Questions Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 was set as a novel, by a school, for our household. I enjoyed reading the novel and set these questions for her consideration.

   

In what way was the book first published? Who was the publisher? In what ways is that fitting of a book that addresses fire?

What is the difference between family and “family”? How does the character Mildred illustrate the difference?

What is Denham's Dentifrice? Why is it so bothersome to Montag? In the episode where Denham’s Dentifrice is introduced what does the reader learn about the community in which Montag lives?

Name two animals that the Mechanical Hound is an amalgam of. What makes the Mechanical hound so effective?

How are books described (identify at least five descriptors)? What does Faber convey as most lost through the destruction of books?

What role does Clarisse play? What is unusual about Montag and Clarisse’s first encounter?

At the end of the novel what distinction is drawn between city and country? How is that distinction evident today? Is city more associated with control than country?

At the end of the novel how is Montag given another chance at life? How will he use that chance?

Describe the televised capture of “Montag”. How is that episode in common with media today?

On setting out on the rail tracks Montag recognises that Clarisse had stepped on the rail tracks before him. Had Clarisse stepped on the rail tracks in reality or metaphorically?

How does the quote at the commencement of the novel set the scene of the whole novel? 

"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." 

Juan Ramón Jiménez (24 December 1881 – 29 May 1958)

Why has the novel endured as a popular novel? What do you find to be accurate of its predictions of the future? Are there any predictions of the future in the novel that are yet to be realised?

What is so difficult of predicting the future? As the novel is written 70 years ago, what would you predict of the world in 70-years time, in 2092?

In what ways is entertainment and banal television identified in common with its recognition in the dystopian novel Brave New World?

What is the Scripture that is referenced at the book’s closing? What does that Scripture portray? Why is important that Scripture is remembered and shared in Montag’s time? Is it important that the same Scripture is remembered and shared today?

Shalom,

Ozhamada