Directions: 1) Read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, "Part I: The Hearth and the Salamander," pages 7-33. 2) In this blog space, answer at least 5 of the following questions using direct quotations/evidence from the text. We will use these study questions to have a class discussion on the material. I look forward to your responses. NOTE: The full text and audiobook can be found below the study questions in this post, for your convenience.
Study Questions (Please choose at least 5)
1. Describe the society (a fictional America) that Montag lives in. In what ways is it similar to, but more extreme than, our society? What signs are there that it is a “dystopia” (the opposite of a utopia, an ideal society)?
2. What makes Clarisse so special—so different from most people in her society? What qualities does Montag have that make him receptive to her influence?
3. Why do you think the mechanical hound has been programmed to react to Montag?
4. Why do you think the woman chooses to burn herself along with her books? Why does this have such a powerful effect on Montag—what does it mean to him?
5. What is the point of Bradbury’s description of the kind of television show that Mildred likes to watch (p. 44-46)? [“sound and fury, signifying nothing”—I’ll explain this quotation in class]
6. What is shocking and disturbing about the way Montag finds out what happened to Clarisse? What does this tell us about Mildred and about their society?
7. Why does Montag get “sick” and try to avoid going to work?
8. What does the revelation that Montag has so many books hidden in his home tell us about him? Why do Montag’s hands seem to have a mind of their own—what does this actually mean?
9. What is Beatty’s explanation for the current state of their society?
10. What do you think of Mildred’s claim that she is happy, and why? How do you define happiness? Is being happy always the most important goal of life?
11. What events trigger Montag’s transformation from aloof, unthinking fireman to passionate, philosophical rebel?
12. Find three examples of foreshadowing in Part 1.
13. Like Hemingway, Bradbury sometimes writes in an elliptical style, giving us bits of information from which we must infer what is happening, what the characters are thinking and feeling. Find one example of this in Part 1.
14. Choose one paragraph or passage from Part 1 that is an example of Bradbury’s unusual writing style (e.g. p. 17/18, p. 24) and interpret its meaning.
15. What predictions might you make about later events in the story?
a few pages glow a long time.
The cover goes first, then outer leaves
curling away, then spine and a scattering.
Truth, brittle and faint, burns easily,
its fire as hot as the fire lies make—
flame doesn’t care. You can usually find
a few charred words in the ashes.
And some books ought to burn, trying for character
but just faking it. More disturbing
than book ashes are whole libraries that no one
got around to writing—desolate
towns, miles of unthought in cities,
and the terrorized countryside where wild dogs
own anything that moves. If a book
isn’t written, no one needs to burn it—
ignorance can dance in the absence of fire.
So I’ve burned books. And there are many
I haven’t even written, and nobody has.
" And now, I said (Plato), let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
- I see (Glaucon).
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
- You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?
- True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?
And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?
- Yes, he said.
And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?
- Very true.
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?
- No question, he replied.
To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
- That is certain.
And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?
- Far truer.
And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?
- That is true.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.
- Not all in a moment, he said.
He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
- Certainly.
Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.
- Certainly.
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?
Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
- Certainly, he would.
And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?
- Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.
Imagine once more, I said, such a one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
- To be sure, he said.
And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
Directions: Choose one of the following prompts and compose an essay. Use direct quotations from the text (see link below for help). Your essay should have at least five paragraphs and be 3-5 pages in length with 1.5 spacing. Use the rubric below as a guide. Use the proper formatting (see link below for a reminder).
Oliver Twist Essay Prompts (Choose One)
Prompt 1. In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or a major social or political factor. Using Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole (meaning, how does everything turn out by novel's end) and what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Prompt 2. Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonesty may be intended either to help or to hurt. Such a character, for example, may choose to mislead others for personal safety, to spare someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. Using Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, compose a well-written essay analyzing the motives for a character's deception and discuss how the deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Prompt 3.Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens features characters whose origins are unusual or mysterious. Write an essay in which you analyze how these origins shape the character and that character’s relationships, and how the origins contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole. Prompt 4. In his 2004 novel Magic Seeds, V. S. Naipaul writes: “It is wrong to have an ideal view of the world. That’s where the mischief starts. That’s where everything starts unravelling.”
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a novel which a character holds an “ideal view of the world.” Write an essay in which you analyze the character’s idealism and its positive or negative consequences. Explain how the author’s portrayal of this idealism illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
These essays offer a well-focused and persuasive analysis of the assigned prompt. Using apt and specific textual support, these essays fully explore the assigned prompt and demonstrate what it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Although not without flaws, these essays make a strong case for their interpretation and discuss the literary work with significant insight and understanding. Generally, essays scored an A reveal more sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do essays scored an A-.
B
These essays offer a reasonable analysis of the assigned prompt, and what it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. These essays show insight and understanding, but the analysis is less thorough, less perceptive, and/or less specific in supporting detail than that of the A essays. Generally, essays scored a B+ present better developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a B or B-.
C
These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading, but they tend to be superficial or underdeveloped in analysis. They often rely upon plot summary that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit. Although the writers attempt to discuss the assigned prompt and how the relationship contributes to the work as a whole, they may demonstrate a rather simplistic understanding of the work. The essays demonstrate adequate control of language, but they may lack effective organization and may be marred by surface errors.
D
These lower-half essays offer a less than thorough understanding of the task or a less than adequate treatment of it. They reflect an incomplete or over simplified understanding of the work, or they may fail to address the assigned prompt directly. They may not address or develop a response to how it contributes to the work as a whole, or they may rely on plot summary alone. Their assertions may be unsupported or even irrelevant. Often wordy, elliptical, or repetitious, these essays may lack control over the elements of composition. Essays scored a D- may contain significant misreading and demonstrate inept writing. F
Although these essays make some attempt to respond to the prompt, they compound the weaknesses of the papers in the D range. Often, they are unacceptably brief or are incoherent in presenting ideas. They may be poorly written on several counts and contain distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. The writer’s remarks are presented with little clarity, organization, or supporting evidence.
Test Format: 60 Multiple Choice - Section one consists of questions pertaining to plot, character analysis, symbolism, and structure. Section two offers two passages from other novels by Charles Dickens. You are to read the passages and answer questions. This will test your ability to read critically. Study!
Directions: Please read Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Chapters 41-end. Please compose a comprehensive blog using at least THREE of the chapters from the reading. Make it a cross section of the chapters, one from the beginning, middle, and end of the reading selection. You may discuss characterization, plot developments, make predictions, and/or ask questions. Your blog response must include your personal insights, as well as 3-4 direct quotations from the text to back-up your responses. Remember to engage with one another.
Overview: The poetry club would like to put together an AHS Literary Magazine.We are accepting submissions of poems,
artwork, and short fiction.We would
also like to include a section where students share their favorite poems with a brief
paragraph describing its significance for said student.We are also looking for any students who would like to be involved in
compiling and editing the book with us.There
will be informational meetings on Wednesday after school in room 201 with me.
Further, we are looking for anyone interested in
attending the LTAB poetry workshop Cypher at Emerson College on Saturday, May 4th
with Mr. Pellerin.It is an opportunity to
engage in poetry workshops with published authors and young people from
surrounding towns.Please see me for
details.
Directions: Please read Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Chapters 35-41. Please compose a comprehensive blog using at least THREE of the chapters from the reading. Make it a cross section of the chapters, one from the beginning, middle, and end of the reading selection. You may discuss characterization, plot developments, make predictions, and/or ask questions. Your blog response must include your personal insights, as well as 3-4 direct quotations from the text to back-up your responses. Remember to engage with one another.
