Fahreheit 451
Will Manke
Symbolism:
The first two sentences in the book Fahrenheit 451 state, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed” (3). After reading the following sentences in the book, the reader could conclude that Bradbury was talking about the burning of books. And obviously, in the two quotes Bradbury was explaining how when books are burned, they are “blackened” and “changed”. These two words help to tell the reader that when books are burned, they are being destroyed. Also, the fact that the firemen are burning books, shows an extreme form of censorship. Theme: The quotes help us understand that fire is a symbol for both censorship and destruction.
Archetype:
In the opening scene, when Montag and the other firemen are burning books, Bradbury writes, “…and his eyes all orange flame…” (3). Much like in many books other than Fahrenheit 451, the color orange is very commonly associated with fire. And in this novel, firemen use fire to destroy books, which are illegal in the novel’s society. And because fire is a symbol for censorship, Bradbury is able to connect the color orange to censorship through the symbol of fire. Theme: The quote helps us understand that the color orange is an archetype for censorship.
Motif:
In the opening scene, when the firemen are burning books, Bradbury states,” It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed” (3). Here, the word “blackened” is associated with darkness. Later in the novel, Bradbury writes,” [The firemen] and their charcoal hair and soot-colored brows and bluish-ash-smeared cheeks…” (33). In this quote, the words “charcoal”, “soot-colored”, and “bluish-ash-smeared” all have to with darkness. In the first quote, the word blackened refers to the pages of books that have been burned. In the second quote, the words “charcoal”, “soot-colored”, and “bluish-ash-smeared” refer to the colors of the men that have been burning books. Because burning books is
Symbolism:
The first two sentences in the book Fahrenheit 451 state, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed” (3). After reading the following sentences in the book, the reader could conclude that Bradbury was talking about the burning of books. And obviously, in the two quotes Bradbury was explaining how when books are burned, they are “blackened” and “changed”. These two words help to tell the reader that when books are burned, they are being destroyed. Also, the fact that the firemen are burning books, shows an extreme form of censorship. Theme: The quotes help us understand that fire is a symbol for both censorship and destruction.
Archetype:
In the opening scene, when Montag and the other firemen are burning books, Bradbury writes, “…and his eyes all orange flame…” (3). Much like in many books other than Fahrenheit 451, the color orange is very commonly associated with fire. And in this novel, firemen use fire to destroy books, which are illegal in the novel’s society. And because fire is a symbol for censorship, Bradbury is able to connect the color orange to censorship through the symbol of fire. Theme: The quote helps us understand that the color orange is an archetype for censorship.
Motif:
In the opening scene, when the firemen are burning books, Bradbury states,” It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed” (3). Here, the word “blackened” is associated with darkness. Later in the novel, Bradbury writes,” [The firemen] and their charcoal hair and soot-colored brows and bluish-ash-smeared cheeks…” (33). In this quote, the words “charcoal”, “soot-colored”, and “bluish-ash-smeared” all have to with darkness. In the first quote, the word blackened refers to the pages of books that have been burned. In the second quote, the words “charcoal”, “soot-colored”, and “bluish-ash-smeared” refer to the colors of the men that have been burning books. Because burning books is