copyright 1999, Sirpa Grierson

Contemporary Themes in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 http://www.napanet.net/~aripub/f451.htm Discusses the themes of censorship, entertainment, political correctness, and happiness. Task Two http://www.fsu.edu/~CandI/ENGLISH/webquest2/farenheit.htm This article gives examples of possible activities to perform with classes dealing with issues from Fahrenheit 451.  Writing activities are included for "strong beliefs" and "book banning." The Bill of Rights http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html This will provide easy access to the First Amendment (freedom of speech) so that it can be read to the students.    Symbolism of Hands McGiveron, Rafeeq O.  "Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451."  The Explicator 54 (1996) . 177-180.   Symbolism of hands is discussed.  Misguided hands are described as relaxed to express complacency.  Character's hand of those struggling to do right are described as tense to show the inner struggle. To Build a Mirror Factory:  The Mirror and Self-Examination in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 McGiveron, Rafeeq O.  "To Build a Mirror Factory:  The Mirror and Self-Examination in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451."  Critique 39.3  (1998) p. 282-287. This article discusses the "mirror factory" mentioned at the end of the book.  Society must take a hard look in the mirror and examine themselves to prevent self-destruction.   Back to Top Reading Activities (compiled by Brooke Nielson) |Pre-Reading | During Reading | Post-Reading | Pre Reading Ideas: 1. www.raybradbury.com/picture This website contains a clear picture of Ray Bradbury to show class. 2. www.raybradbury.com This website is the official site and as such contains many useful information about the life of Bradbury, interviews, and other personal information. 3.http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ray-bradbury/ This website contains both a personal bio and a text bio. Both of these sources will help students understand better how Bradbury’s personal history has affected his textual history and give them insight into the real Bradbury. 4. Brooke Nielson 2004/ Rachel Marshall, Mountainridge Jr. High. 2004. This activity will help students to decide what they think about certain issues pertaining to the book before we begin. This will give students an opportunity to gage their ideas before and after the novel 5. httm: www.sba.muohio.edu/snavely/415/thunder.htm This short story can be read as a pre-reading assignment to become familiar with Bradbury’s writing style. 6. http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/ This website contains access to the actual first amendment, historical information, and some interpretations. 7. School libraries will have various editions of the book, and I also found covers at www.ebay.com This activity will get kids thinking about the book and teach them how to read context clues from all types of media. 8. http://www.nsf.gov/nstw_questions/chem/quest001.htm This website contains information about the nature of fire. This can be used to raise the question – why fire? Why not something else? 9. Fahrenheit 451 book By reading the back cover students will get an idea of where the book is going. Students can predict the outcome of the novel using the information from the back cover. 10. Prometheus Bound, the book or excerpt from http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/prometheus.html, or http://classics.mit.edu/Aeschylus/prometheus.html By reading about Prometheus students can use their new contextual knowledge to critically read Fahrenheit 451 Back to Top During Reading Ideas 11.http://www.tvturnoff.org/images/facts&figs/factsheets/FactsFigs.pdf This link contains many interesting (and frightening)facts about television consumption in the US. and will help readers make text to self connections. (Mildred’s viewing habits sound similar to Americas viewing habits) 12. Brenda Woolstenhulme: Orem High school, 2004. Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and author bio. This text will enrich the reading as it is the poem Guy reads to his wife and her friends that makes them cry. 13. http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/Latimer,Ridley,Cranmer.htm This is the graphic story of Lord Ridley, mentioned on page of the text. This will serve as a text to world connection and help the students understand the allusion better. 14. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/451/OBJ.htm This vocabulary list will aid students in understanding characters and key objects unfamiliar to today’s world. 15. http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/index.html This website has information about the persecutions the first Bible Translators underwent. This can be used to promote a discussion on why books, religious texts especially, can be considered so dangerous. 16. http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/history/1988/video.htm This website contains a video clip of the first televised presidential debate in 1960. This will correlate with the idea in Fahrenheit 451 that government officials are elected by whose name sounds better, or other inconsequential things. (Some say that Kennedy won this elections because he made a better appearance and was more handsome) 17. Brooke Nielson, 2004 The activity will help students realize how different from our own society Guy Montag’s is. Students will introduce there own mixed up world through a chapter/introduction of their own. (this can be used in a longer writing unit later) 18. http://www.thehealthcenter.info/teen-depression/ This website has lots of information about depression that will help students make a connection between what Mildred is feeling and what many teens and adults feel on a regular basis. Book and Articles will promote discussion about possible causes. Back to Top Post Reading Activities 23. http://www.st-charles.lib.il.us/arl/booklists/bannedtoo.htm, http://libraries.luc.edu/about/exhibits/banned/index.shtml, http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/People/spok/most-banned.html These websites have lots of information about why books are banned, and who bans them. Students can see that the same mentality Ray Bradbury is protesting happens in the United States Today. 25. Mel Gibson’s Fahrenheit 451/ or other director This movie will be an effective follow up tool and allow students a different angle in which to critically view the novel 26. HollywoodInvestigator.com/Thomas M. Sipos, L.A. bureau chief [April, 22, 2002 This Website contains the arguments about Hollywood and science today made by Bradbury at a Barnes and Nobles book signing. This can help students understand his role in modern day society 27. http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/schools/erms/langarts/kelsey/terms.html This website is a GREAT resource for symbolism, imagery, allusion, etc. This can be used in many different ways. 28.http://www.uwm.edu/~abd/utopian.html, http://www.ar.utexas.edu/AV/Atkinson/lecture6/utopia1.htm, http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/mormtrl.htm These websites will have information about the ideas behind utopianism, and specific cases of utopian communities in history. 29. AUTHOR: DENIS HOLLIER TITLE: French Literary Fascism SOURCE: Raritan v16 p93-102 Summ '96 (BYU Wilson Full Text) This article contains a comparison between the attitudes of Guy Montag’s society towards books and Nazi sentiment towards books. This can serve as a powerful and real life tool to help students understand the mentality and militant behavior behind burning books. 30. TITLE: Books on Freedom SOURCE: Humanities 25 no4 33 Jl/Ag 2004 (BYU Wilson Full Text) This Website contains a list of similar thematic books that students can read if they especially enjoyed Fahrenheit 451. Back to Top

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Reading Resources and Unit Guide for this Novel