What do you think?
Rate this book
Fahrenheit 451: Alternative Assessment for Literature
Helps students understand and teachers assess student understanding of literature; student activities reproducible for classroom use; focuses on the Ray Bradbury classic
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
29 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 24, 2012
Read this when I was much younger. It REALLY bored me at the time.
I think about this book rather often, now that I'm older. As far fetched as this idea is, it becomes more achievable every day with the social media, electronic archiving, and cloud computing. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the book, but the theme her is NOT a good one. The implementation "book burning" seems ludicrous.
What's crazy is that that same agenda could one day be accomplished with the click of a button.
And it's BOOM! all our history and heritage is gone...
I think about this book rather often, now that I'm older. As far fetched as this idea is, it becomes more achievable every day with the social media, electronic archiving, and cloud computing. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the book, but the theme her is NOT a good one. The implementation "book burning" seems ludicrous.
What's crazy is that that same agenda could one day be accomplished with the click of a button.
And it's BOOM! all our history and heritage is gone...
May 14, 2008
Of course, I'm not fond of the situation of society that this book portrays. Like "The Giver" and "The Handmaid's Tale," Farenheit 541 makes you feel uncomfortable and worried. This book is phenomenal, though. Like those others, it does serve as a sort of warning about the restriction of personal freedoms and education. Another book it reminds me of is "Blade Runner."
August 18, 2012
Definitely one of my favorites. This work is still relative, possibly even becoming more relevant as time passes on and more and more people leave the literary world for a world that is owned and dominated by television and computer screen/internet media.
August 8, 2008
this book was assigned in school, but i'd seen the movie in 7th grade so i understood it a little bit better than everyone else. i thought it was really good and definately a great lesson learned.
April 30, 2011
great book about too much government
Read
December 11, 2014The novel Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a society that is quite different from ours. Firemen who actually cause fires instead of preventing them. In a society where people owning books is a massive crime. People have seashells in their ears which blocks out the environment that they are living in. Seems as if the government is controlling what they do and how they do it, that they just choose to overlook the people around them with these seashells that make them listen to the radio. The humanity seems to be not concentrated on whats going on around them, than concentrate more on the radio, fast cars, and the vast telescreens.
In this story, the main character is a fireman named Montag, who he himself is a fireman who does commit a crime of reading and writing books. He meets a girl named Clarisee, who catches his eye. Just because the way she would talk and the little things she would point out would fascinate Montag. While Mildred his wife is very attached to the seashells that are in her ears, but than again ignores Montag and tries to overdose on pills. She once told Montag she felt their love was dying and that there was just no affection left anymore. After he was told that, Montag's collection of books started to develop. Montag hides all his books in the air-conditioning vent where nobody will suspect.
Montags boss, Beatty, watches Montag experience him wonder how books were banned and why they were. Beatty does suspect Montag collecting books because thats usually what happens to firemen. According to Beatty, minorities opposed to books that had offended the community. But Beatty does know that Montag has stolen books in his home, so he gives him twenty-four hours to read and turn them in. Beatty gave Montag a chance instead of burning his down like the others. After, Montag seeks help, so he goes and visits Faber, a friend of his. He tells Montag that its not only good to collect books, but also read them.
Faber and Montag come up with a strategy to bring books back. It is planned that Faber will contact a printer and begin reproducing books, and Montag will plant books in the homes of firemen to destroy the business and to destroy the machinery of restriction. They have a secret earpiece where both of them can only hear each other. The next day Montag heads to the fire house and hands over a book to his boss, Beatty. But Beatty says that literature is too dangerous and deserves to be burned. The fire department gets a call saying to burn down Montags house and Montag over hears. Mildred ends up leaving Montag, and he feels betrayed. Montag is arrested and forced to burn down his own house.
He is also about to get burned to ashes but he makes a run for it and shows up at Fabers house. Montag puts on Faber's clothes to leave with a different scent that way the Mechanical Hound can not find him. There Montag meets a group of people who are also themselves book collectors and also have ran away. They seemed to know more about literature than anything else. The city is bombed and Montag and his new friends move on to search for survivors and rebuild civilization. This shows that people dont always have to follow other people. It is okay to be different and show the world how great of a person the person could be.
In this story, the main character is a fireman named Montag, who he himself is a fireman who does commit a crime of reading and writing books. He meets a girl named Clarisee, who catches his eye. Just because the way she would talk and the little things she would point out would fascinate Montag. While Mildred his wife is very attached to the seashells that are in her ears, but than again ignores Montag and tries to overdose on pills. She once told Montag she felt their love was dying and that there was just no affection left anymore. After he was told that, Montag's collection of books started to develop. Montag hides all his books in the air-conditioning vent where nobody will suspect.
Montags boss, Beatty, watches Montag experience him wonder how books were banned and why they were. Beatty does suspect Montag collecting books because thats usually what happens to firemen. According to Beatty, minorities opposed to books that had offended the community. But Beatty does know that Montag has stolen books in his home, so he gives him twenty-four hours to read and turn them in. Beatty gave Montag a chance instead of burning his down like the others. After, Montag seeks help, so he goes and visits Faber, a friend of his. He tells Montag that its not only good to collect books, but also read them.
Faber and Montag come up with a strategy to bring books back. It is planned that Faber will contact a printer and begin reproducing books, and Montag will plant books in the homes of firemen to destroy the business and to destroy the machinery of restriction. They have a secret earpiece where both of them can only hear each other. The next day Montag heads to the fire house and hands over a book to his boss, Beatty. But Beatty says that literature is too dangerous and deserves to be burned. The fire department gets a call saying to burn down Montags house and Montag over hears. Mildred ends up leaving Montag, and he feels betrayed. Montag is arrested and forced to burn down his own house.
He is also about to get burned to ashes but he makes a run for it and shows up at Fabers house. Montag puts on Faber's clothes to leave with a different scent that way the Mechanical Hound can not find him. There Montag meets a group of people who are also themselves book collectors and also have ran away. They seemed to know more about literature than anything else. The city is bombed and Montag and his new friends move on to search for survivors and rebuild civilization. This shows that people dont always have to follow other people. It is okay to be different and show the world how great of a person the person could be.
January 22, 2013
“There was always a minority afraid of something, and a great majority afraid of the dark, afraid of the future, afraid of the past, afraid of the present, afraid of themselves and shadows of themselves." Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" captivates the reader with its distinctive symbolism and unique plot. The plot unfolds in a future time where books are outlawed and thus abolished by firemen. It is believed by the government that the knowledge obtained from these books and the ideas they may potentially inspire can be harmful. The government of this society believes that these books may inspire diversity or a non conformist attitude... which they fear will be harmful to the governmental power and structural society they have worked to build. It is a classic yet immensely unique American novel that everyone should read at least once in their lives. I do recommend "Fahrenheit 451."
The elaborate plot of "Fahrenheit 451" unfolds in a futuristic urban setting where reading and or being in possession of any books is deemed taboo and the texts are to be abolished by the fire department. Guy Montag is a fireman (ordered to set fires rather than stop them for the sole purpose of destroying books.) However, when curiosity strikes, and Guy decides to read one of the books he is supposed to have set ablaze. Once he realizes the significance of literature and the positive impact it could have on society, he decides to rebel and fight to save the books which remain.
Bradburry's writing style is immensely unique in contrast to other authors of his time. His heavy use of symbolism to convey his ideas and his "show not tell" style keeps the reader hooked and wanting to find out what unfolds next.
One major theme in Bradburry's novel is as follows; knowledge is one of the most important qualities one can acquire in life" A more general theme of the novel is to fight for what you believe in (even if your perspective is viewed as inferior to the majority). Guy Montag fights to preserve the books, he is supposed to be destroying. Once Guy learns of what he is abolishing, by beginning to read he realizes that these books need to be preserved.
"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury is a classic American novel like no other. Bradbury's complex plot and unique writing style conveys his message and successfully allows the reader to lucidly visualize the setting and understand the characters of this novel. I recommend this novel, as it is very well executed and diverse from other books.
September 8, 2015
During this past summer, I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book was recommended to me by my brother and it has also been a book that I have wanted to read for a while. This book has really appealed to me due to its abstract writing and concepts. I have not read many books like this, but I would say that these books tend to keep me interested. Reading Fahrenheit 451 was an enjoyable experience and kept me thinking because of the intellectual concepts. A few things surprised me about this book; first being that it was practically a crime to own a book and that there would be consequences, and second being that the consequence for possessing a single book lead to everything being burnt down by the “firemen.” Now, you would think that firemen are these heroes that stop fires, but no, they start them and cause chaos. This book has some fairly abstract ideas that not many other books have. It keeps the reader on their toes and leaves them wanting more.
Ray Bradbury developed some interesting characters. They all had quirky, strange qualities that were evident while reading the book. One of the characters that I am most interested in is Mildred. In the beginning of the book, she can come off as a snarky and bitter woman. As the book and plot progresses it is apparent that Mildred is deeply depressed and she overdoses on some pills. After this event, she became unconscious and was sent to receive emergency service. Mildred had to get her stomach pumped so that the drugs would be removed from her system. Once she was released she had no recollection of the entire episode. In addition to her overdosing on medication, she is also an avid fan of television and hides at home to watch as much as possible. She takes her anger triggered by depression out on her husband, Guy Montag. I feel that a lot of people can relate to Mildred’s character; especially teenagers. Ray Bradbury almost presents this character to put an emphasis on the importance of awareness for mental illnesses. Although everyone has had their highs and lows, I feel that I can relate the most with Guy Montag because of his strong passion for learning more about books and life in general. I have the same outlook on life and books and wish I had enough time to read the books that interest me the most.
I would strongly encourage people to read this book because it shares important life lessons. I would also be very interested in reading more by Ray Bradbury because of his interesting writing style. His abstract writing should keep the readers interested, wanting to read more.
Ray Bradbury developed some interesting characters. They all had quirky, strange qualities that were evident while reading the book. One of the characters that I am most interested in is Mildred. In the beginning of the book, she can come off as a snarky and bitter woman. As the book and plot progresses it is apparent that Mildred is deeply depressed and she overdoses on some pills. After this event, she became unconscious and was sent to receive emergency service. Mildred had to get her stomach pumped so that the drugs would be removed from her system. Once she was released she had no recollection of the entire episode. In addition to her overdosing on medication, she is also an avid fan of television and hides at home to watch as much as possible. She takes her anger triggered by depression out on her husband, Guy Montag. I feel that a lot of people can relate to Mildred’s character; especially teenagers. Ray Bradbury almost presents this character to put an emphasis on the importance of awareness for mental illnesses. Although everyone has had their highs and lows, I feel that I can relate the most with Guy Montag because of his strong passion for learning more about books and life in general. I have the same outlook on life and books and wish I had enough time to read the books that interest me the most.
I would strongly encourage people to read this book because it shares important life lessons. I would also be very interested in reading more by Ray Bradbury because of his interesting writing style. His abstract writing should keep the readers interested, wanting to read more.
July 3, 2008
Lame. Really lame. I have always heard amazing things about this one and finally decided to look at it myself. There is no reason this should be considered a classic. I think what we have here is a bunch of English teachers trying to validate the benefits of reading. In their efforts, the have preserved this book and labeled it a 'must read' for all high school students. If students like it, okay. But I was terribly unimpressed. The story was weak and the characters were not worth connecting to. And really, I couldn't find anything worth reflecting on besides a few lines about censorship, which were also weak. Maybe I'll look at it again a few years down the road, but probably not.
April 30, 2015
Overall, I found this book rather boring. It is the story of a civilization that has "banned books", and actively employs "firemen" to seek them out and burn them. The protagonist of the story finds himself caught up in a war and frantically trying to reproduce books. The book then ends with him meeting a band of refugees called the "book people", and they plan to rebuild society after the great war ended. In class, I would teach a lesson referencing this book about "why books, reading, and learning can be viewed as dangerous" and promote the idea that knowledge is power. The theme of this book, I would suggest, is overcoming censorship.
December 8, 2015
Guy's transformation throughout the book has been inspirational. This book takes place somewhere around 2053 where instead of stopping fires, firemen were starting fires to burn books. After meeting Clarisse and being introduced to a world he never knew about, Guy reevaluates his life and questions everything he thought he knew. This book made me question the future of humanity and how family and reading may soon become obsolete. Overall this was a great read. I plan to finish Brave New World and 1984 next.
September 16, 2010
Farenheit 451 is a great book, that taps into some of our society today. It is about a futurist era, where instead of firemen putting out fires, they start them. They burn books. The government has ordered the burning of books because they are dangerous, since ideas can be hidden inside them. Farenheit 451 is about a fireman, who sees reality and saves a book and runs, just as his city is bombed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 14, 2011I read this is my Freshman English class and I would have to say that this book's image was ruined by my teacher at the time.......I would like to read it again and understand it with my own perception. The story felt like a tug of war with me. I was trying to understand but the book was pulling away from me. Yeah.....
July 21, 2011
I read this because my kids had read it in high school. The concept is interesting, with many of the ideas far ahead of the writer's time that were not terribly far off of what was in the future.
I wish the author would have elaborated a little more on some of the aspects of society... I may have missed them.
I wish the author would have elaborated a little more on some of the aspects of society... I may have missed them.
August 29, 2012
It took a bit of reading to 'get into it'-but when I did I found it to be a fascinating story. I would imagine that when it was written in
1950 it probably was a best seller. It lends itself to an interesting discussion about the future; and of course brings the history of Hitler
ordering books to be burned. I did not connect w/any of the characters but still found it a good read.
1950 it probably was a best seller. It lends itself to an interesting discussion about the future; and of course brings the history of Hitler
ordering books to be burned. I did not connect w/any of the characters but still found it a good read.
May 28, 2009
I read this book in the 7th grade. All I could remember was that firemen burned books. I'm in the process of reading it again. It's uncanny how relevant it is to certain aspects of our society today.
February 13, 2011
Way too dated for me. I read it so that I can discuss it with my daughter who must read it this semester. I hope my lack of enthusiasm for the story doesn't show through. Wish I had read it in 1971 when I was her age.
May 16, 2011
Meh...I enjoyed how the author wrote, I crave the ability to write as descripitvely as he. But I did not like the ending and found that Montag was simply a very bland character. Sure, he was curious, but aren't nearly all protagonists so?
February 4, 2009
I am really enjoying this novel however I'm not a fan of how the chapters are set up i feel like when I need to stop reading I shouldn't because I'm not done with a chapter.
July 18, 2008
Excellent. His details are incredible, and the message hits home. Every one should read this...
January 30, 2011
As good as the first time I read it!
Read
February 15, 2011Well, that was depressing.
August 16, 2011
Somehow, I expected more but couldn't find it in this book. Yet, I wouldn't dismiss it, just lower down your expectations.
October 11, 2011
Really weird but thought provoking.
December 19, 2011
Nothing like what i expected but very descrpitive, thought provoking writing style. Weird way of executing the story. But I agree...the world would be a very awful place with no books.
January 21, 2012
Great book about a futuristic culture.
November 18, 2012
Reread this book because my son was reading it for his class. Don't think it stood the test of time very well, but still had a good message.
March 6, 2013
Really confused during the whole thing... Last time I read it was 5 years ago...
May 25, 2013
very confusing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews