Fahrenheit 451

published in 1953
An Introduction
 The novel was written
by Ray Bradbury, a
celebrated science
fiction writer. It began
as a short story in 1951
and evolved into a
novel by 1953.
The novel was written a
time when the world
was threatened by
nuclear war, new
technologies were
emerging and the
world was getting
smaller.
Historical Context
World War II had ended only a few
years before
Threat of nuclear warfare loomed
Era of McCarthyism
Many Sci-Fi books and movies
reflected this fear
Lasting effects of WWII
Hitler has just been
defeated
During his power
reign he burned
many books
Soviet Union also
banned and burned
books
Communist China
also burned books
Threat of nuclear war and fear

Drills in schools, special bells, etc. that inspired fear

in all generations
McCarthyism
Questions about the
integrity of the
government
Movement where fear
of Communism was
wide-spread!
practice of making
accusations of
disloyalty,
subversion, or
treason without
proper regard for
evidence
Predict or Prevent?
Bradbury claimed he
was trying to prevent
the future.
He did foresee many
future developments:
Walkmans, earbuds,
big-screen and
interactive t.v., rise in
violence, growing
illiteracy, condensation
of info into sound
bites
 The world was going crazy!!!
As the 1950s and the Cold War
progressed Ray Bradbury saw the
government taking a great deal of
power over the people and this
worried him.
How could a government with
too much power be dangerous?
Ray Bradbury saw the world
changing quickly and
dangerously so this is why he
wrote Fahrenheit 451 to warn
people of what would happen if
society continued down what he
believed was a dangerous path.
 1945- fewer than
10,000 television
sets in the entire
United States
1950- More than
6 million in the
United States
1960- More than
60 million in the
United States
The Novel Fahrenheit 451
The novel was
written by Ray
Bradbury, a
celebrated science
fiction writer. It
began as a short
story in 1951 and
evolved into a
novel by 1953.
The Novel Fahrenheit 451
It is the 24th century.
Books are
considered
dangerous and
illegal. Nobody is
allowed to own them.
Most people are
happy being
plugged into their
technology, where
they do not have to
think too hard. All
books that are found
are burned.
Firefighters didnt stop fires
they started them
 The Novel
Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 is a type of DYSTOPIC novel.
That means it is about a future that is bleak, dark, and dreary.

The novel focuses on two central themes:

1. CENSORSHIP
2. IGNORANCE OF KNOWLEDGE
 CENSORSHIP:
is the suppression of speech
or deletion of
communicative material
which may be considered
objectionable, harmful,
sensitive, or inconvenient to
the government or media
organizations as determined
by a censor.

Why would something be

censored?
What are the dangers of
censorship?
 IGNORANCE OF
KNOWLEDGE:
Bradbury focuses
on the importance
of learning and
how it impacts
our ability to
make decisions.
He believes that
without the ability to
think about what
were doing, well
be led to do wrong.
Themes To Watch For
Individual self-
expression is
important.
Violence is self-
destructive.
Mindless pleasure
seeking and
materialism make for
an empty life.
Humanity should
preserve and value
the culture of the
past.
More Themes
Humanity has the
ability to be reborn or
revived.
In the wrong hands,
modern technology
can be dangerous.
Commercialism can
erode spiritual values.
People lose their
humanity when not
able to communicate
and interact with
each other on a
personal level.
Symbols To Investigate
Fire
Burning
Water
The salamander
The Mechanical
Hound
Titles of each
section