Fahrenheit 451: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

Aus ZUM-Unterrichten
(Auf Vorrat, für spätere Bearbeitung)
 
K (kat)
 
(47 dazwischenliegende Versionen von 9 Benutzern werden nicht angezeigt)
Zeile 1: Zeile 1:
==Utopian Novels - Anti-Utopias - Science Fiction==
==Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012)==
<pre>
===Utopia===
1. The word >utopia< is derived from the Greek and means  >no place< or >nowhere<


  It was the title of a book written by THOMAS MORE (~1515),
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury Ray Bradbury - life and works] - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  who later became Lord High Chancellor under Henry VIII (1529).
*[http://www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/ Ray Bradbury] "This site provides information about one of America's greatest storytellers"
  Later he was accused of high treason and decapitated in 1535.
*[http://www.raybradbury.com/ www.raybradbury.com] - Books | About Ray Bradbury | Message Boards | Newsletter | At Home with Ray | In His Words


  The subject of all Utopias is society, and it contains two
==Fahrenheit 451 (1953)==
  elements: the criticism of an actually existing society and
[[File:Fahrenheit451HUNcover.jpg|right|250px|Fahrenheit451HUNcover]]
            a model of a new and better one.
'''Synopsis and occasional summaries'''


  Because Utopia is >nowhere< to be found, the authors of Utopias
:<small>Page numbers refer to the Cornelsen edtion 1989</small>
  had to think of some tricks to deal with this paradox: Before
  the 19th century all Utopian societies were situated on far away
  islands which had not been discovered yet and whose position was
  kept a secret by those who had returned (to tell us about these
  fortunate but secret places). Later they were found on the moon
  or on other - hitherto untrodden - planets. These utopian
  societies were no future societies, they were described as
  already existing societies - but unfortunately situated in
  >nowhere-land<.


  Famous utopian novels:
====Part One: THE HEARTH AND THE SALAMANDER====
5  Famous first sentence: "It was a pleasure to burn ..."


  Thomas Morus: Utopia (1515)
6  Guy Montag, the main character, on his way home, meets a girl, his new neighbour, she`s 17 and a bit strange. She has such funny ideas about life. We learn about Montag, his strange profession and the world he lives in.
  Thomas Campanella: Civitas solis (1623)
  Francis Bacon: Nova Atlantis (1638)


  Jonathan Swift`s: Gulliver`s Travels (1726) is a mixture of  
12 M. enters his house, still puzzled by the girl, and finds his wife unconscious: she took an overdose of sleeping pills and M. has to call two men to reanimate her by applying machines - they do it in a business-like manner, they are used to these >suicides<.  
  social satire and utopian novel: In the parts 1 to 3 societies
  of dwarfs, giants or crazy scientists are described, they are  
  at war with other countries which makes Gulliver escape from
  their countries. Only the society of the Houyhnhnms /winimz/
  can be called utopian.
  It is noteworthy that these authors were no writers but
  high-ranking politicians (More) or clergymen (Campanella, Swift)
  or scientists (Bacon). There is no private property in these ideal
  societies, therefore no greed and no crime etc.- but there may
  still be slaves (as in More`s >Utopia<) or some inferior
  creatures    such as the `Yahoos` in Swift`s society of the noble
  horses. These    Yahoos are human beings, but morally and
  physically they are more    like monkeys and therefore inferior
  from a biological point of    view, too (satire again!)
                        Not to forget a German author:
  Johannes Gottfried Schnabel: Die Insel Felsenburg (1731 - 43)


  William Morris: News from Nowhere (1891)
19 Mildred doesn`t remember at all what had happened to her: she is addicted to her three-wall-TV (`the parlor`), from which people (`relatives`) talk to her and give her instructions etc.


===Anti-Utopian Novels===
22 another meeting with the mad girl Clarissa McLellan: she is a complete outsider in this society, regularly visiting a psychologist. Montag is puzzled: Who is this `uncle` of hers? How do they live? How do they spend their evenings?


In the 20th century a number of novels have been written
25 Back at work M. is worried by the behaviour of the >mechanical hound<, a dog-like machine which can be programmed on the >amino acids< of every living being. The machine is acting hostile and M. wonders if anyone had done anything to its programme.
  describing societies which claim to be perfect. Because there
  aren`t any unknown islands left and the moon definitely
  uninhabited - these societies have to be situated not in space
  but in time: Either in the future (>1984<) or way back in the
  past (e.g. H.G.Well`s: Time Machine 1895). But these societies
  can hardly be called utopian, and these novels have therefore
  been classified as �-1Anti-Utopian Novels�-0. Their aims are
      to criticize existing societies by
      imagining what they will turn into
      if things continue as they are!


Famous (or interesting) novels of this kind:
29 He meets the girl again and the irritation continues
  Jack London: The Iron Heel (~1905)
  Yevgeny Zamyatin: We  (1920)
  Aldous Huxley: Brave New World (1932)
  George Orwell: Animal Farm (1944)
      "        : 1984        (1948)
  Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles (1946)
      "        : Fahrenheit 451 (1951)


  In these novels the future societies have more or less locigally
32 The girl doesn't show up again and M. is worried. He misses her and his "routine has been disturbed"(33)
  developed out of present societies. Certain aspects and
  tendencies of comtemporary society are >extrapolated< and
  transferred to the new society; but now they have become the
  dominant factors! Which elements of modern society are
  considered responsible for the disaster?
  - men`s desire to possess and knowledge and power, which leads
    to some kind of dictatorship!
  - men`s unrestrained ambitions and lack of self-control
  - the simple-mindedness of the majority, their desire for
    being manipulated and tranquilized
  - the availability of scientific and technological means for all
    purposes - good and bad!
  - the complexity of technology and the difficulties of keeping it
    under control
===Science Fiction===


Here we have arrived at what is called >Science Fiction<.  In
  the whole    genre of Science Fiction we come across science and
  technology. Good SF - as I understand it - is an intellectual
  experiment dealing with the question >What would happen, if...<.
  And this is no doubt a question worth contemplating. But unlike
  in Utopian or Anti-Utopian novels the SF-author`s  ambition is
  not to device new societies, but to question man`s  attitude
  towards the machines he has invented. Furthermore the  aims of
  these inventions and the blessings of science in general  are
  questioned. And eventually the limitations of man`s power  are
  exposed.
  To give an example: In Mary Shelley`s >Frankenstein or the
  Modern Prometheus< (1818) an ambitious and gifted scientist,
  Dr.Frankenstein, is building and animating a human being, which
  is meant to be a perfect creature. But unfortunately the result
  is not perfect at all and instead of being loved it is loathed
  by everybody. Thus the end of the experiment is disastrous.
  The "modern Prometheus"  may technically be able to create human
  beings, but he lacks the intellectual and moral greatness for
  such skills. Therefore he  will necessarily become victim to
  these ambitions.... or - as it  is the case in other SF-novels -
  accept the limitations of his knowledge. This I think is the
  basic idea in Stanislaw Lem`s novels (e.g.>Solaris<). Or take
  Arthur C. Clarke`s >Space Odyssee 2001<, where the most advanced
  computer starts to develop his own ideas on what the spaceship`s
  mission is about. And the one surviving astronaut is reduced to
  a newborn child floating through the incomprehensible universe.
  To me SF is good and worth while reading as long as its aim is
  to help us understand the dangers and risks of a society which
  is - more than ever - characterized by scienctific and
  technological  processes and mass movements. Thus the scholars
  of the 16th century could device utopian societies - no
  property, no religion, no kings - but they could not write SF!
  And the authors of the 19th century could write enthusiastic
  adventure stories on  moon-rockets, submarines and speed - like
  Jules Verne - but they    could not write SF either!
  So to conclude, SF does not necessarily mean fantastic
  spaceships, ugly creatures from other planets or crazy
  scientists!
</pre>
==Fahrenheit 451 (1953)==
<pre>
<pre>
Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander


5.  "It was a pleasure to burn ..."
    THE SETTING:                                                       
6  Guy Montag, the main character, is on his way home, meets a girl, his new neighbour, she`s 17 and a bit strange.
    ------------                                                       
   She has such funny ideas about life. We learn about Montag, his strange profession and the world he lives in.
  WHEN? In the 23rd century                                           
  WHERE? In a future society                                           
  WHO? Montag - a fireman (30) whose job it is to burn books           
      Beatty - the captain of the fire brigade and Montag's boss                         
      Clarissa Mclellan - an excentric young girl (romantic & unsocial)
      Mildred - Montag`s wife: addicted to three-dimensional TV         
                having just tried to commit suicide                     
      The Mechanical Hound - a dog-shaped killing machine able to trace 
                            its victims by sensing their biogenetic code    
  ATMOSPHERE?
                                                       
</pre>


12 M. enters his house, still puzzled by the girl
36 Alarm at the firehouse and the brigade is in action: In some of these old houses books are suspected and they are off to burn them: But something`s different today - the owner of the house, an old lady is still there, she has not been transported by the police in order to be out of the way when the firemen come. Her presence confuses the firemen: She is not willing to leave the place and eventually sets fire to the house, the books and herself. The firemen are irritated, most of all M.


13 he finds his wife unconscious: she took an overdose of sleeping
41 He comes home - a book hidden under his overall. He contemplates his relationship towards his wife, their unability to communicate, Mildred`s empty life etc. He`s married to a stranger.
  pills and M. has to call


15 two men to reanimate her by applying two machines - they do it
48 Chills and fever in the morning, he doesn`t go to work. His wife doesn`t understand the horror of yesterday`s experience, the burning woman, the fascination of books
  in a business-like manner, they are use to these >suicides<
  Mildred is saved but still the old person


19 Mildred doesn`t remember at all what had happened to her: she is
52 Captain Beatty is visiting him: He has an understanding for the crisis his man is in and he gives him a `lecture` on the history and the importance of the firemen. It is also a history of mankind`s intellectual decay - people want to gain their peace of mind and don`t want to be troubled and bothered with the manifold and conflicting opinions of all those who believe they know better. All these minorities, all these quarrels, all these uncertainties - they cause unrest and hostilities, but people want to be entertained and not worried. Thus, burn the books! But Montag has a book hidden under his pillow and while Beatty is talking, his wife finds it - stunned with surprise and horror. When Beatty is gone, Montag reveals his secret: He has gathered about 20 books and is now going to read them to found out about that. The first sentence that reads is from Swift`s Guliver.
  kind of addicted to her three-wall-TV (`the parlor`), from which
  people (`relatives`) talk to her and give her instructions etc.
 
22 another meeting with the mad girl Clarissa McLellan: she is a
  complete outsider in this society, regularly visiting a
  psychologist and irritating her teachers. Montag is irritated
  too: Who is this `uncle` of hers? How do they live? How do they
  spend their evenings?
 
25 Back at work M. is worried by the behaviour of the >mechanical
  hound<, a dog-like machine which can be programmed on the >amino
  acids< of every living being. The machine is acting hostile and
  M. wonders if anyone had done anything to its programme.
 
29 He meets the girl again and the irritations continue
 
32 The girl doesn't turn up again and M. is worried. He misses her
  and his "routine has been disturbed"(33)


<pre>
'''SHORT CULTURAL HISTORY OF MANKIND - according to Captain Beatty


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
19th century: culture (=books) for only few people who could
|  THE SETTING:                                                    |
|  ------------                                                    |
|WHEN? In the 23rd century                                          |
|WHERE? In a future society                                          |
|WHO? Montag - a fireman (30) whose job it is to burn books          |
|  Beatty - the captain of the fire brigade                        |
|  Clarissa Mclellan - an excentric young girl (romantic & unsocial)|
|  Mildred - Montag`s wife: addicted to three-dimensional TV        |
|            having just tried to commit suicide                    |
|  The Mechanial Hound - a dog-shaped killing machine able to trace |
|                      its victims by sensing their biogenetic code |
|ATMOSPHERE?                                                        |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
36 Alarm at the firehouse and the brigade is in action: In some of
  these old houses books are suspected and they are off to burn
  them: But something`s different today - the owner of the house,
  an old lady is still there, she has not been transported by the
  police in order to be out of the way when the firemen come. Her
  presence confuses the firemen: She is not willing to leave the
  place and eventually sets fire to the house, the books and
  herself.The firemen are depressed, most of all M.
 
41 He comes home - a book hidden under his overall. He contemplates
  his relationsship towards his wife, their unability to
  communicate, Mildred`s empty life etc. He`s married to a
  stranger.
 
48 Chills and fever in the morning, he doesn`t go to work.
  His wife doesn`t understand the horror of yesterday`s
  experience, the burning woman, the fascination of books
 
52 Captain Beatty is visiting him: He has an understanding for the
  crisis his man is in and he gives him a `lecture` on the history
  and the importance of the firemen. It is also a history of
  mankind`s intellectual decay - people want to gain their peace
  of mind and don`t want to be troubled and bothered with the
  manifold and conflicting opinions of all those who believe they
  know better. All these minorities, all these quarrels, all these
  uncertainties - they cause unrest and hostilities, but people
  want to be entertained and not worried. Thus, burn the books!
 
  But Montag has a book hidden under his pillow and while Beatty
  is talking, his wife finds it - stunned with surprise and
  horror. When Beatty is gone, Montag reveals his secret: He has
  gathered about 20 books and is now going to read them to found
  out about that. The first sentence that reads is from Swift`s
  Guliver.
 
'''SHORT CULTURAL HISTORY OF MANKIND �- according ot Captain Beatty
 
19 th century: culture (=books) for only few people who could
               afford to be different
               afford to be different
               "the world was roomy", everything was "slow motion"
               "the world was roomy", everything was "slow motion"


20 th century: "Things (= TV, radio, movies) began to have mass"
20th century: "Things (= TV, radio, movies) began to have mass"
               "The world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths"
               "The world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths"
               "Speed up the cameras"
               "Speed up the cameras"


21 th century:
21th century:
       etc      1. books cut shorter, classics reduced to the
       etc      1. books cut shorter, classics reduced to the
                   punch line
                   punch line
Zeile 242: Zeile 79:
                   Therefore: BURN THE BOOKS!  HAIL TO THE FIREMAN -
                   Therefore: BURN THE BOOKS!  HAIL TO THE FIREMAN -
                         "the custodian of our peace of mind"(p58)
                         "the custodian of our peace of mind"(p58)
</pre>
====Part Two: THE SIEVE AND THE SAND====


68  Montag starts reading like in a fever, but outside the house he senses the sniff of an electric dog. Here are the books, but where to find a teacher? Montag remembers an old man he met a year ago, a former English professor who was memorizing poetry, his name was FABER.


Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand
78  This is Faber`s message: Books aren`t the most important things in life but they contain three things which can enhance life:
--------
68  Montag starts reading like in a fever (outside the house he
    senses the sniff of an electric dog) - here are the books, but
    where to find a teacher?
72  Montag remembers an old man he met a year ago, a former English
    professor who was memorizing poetry, his name was FABER. He has
    kept his address and drives to his house, reading the bible in
    the subway.
78  This is Faber`s message: Books aren`t the most important things
    in life but they contain three things which can enhance life:
      1. Quality: Books show the pores in the face of life, not the
      poreless wax faces. 2. Leisure: you can shut a book and
      contemplate its contents, you can criticize and object to it.
      3. Action: the right to act according to what you have
      gained.


    Montag has an `insidious` plan: plant books in the firehouses
:1. Quality: Books show the pores in the face of life, not the poreless wax faces.
    and have them burnt one by one. But to Faber that would just be
:2. Leisure: you can shut a book and contemplate its contents, you can criticize and object to it.
    `nibbling the edges`. He recommends patience, the system will
:3. Action: the right to act according to what you have gained.
    destroy itself, it will be a victim of his wars. Faber has
    deviced a little instrument which to put into one`s ear: Thus
    you can monitor and communicate ate the same time, with Faber
    being the head quarter (The Queen Bee and the drones). This
    will help M. when he has to face the Captain.


89  The war is getting ready that night - propaganda everywhere -
Montag has an `insidious` plan: plant books in the firehouses and have them burnt one by one. But to Faber that would just be `nibbling the edges`. He recommends patience, the system will destroy itself, it will be a victim of his wars. Faber has deviced a little instrument which to put into one`s ear: Thus you can monitor and communicate at the same time, with Faber being the head quarter (The Queen Bee and the drones). This will help M. when he has to face the Captain.
    while M. is on his way home. Faber is reading the Book of Job.


91 Eating supper at home M. switches the parlor off and initiates a
89  The war is getting ready that night - propaganda everywhere - while M. is on his way home. Faber is reading the ''Book of Job'' (Bible).
    conversation with Mildreds friends: About the war ("always
 
    someone else`s husband dies"), about having or not having any
91 Eating supper at home M. switches the parlor off and initiates a conversation with Mildred's friends: About the war ("always someone else`s husband dies"), about having or not having any children, about the last election - it infuriates M. so much that he frightens them out of their wits by showing a book of poetry. But that was a stupid thing to do (Faber!), so he has to turn it into a joke (once a year a fireman is allowed to ...) and starts reciting >Dover Beach< (by William Wordsworth) which moves one of the ladies to tears. Nevertheless - he has made a fool of himself.
    children, about the last election - it infuriates M. so much
    that he frightens them out of their wits by showing a book of
    poetry. But that was a stupid thing to do (Faber!), so he has
    to turn it into a joke (once a year a fireman is allowed to ...)
    and starts reciting >Dover Beach< which moves one of the ladies
    to tears. Nevertheless - he has made a fool of himself.


100 On his way to the Captain M. and F. talk things over.
100 On his way to the Captain M. and F. talk things over.
102 He hands the book over to Beatty and is welcomed back ("the
    sheep returns to the fold")- but B. is trying to provoke and
    confuse M.  while Faber is working hard to keep Montag from
    reacting - eventually the alarm bell rings, they drive off
    until they stop in front of Montag`s house.


102 He hands the book over to Beatty and is welcomed back ("the sheep returns to the fold")- but B. is trying to provoke and confuse M. while Faber is working hard to keep Montag from reacting - eventually the alarm bell rings, they drive off until they stop in front of Montag`s house.
====Part Three: BURNING BRIGHT====
108 Montag sees his wife leaving the house in haste carrying her belongings in suitcase. She doesn`t respond to him. Beatty`s dark sarcasm is spilling over and M. hears Faber`s voice in his ear. M. is given the flame-thrower to do the job himself, and he destroys his house - the parlor - with some satisfaction.
112 But then he loses his earphone and Beatty opicks it up. Montag seems lost now, but he`s acting quickly: With the flame-thrower he burns the captain to char-coal and the Mechanical Hound, too. But his leg is stung by the dog. He stumbles along the alley.
116 He limps back to the burned ruins to rescue a few books and on again with this aching leg. He suddenly realizes that Beatty must have wanted to die. In his pocket he finds the seashell-radio and hears the police warnings. He is heading towards Faber`s house, two dozens of helicopters swarming like butterflies in the air.
119 "War has been declared..."
123 He plants his books in the house of his colleague-fireman Black and informs the fire brigade
124 He arrives at Faber`s house: Faber advises him to look for one of the still existing hobo camps beyond the rusting railway tracks. On TV they watch the hunt which is broadcast in full length. A new Mechanical Hound is sent on M.s trails. Wouldn`t he make a good TV appearance?


Part Three: Burning Bright
130 They say good-bye and he`s on the run again. It`s a race against the Hound, the TV and the million of watchers who are told now to  watch out for him. But he reaches the river, changes his clothes  for Faber`s and starts swimming. He floats upon the river into another world, meditating the new experience. He steps into the vast darkness, sensing a pair of eyes which disappear again - the Hound?
----------
108 Montag sees his wife leaving the house in haste carrying her
    belongings in suitcase. She doesn`t respond to him. Beatty`s
    dark sarcasm is spilling over and M. hears Faber`s voice in his
    ear.
    M. is given the flame-thrower to do the job himself, and he
    destroys his house - the parlor - with some satisfaction.
112 But then he loses his earphone and Beatty opicks it up. Montag
    seems lost now, but he`s acting quickly: With the flame-thrower
    he burns the captain to char-coal and the Mechanical Hound,
    too. But his leg is stung by the dog. He stumbles along the
    alley    .


116 He limps back to the burned ruins to rescue a few books and on
139 He walks on until he sees the fire ahead with five old men sitting by and talking - they welcome him and know his name. They watch the chase on a portable TV, it is still on, and they see an innocent person caught and killed - the show is perfect, suspense, long shot, the camera falling on the victim, shouting, snap-ending, blackout - silence. The old men are "old Harvard degrees" who all represent the book they know by heart - the classics of world literature. They too are living without books, they are the books. They are parts of a loose organisation - a quiet conspiracy - waiting for the end of  the war and for the times their knowledge will be needed again.
    again with this aching leg. He suddenly realizes that Beatty
    must have wanted to die. In his pocket he finds the
    seashell-radio and hears the police warnings. He is heading
    towards Faber`s house, two dozens of helicopters swarming like
    butterflies in the air.
119 "War has been declared..."He has to cross a street and is almost


    run over by one of these beetle-cars, which drive at 150 mph
151  Next morning the war starts and is over in a few seconds. The city is destroyed by bombers. They lie on the ground, covered with dust and earth - and after a while they recover and start their daily routine of making fire and getting food ready. The symbol of the Phoenix is conjured up - and as they walk towards the destroyed city, Montag remembers the Book of Revelation.
123 He plants his books in the house of his coleague-fireman Black
    and informs the fire brigade
124 He arrives at Faber`s house: Faber advises him to look for one
    of the still existing hobo camps beyond the rusting railway
    tracks.
    On TV they watch the hunt as it is broadcast in full length. A
    new Mechanical Hound is sent on M.s trails. Wouldn`t he make a
    good TV appearance?
130They say good-bye and he`s on the run again. It`s a race against
    the Hound, the TV and the million of watchers who are told now
    to  watch out for him. But he reaches the river, changes his
    clothes  for Faber`s and starts swimming.
133 As the Hound and the helicopters arrive they have lost the
    track.
    Montag floats upon the river into another world, meditating the
    new experience. He steps into the vast darkness, sensing a pair
    of eyes which disappear again - the Hound?
139 He walks on until he sees the fire ahead with five old men
    sitting by and talking - they welcome him and know his name.
    They watch the chase on a portable TV, it is still on, and they
    see an innocent person caught and killed - the show is perfect,
    suspense, long shot, the camera falling on the victim, shouting,
    snap-ending, blackout - silence.
    The old men are "old Harvard degrees" who all represent the book
    they know by heart - the classics of world literature. They too
    are living without books, they are the books. They are parts of
    a loose organisation - a quiet conspiracy - waiting for the end
    of  the war and for the times their knowledge will be needed
    again.


151  The next morning the war starts and is over in a few seconds.
==For further reading==
The city is destroyed by bombers. They lie on the ground, covered with
 
dust and earth - and after a while they recover and start their daily
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451_%281966_film%29 In 1966 ''Fahrenheit 451'' - the film] - was released: written and directed by François Truffaut and starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.
routine of making fire and getting food ready. The symbol of the
 
Phoenix is conjured up - and as they walk towards the destroyed city,
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_9/11 Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11]
Montag remembers the Book of Revelation.
 
</pre>
:"a controversial, award-winning documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore that presents a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the "War on Terrorism", and its coverage in the American news media. The film holds the record for highest box office receipts by a general release documentary." (quoted from en.wikipedia.org)
:It was reported that Bradbury was extremely upset with filmmaker Michael Moore for using this title.
 
*[http://deutschstunden.de/Links/127 Fahrenheit 451: Linksammlung zu Online-Materialien]
 
==See also==
 
*[[Utopia - Dystopia - Science Fiction]] im Englischunterricht
*[[Dave Eggers: Der Circle|Der Circle]]
*[[Bücher|Bücher - Books]]
 
[[Kategorie:Literatur (Englisch)]]
[[Kategorie:Englisch]]

Aktuelle Version vom 17. Dezember 2021, 09:51 Uhr

Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012)

Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

Fahrenheit451HUNcover

Synopsis and occasional summaries

Page numbers refer to the Cornelsen edtion 1989

Part One: THE HEARTH AND THE SALAMANDER

5 Famous first sentence: "It was a pleasure to burn ..."

6 Guy Montag, the main character, on his way home, meets a girl, his new neighbour, she`s 17 and a bit strange. She has such funny ideas about life. We learn about Montag, his strange profession and the world he lives in.

12 M. enters his house, still puzzled by the girl, and finds his wife unconscious: she took an overdose of sleeping pills and M. has to call two men to reanimate her by applying machines - they do it in a business-like manner, they are used to these >suicides<.

19 Mildred doesn`t remember at all what had happened to her: she is addicted to her three-wall-TV (`the parlor`), from which people (`relatives`) talk to her and give her instructions etc.

22 another meeting with the mad girl Clarissa McLellan: she is a complete outsider in this society, regularly visiting a psychologist. Montag is puzzled: Who is this `uncle` of hers? How do they live? How do they spend their evenings?

25 Back at work M. is worried by the behaviour of the >mechanical hound<, a dog-like machine which can be programmed on the >amino acids< of every living being. The machine is acting hostile and M. wonders if anyone had done anything to its programme.

29 He meets the girl again and the irritation continues

32 The girl doesn't show up again and M. is worried. He misses her and his "routine has been disturbed"(33) 


     THE SETTING:                                                        
     ------------                                                        
   WHEN? In the 23rd century                                             
   WHERE? In a future society                                            
   WHO? Montag - a fireman (30) whose job it is to burn books            
      Beatty - the captain of the fire brigade and Montag's boss                          
      Clarissa Mclellan - an excentric young girl (romantic & unsocial)
      Mildred - Montag`s wife: addicted to three-dimensional TV          
                having just tried to commit suicide                      
      The Mechanical Hound - a dog-shaped killing machine able to trace  
                             its victims by sensing their biogenetic code    
   ATMOSPHERE?

36 Alarm at the firehouse and the brigade is in action: In some of these old houses books are suspected and they are off to burn them: But something`s different today - the owner of the house, an old lady is still there, she has not been transported by the police in order to be out of the way when the firemen come. Her presence confuses the firemen: She is not willing to leave the place and eventually sets fire to the house, the books and herself. The firemen are irritated, most of all M.

41 He comes home - a book hidden under his overall. He contemplates his relationship towards his wife, their unability to communicate, Mildred`s empty life etc. He`s married to a stranger.

48 Chills and fever in the morning, he doesn`t go to work. His wife doesn`t understand the horror of yesterday`s experience, the burning woman, the fascination of books

52 Captain Beatty is visiting him: He has an understanding for the crisis his man is in and he gives him a `lecture` on the history and the importance of the firemen. It is also a history of mankind`s intellectual decay - people want to gain their peace of mind and don`t want to be troubled and bothered with the manifold and conflicting opinions of all those who believe they know better. All these minorities, all these quarrels, all these uncertainties - they cause unrest and hostilities, but people want to be entertained and not worried. Thus, burn the books! But Montag has a book hidden under his pillow and while Beatty is talking, his wife finds it - stunned with surprise and horror. When Beatty is gone, Montag reveals his secret: He has gathered about 20 books and is now going to read them to found out about that. The first sentence that reads is from Swift`s Guliver. 

'''SHORT CULTURAL HISTORY OF MANKIND - according to Captain Beatty

19th century: culture (=books) for only few people who could
               afford to be different
               "the world was roomy", everything was "slow motion"

20th century: "Things (= TV, radio, movies) began to have mass"
               "The world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths"
               "Speed up the cameras"

21th century:
      etc      1. books cut shorter, classics reduced to the
                  punch line
               2. school is shortened (no philosophy, no histories
                  no languages)
               3. skills (=pressing a button) instead of knowledge
                  Knowhow instead of know why
               4. entertainment instead of information (sports etc)
               5. uniformity instead of diversity (people dislike
                  everything unfamiliar or intellectual)
               6. Keep the minorities down


                  Therefore: BURN THE BOOKS!  HAIL TO THE FIREMAN -
                         "the custodian of our peace of mind"(p58)

Part Two: THE SIEVE AND THE SAND

68 Montag starts reading like in a fever, but outside the house he senses the sniff of an electric dog. Here are the books, but where to find a teacher? Montag remembers an old man he met a year ago, a former English professor who was memorizing poetry, his name was FABER.

78 This is Faber`s message: Books aren`t the most important things in life but they contain three things which can enhance life:

1. Quality: Books show the pores in the face of life, not the poreless wax faces.
2. Leisure: you can shut a book and contemplate its contents, you can criticize and object to it.
3. Action: the right to act according to what you have gained.

Montag has an `insidious` plan: plant books in the firehouses and have them burnt one by one. But to Faber that would just be `nibbling the edges`. He recommends patience, the system will destroy itself, it will be a victim of his wars. Faber has deviced a little instrument which to put into one`s ear: Thus you can monitor and communicate at the same time, with Faber being the head quarter (The Queen Bee and the drones). This will help M. when he has to face the Captain.

89 The war is getting ready that night - propaganda everywhere - while M. is on his way home. Faber is reading the Book of Job (Bible).

91 Eating supper at home M. switches the parlor off and initiates a conversation with Mildred's friends: About the war ("always someone else`s husband dies"), about having or not having any children, about the last election - it infuriates M. so much that he frightens them out of their wits by showing a book of poetry. But that was a stupid thing to do (Faber!), so he has to turn it into a joke (once a year a fireman is allowed to ...) and starts reciting >Dover Beach< (by William Wordsworth) which moves one of the ladies to tears. Nevertheless - he has made a fool of himself.

100 On his way to the Captain M. and F. talk things over.

102 He hands the book over to Beatty and is welcomed back ("the sheep returns to the fold")- but B. is trying to provoke and confuse M. while Faber is working hard to keep Montag from reacting - eventually the alarm bell rings, they drive off until they stop in front of Montag`s house.


Part Three: BURNING BRIGHT

108 Montag sees his wife leaving the house in haste carrying her belongings in suitcase. She doesn`t respond to him. Beatty`s dark sarcasm is spilling over and M. hears Faber`s voice in his ear. M. is given the flame-thrower to do the job himself, and he destroys his house - the parlor - with some satisfaction.

112 But then he loses his earphone and Beatty opicks it up. Montag seems lost now, but he`s acting quickly: With the flame-thrower he burns the captain to char-coal and the Mechanical Hound, too. But his leg is stung by the dog. He stumbles along the alley.

116 He limps back to the burned ruins to rescue a few books and on again with this aching leg. He suddenly realizes that Beatty must have wanted to die. In his pocket he finds the seashell-radio and hears the police warnings. He is heading towards Faber`s house, two dozens of helicopters swarming like butterflies in the air.

119 "War has been declared..."

123 He plants his books in the house of his colleague-fireman Black and informs the fire brigade

124 He arrives at Faber`s house: Faber advises him to look for one of the still existing hobo camps beyond the rusting railway tracks. On TV they watch the hunt which is broadcast in full length. A new Mechanical Hound is sent on M.s trails. Wouldn`t he make a good TV appearance?

130 They say good-bye and he`s on the run again. It`s a race against the Hound, the TV and the million of watchers who are told now to watch out for him. But he reaches the river, changes his clothes for Faber`s and starts swimming. He floats upon the river into another world, meditating the new experience. He steps into the vast darkness, sensing a pair of eyes which disappear again - the Hound?

139 He walks on until he sees the fire ahead with five old men sitting by and talking - they welcome him and know his name. They watch the chase on a portable TV, it is still on, and they see an innocent person caught and killed - the show is perfect, suspense, long shot, the camera falling on the victim, shouting, snap-ending, blackout - silence. The old men are "old Harvard degrees" who all represent the book they know by heart - the classics of world literature. They too are living without books, they are the books. They are parts of a loose organisation - a quiet conspiracy - waiting for the end of the war and for the times their knowledge will be needed again.

151 Next morning the war starts and is over in a few seconds. The city is destroyed by bombers. They lie on the ground, covered with dust and earth - and after a while they recover and start their daily routine of making fire and getting food ready. The symbol of the Phoenix is conjured up - and as they walk towards the destroyed city, Montag remembers the Book of Revelation.

For further reading

"a controversial, award-winning documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore that presents a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the "War on Terrorism", and its coverage in the American news media. The film holds the record for highest box office receipts by a general release documentary." (quoted from en.wikipedia.org)
It was reported that Bradbury was extremely upset with filmmaker Michael Moore for using this title.

See also

Abgerufen von „https://unterrichten.zum.de/index.php?title=Fahrenheit_451&oldid=122522“