Burning bright
Background and allusions
Burning Bright--the title of the chapter my derive from this William Blake poem full of fiery images
Myth of Icarus--how is Montag flying too close to the sun?
Ecclesiastes--Widely alluded to in literature, the book from the Old Testament is a meditation on the meaning of life
Revelations--The last book of the New Testament foretells the end of the world and the rebirth to follow
Phoenix--initially a symbol for the firemen in the book, it reclaims a truer meaning at the end of the book
Myth of Icarus--how is Montag flying too close to the sun?
Ecclesiastes--Widely alluded to in literature, the book from the Old Testament is a meditation on the meaning of life
Revelations--The last book of the New Testament foretells the end of the world and the rebirth to follow
Phoenix--initially a symbol for the firemen in the book, it reclaims a truer meaning at the end of the book
study questions
Use these questions to guide you as you read and annotate. Any of these, all, and more could be fodder for a test on the first day of class.
- How does Mildred show what she values?
- What is Beatty's concept of fire's purpose?
- What is Montag forced to do? How does he feel as he is doing it?
- How does Beatty taunt Montag?
- What does Montag mean when he says, "We never burned right..."?
- What challenges does Montag have to overcome after killing Beatty?
- Why does Montag think of Clarisse again?
- What plan does Montag execute?
- How does Faber help Montag?
- What attempt is made to capture Montag? What are the police trying for the first time?
- Why is it symbolic that Montag runs to the river?
- What does Montag imagine when he smells hay?
- What is new about the fire that Montag spots when he emerges from the river? How has it been transformed?
- Locate the sensory imagery in this section. Why does Bradbury have Montag rely so much on his senses as he leaves the city?
- Why is what the radio announcer says at the end of the chase ironic?
- What does Granger mean when he says "We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn't be here"?
- Why does Granger tell Montag about his grandfather?
- Describe what happens as the men break camp.
- Why do the men head back toward the city?
- What does Granger mean when he says the first thing they will do is "build a mirror factory...and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year"?
reaction prompts -- Not required!!!
The responses to these questions should be at least a page long, (about 500 words) typed (double-spaced in times new roman or arial 12 point type). A quality response will contain well developed thoughts and use specific examples to support thinking. It will be academic in nature (no text-speak and no use of the second person pronoun you) , carefully edited for clarity of thought, and free of spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes. If you need to see examples, there are several posted here. Please be authentic and write what YOU think, not what you think I want to see. Submit all reactions to the corresponding space on turnitin.com by Aug. 10, 2013 at 10 p.m.
- Response 7: Was it ethical, moral, or just for Montag to kill Beatty? What would you say if you had to defend Montag in court?
- Response 8: Granger speaks of his grandfather's philosophy and the small acts his grandfather undertook in his lifetime (148-151). How does his explanation compare with your ideas of what makes a life worth living?
- Response 9: How has Montag changed from the beginning of the book? What wisdom has he gained? Has the world changed? What will his role be in the new world?
- Response 10: What are your thoughts and opinions on the book as a whole? How has the experience of reading Fahrenheit451 impacted your thinking?
