Fahrenheit 451
Predict or Prevent?: -Bradbury claimed he was trying to "______". -He did foresee many future developments: ~Walkmans, earbuds, big-screen and interactive TVs, rise in violence, growing illiteracy, condensation of info into "sound bites"
"prevent the future"
By mid-century, nearly 60% of americans were members of the _____ ______; they had more discretionary income.
Middle class
Books were even pulled from library shelves, including _________, which was deemed communist-like for suggesting stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Robin Hood
_____ had ended only a few years before -Threat of nuclear war was on people's minds
World War II
The 1950s
consumerism=success
Censorship: -is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered ______, _______, ______, or ______ government or media organizations as determined by a censor.
objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient
McCarthy made a _____ that more than two hundred "card-carrying" communists had infiltrated the U.S. government. Incited a huge "communist scare" which helped lead to the Korean War and the Cold War.
public accusation
The World was Going Crazy! (Part 1): -As the 1950s and the cold war continued, Ray Bradbury saw the government taking a great deal of power over the people and this worried him. ~ How could a government with too much power be dangerous? ______
you would lose your freedom and be controlled by the government.
McCarthy made a public accusation that more than two hundred ______ had infiltrated the U.S. government. Incited a huge "communist scare" which helped lead to the Korean War and the Cold War.
"card-carrying" communists
McCarthy made a public accusation that more than two hundred "card-carrying" communists had infiltrated the U.S. government. Incited a huge _____ which helped lead to the Korean War and the Cold War.
"communist scare"
the increase in prosperity after the war led to an increased passivity and conformity. jobs were plentiful and the common saying of the period was: "_____."
"follow orders, and you will succeed"
Types of Control: -__________________________________: large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. -__________________: red tape, relentless regulations and incompetent government officials. -____________________: society is controlled by technology—robots, computers, etc. -___________________________________: ideology is enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government. -Can you think of any additional examples of dystopias in film or literature?
-Corporate/economic -political -technological -philosophical/religious
Lasting effects of World War II
-Hitler was defeated -communist China also burned books
McCarthyism
-Senator Joseph McCarthy -by 1953, his accusations were at their height. His hearings were held in 1954 and were the first to be publicly broadcast(ruined his reputation and career)
Themes to Consider: -_______________________________________ -Freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it -importance of remembering and understanding history -Machines as helpers to humans vs. Machines as hindrances or enemies -Apathy and Passivity -Alienation and Loneliness -Change and Transformation
-conformity V.S. individuality
Symbols to Investigate: -__________________ -_____________________ -_____________________ -The salamander -_____________________________________ -Titles of each section
-fire -burning -water -the mechanical hound
-Why would something be censored? -What are the dangers of censorship?
-inappropriate(sensitivity) -sugar coating wont help in the real world
Themes to Watch For -______________________________________ is important. -___________________ is self-destructive. -_____________________________________________________ and _____________________ make for an empty life. -_________________________ should preserve and value the culture of the past. -____________________ has the ability to be reborn or revived. In the wrong hands, _______________________________________ can be dangerous. -_______________________ can erode spiritual values. -People lose their humanity when not able to communicate and interact with each other on a personal level.
-individual self-expression -violence -mindless pleasure seeking and materialism -humanity -humanity -modern technology -commercialism
Dystopias: Characteristics: -___________________ is used to control citizens. -________________________, _______________________________, and _________________ are restricted. -A _______________________ or concept is worshipped by citizens. -Citizens are under constant __________________________. -Citizens feel trapped and struggle to escape. -The natural world is ______________________and _____________________. -Citizens are __________________________. -The society is an __________________of a perfect utopian world.
-propaganda -information, independent thought, and freedom -figurehead -surveillance -banished, distrusted -dehumanization -illusion
-In the world of Fahrenheit 451, books are burned because they trigger______ and ______, two things that are unwelcome in this "happiness oriented" society. -What's unexpected about the censorship in Fahrenheit 451 is that it seems to have originated with the ______, not the _______.
-thought and discontent -people, government
The World was Going Crazy! (Part 3): -1945- fewer than _______ television sets in the entire United States 1950- More than ________ in the United States 1960- More than ______ in the United States
10,000, 6 million, 60 million
It is the ______ century. Books are considered ________ and _______. Nobody is allowed to own them. Most people are happy being plugged into their technology, where they do not have to think too hard. All books that are found are ________.
24th, dangerous, illegal, burned
the electronics industry became the ____ largest industry. The ____ had a widespread impact in american homes.
5th, television
By mid-century, nearly _____ of americans were members of the middle class; they had more discretionary income.
60%
_____ were even pulled from library shelves, including Robin Hood, which was deemed communist-like for suggesting stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
Books
during his "power" reign he ______ many books
Burned
-Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is a type of dystopic novel. That means it is about a future that is bleak, dark, and dreary. 1._________ 2.________
Censorship, Ignorance Vs Knowledge
Above all, several messages became crystal clear to the average American:
Don't criticize the United States . Don't be different. Just conform
______________ -The "Dystopia" motif, popular in science fiction—that of a technocratic and totalitarian society that demands ______ at the expense of _______ ______ —is central to the novel.
Dystopian Society order individual rights
Timeline of the 1950s: 1956:
Elvis Presley took the music world by storm with five #1 songs -Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby invent microchip -The first enclosed mall called Southdale opened in Edina, Minnesota.
Historical context
Era of McCarthyism
Timeline of the 1950s: 1952: ________ -People are respectful of each other, the government, religion and life.
Fashion, people and society is very conservative
Timeline of the 1950s: 1957:
First British H-bomb exploded at Christmas Island. -First underground nuclear test "Rainier" occurred at the Nevada Test Site -Britain's first truly successful thermonuclear bomb test. -The Soviet Union Launches the Sputnik, the first artificial satellite
Overview: Protagonist: _________
Guy Montag
Historical context
Many Sci-Fi books and movies reflected this fear
Bradbury's works explored the threat(danger) of _____, ______, _____, and ______ - issues that still concern us today
Nuclear war, censorship, racisim, conformity, and the dnagees of technology
Despite technology's benefits, it can have unpredictable consequences on our society. What are some of these consequences?
People losing their jobs People don't talk face to face People don't put as much effort in their work, find an easy way out
Overview: -It uses the conventions of _______ to convey a message that "oppressive government, left unchecked, can do irreparable damage to society by limiting the creativity and freedom of its people".
Science fiction
Overview: -Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953. -It is a novel of _____ that warns against the dangers of suppressing ______ through _______.
Social Criticism, thought, censorship
Overview: Antagonist: _______
Society as a whole and, specifically, Beatty
Overview: Setting: ______
Some time in the twenty fourth century: two atomic wars have taken place since 1990: in and around and unspecified American city.
_____________ -Technology in Bradbury's 24 the century is highly advanced and dominates society. -TV, radio broadcasts, fast cars, and atomic weapons dominate people's experiences—at the expense of things like nature, music, and poetry.
Technology-Deadening Human
Timeline of the 1950s: 1951: 1._______ 2. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted and sentenced to death for passing information on atomic weapons to the USSR.
Television first broadcast across the country
Overview: Narrator: _______
Third person limited from Montag's perspective
Personal content
Was a means of protesting what he believed to be the invasiveness of editors Through strict control of the hooks they printed, impaired the originality and creativity of writers
Timeline of the 1950s: 1954(Part 2):U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy begins a televised _____. This became known as "______". Basically, the Cold War revolved around the fact that: -The USA was a democratic country where people could do what they want, become rich, and have freedoms. -The Soviet Republic(USSR) was Communist, which meant people listened to the government, lived equally and shared resources.
anti-communist, "McCarthyism"
the united states became an ___ culture.
automobile
the soviet union also ______ and burned books
banned
Movement where fear of ____ was wide-spread(everywhere)!
communism
The practice of making accusations of _____, subversion, or treason without evidence
disloyalty
Timeline of the 1950s: 1954(Part 3):: -The United States declared Communist countries to be ______. The US government wanted everyone to think Communists were _____ so they spread hate propaganda. -McCarthy accused random people he didn't like of being Communists, which ruined their lives.
enemies, evil
McCarthy accused many Army officials of ____ and communist ties.
espionage
he also focused on writers and _______, creating a great debate on artistic freedom
filmmakers
-What does true happiness consist of? -Is ignorance bliss, or do knowledge and learning provide true happiness? -In this world, ______ promote______ by destroying ______—and with them—_____.
fireman, ignorance, books, knowledge
questions about the ______ of the government
integrity
thousands of people lost their _____ and all across America, state legislatures and school boards mimicked McCarthy and his House on Un-American Activities Committee
jobs
IGNORANCE OF KNOWLEDGE: Bradbury focuses on the importance of ______ and how it impacts our ability to make decisions. He believes that without the ability to_______ about what we're doing, we'll be led to do _______.
learning, think, wrong
Timeline of the 1950s: 1950:
president Harry Truman approves production of the hydrogen bomb
Timeline of the 1950s: 1954(Part 1): The U.S. Supreme Court wrote in "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" that _____ in schools was ____
racial segregation, illegal
Bradbury was right: In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury tries to "prevent the future," not predict it, but he actually does anticipate the future. -____________ -Parlor walls -___________(T.V.) -A reliance on technology to mediate all social experience -_______(including gun violence) -The use of televised surveillance footage for many purposes. -______ -The condensation of information into what we now call "Sound bites"
seashell, population explosion, A rise in violence, growing illiteracy
The practice of making accusations of disloyalty, ______, or treason without evidence
subversion
the novel
the novel was written by Ray Bradbury, a celebrated science fiction writer. it began as a short story in 1951 and evolved into novel by 1953.
The World was Going Crazy! (Part 2): -Ray Bradbury saw the world changing quickly and dangerously so this is why he wrote Fahrenheit 451 -
to warn people of what would happen if society continued down what he believed was a dangerous path...
The practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion or _____ without evidence
treason
What is Social Criticism? -Social Criticism analyzes problematic social structures and aims at practical solutions by specific measures, radical reform, or even revolutionary change. -Fahrenheit 451 is a social criticism that ______. -Fahrenheit 451 was developed in the years immediately following World War II -It condemns not only the anti-intellectualism of Nazi Germany (book burnings), but also America in the 1950s— the heyday of McCarthyism, and a growing fear of communism. -Other influential social criticisms of the time include George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm
warns against the danger of suppressing thought through the censorship of books.
he also focused on ____ and filmmakers, creating a great debate on artistic freedom
writers
