______

  1. What does Montag imagine is waiting for him at the end of stairs? ______
  1. When he reaches the tracks, what does he wonder/ think to himself?

______

  1. Why did Granger give Montag a liquid substance to drink? ______
  1. How did the Mechanical Hound chase end? ______
  1. What do the book people do to preserve book knowledge? ______
  1. What happens to the city? ______
  1. Where do Millie and Montag first meet? ______
  1. Why does Granger say that man is like the Phoenix? ______

Discussion Question

Direction: Work with your group to answer these questions. THINK about your answers. Discuss! Write in complete sentences.

PART 1

During his conversation with his neighbor Clarisse McClellan, Montag says that "You never wash it off completely" referring to the kerosene. What could this mean symbolically?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Clarisse asks Montag a final question after their first encounter. Why is this question important to the plot?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

What does the existence of the mechanicalhound & its purpose say about the society that Montag lives in?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Clarisse tells Montag about her uncle who was arrested. What does this arrest indicate about the society in which they live?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

What do you think the author meant when he said “How rarely did other people’s faces take of you and throw back to you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought”? What does this question reveal about Montag’s state of mind?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Mildred’s earpieces have been described as “electronic bees,” “mosquito hums,” and “hidden wasps.” Why do you think Bradbury compares these devices to insects?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

What do people talk about in this society? How is this different from our own society? Why do you think Clarisse has such a problem with everything being “abstract”?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Why do you think the woman stays in her house while it is burning?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

How do you feel about Bradbury’s predictions of school? Are there any truths to this assessment?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

PART 2

Why does Beatty program the Hound to track Montag even before Montag stole the book? Do you believe Beatty had seen him steal books before? Or is it that Beatty had detected a change in Montag’s attitude or behavior?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Montag turns to books to rescue him; instead they help demolish his life — he loses his wife, job and home; he kills a man and is forced to be a nomad. Does he gain any benefits from books? If so, what are they?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Why did Professor Faber think Montag’s call was some sort of trap?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Why did Faber’s fear disappear when Montag was standing outside his door?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

What did Montag want from Faber?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

How did Montag finally get Faber to consider really helping him?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

Was anyone affected by the original intent of Montag’s poetry reading?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______

PART 3

How has Beatty given Montag hints that he is under suspicion?

I think: ______

Someone else says: ______

As a group, we decided: ______