Fahrenheit 451 - Part 2

Part Two of Fahrenheit 451 is known as "The Sieve and the Sand", which refers to a memory from Guy's childhood. His cousin said he'd pay Guy a dime if he could get the sieve full of sand. Needless to say, Guy failed miserably. This section of the book is appropriately named. Like the sand in the sieve, Guy realises that his happiness along with the rest of his world's has been slipping away despite the world trying to fill everyone with happiness. No one can be happy if the world is "perfect"; it is just not how things work.

Montag was worried about understanding the meaning of the words in the books, especially the poetry, but I found that pretty silly. Even if you don't understand what was written, you should still be able to appreciate the rhythm and sound of the words as you read them. Good writers know that it's more than what you're trying to say that matters. It's how you say it. It's good that he wants to learn, but he shouldn't worry too much about it yet. If he can just enjoy it, the understanding will come later. Then, once he understands, he will be able to interpret it and form opinions. From those opinions, there will be thoughts. That is how the human mind works, but he just has not realized it yet.

On a different note, I feel really bad for the old man that Montag met with. He was alive when they started to burn the books and morph society. He lost his job because only one student signed up for his class on plays. I can't even imagine that. I also can't believe that he didn't speak up when all those events were just starting. Maybe if he had had the courage to say something, he would have inspired others and they could have fought against what was happening. This makes me a bit irritated with him, but I understand that sometimes people are just too timid. I, myself, tend to be timid when things are happening around me. Unfortunately, I believe that I would have been quiet as well if people started to burn books, even though I feel strongly against it.
I really enjoyed the last section of part two. "Why," Montag said slowly, "we've stopped in front of my house." That's just great. One of the ladies his wife had over must have turned him in because he read them poetry. A really great twist would be if the old man had reported Montag. I doubt the wife would have turned her husband in because she wouldn't want the firemen to burn down her parlor with its TV walls. I wonder if they'll find the books now that Montag stashed them outside. Lucky he moved them earlier before going to work. I will just have to see what happens, but I am really enjoying this novel. I can not wait to see what happens next!

Fahrenheit 451 - The End of Part One

I was quite surprised at the ending of part one. It is revealed that Guy Montag, loyal firefighter extraordinaire, had been hoarding books for a while now. Yay, him! Too bad they're going to burn his house down though. Unfortunately, it does not sound like he has actually read any of them yet. Even so, him having them is cause enough for burning. When it was stated earlier that he had some stuff hidden in his house, I was only expecting him to have one or two books hidden there- not twenty. What really surprises me is that the fire chief Beatty never noticed him stealing the books in the first place. I can see how one might have slipped under the radar, but twenty? You would think the fire chief would be a bit more observant. But who knows? Maybe the lack of thought in society, despite Beatty's intellegent nature, makes you less observant. It would make sense.

This entire world they live in just sounds awful. They got rid of books so people would not think anymore and could be happy? What about all the people whose whole life revolves around books? I am sure they were not happy with the change! It sounds to me that the people of that world just got lazy and stupid. What really struck me was the wife and her TV walls. She made her husband spend all that money just so she could "talk" with her "family". The sad thing is, she does not even know who they are or why they are fighting and angry at each other. It seems that they don't know that themselves. And the wife doesn't see a problem with this. She doesn't even realize that deep down, she's so unhappy that she would take her own life. The lives they live are just so useless and sad, it's not even funny.

I can't belive that Clarisse died. That just seemed so sudden and cruel on the author's part. She was the one who opened Montag's eyes to the way the world should be, and she won't even be around to see what happens because of that. It's really sad, but maybe her death is what might make him want to explore his thoughts more. I do not know, we'll see.

Fahrenheit 451 - First 40 Pages

I absolutely adore this book so far, despite its gloomy tone. Even though it is still the beginning of the book, I am already hooked. Guy is a realistic main character who you can actually picture walking down the street at night on his way home from work. Clarisse is pretty crazy, though in that teenager way. She is not actually our of her mind like everyone else seems to think.

Even though this book takes place in the future, it really sounds like it is describing our society today without the actual book burning. Clarisse points out to Guy that no one has time for anyone else. This is true in today's society, though maybe not as much as it is in theirs. Almost everyone nowadays prefers to communcate through text or facebook or something like that instead of either calling the person or communicating face to face. We are so wrapped up in our own lives that we fail to notice anyone else. The way things are going, it is only going to get worse. That is, unless we take the initiative now while we have the chance.

Not only do I love the content of this book, I love Ray Bradbury's writing style as well. He has such an amazing way with words so there is no confusion about what he is trying to convey to the reader. His phrases are also very poetic. In the beginning of the book he could have said, "The men smoking thier cigarettes wtih cold eyes took up their load of machinery and bag of used blood and left." Instead he said," And the men with the cigarettes in their straight-lined mouths, the men with the eyes of puff adders, took up their load of machinery and tube, their case of liquid melancholy and the slow dark sludge of nameless stuff, and strolled out the door." Liquid Melancholy??? You do not find many instances where an author can make the blood of a failed suicide attempt sound beautiful. To me, it seems like Ray Bradbury can make anything sound amazing. I am really looking forward to finishing this book.

Fahrenheit 451 - First Thoughts on the Novel

For once in my life, I find I am actually excited to read one the books required at school. I have been wanting to read Fahrenheit 451 for a very long time, but I never really got around to it. My sister said it was her favorite book to read during the summer going into her Junior year. I have read other stories by Ray bradbury and really enjoyed them. I think he has a firm grasp of what life is really like for the average person, and he has a beautiful way of communicating that.

Despite being excited to read this book, I'm also apprehensive. I haven't had the best of luck with the required reading before this point because I never enjoy reading them. I really hope that changes now.

I'm so glad this book is science-fiction and not about events that have already happened. If we had firemen today who burned books, I might just die. I'd probably be one of the people who secreted the illegal books away in a hole in the wall, only able to read in the dead of night when everyone else was asleep. It wouldn't last long though because I'm one of those people that can't keep a good book to herself. I would talk to people about the books I read and firemen like Guy Montag would come and burn my house down, books and all. I'd be locked up in prison without anything to read until I died from the sheer boredom of it all.

I think the thing that would scare me the most to live in a place like that would be that most of the people wouldn't know any better or different. Like in 1984, people would be rasied in an enviroinment where people didn't read books, they only burned them. They wouldn't even think to question it. It makes me wonder how corrupt their government would have to be in order to censor the poeple so much, and how blind the poeple would have to be to go along with it.

I'm sure I will really enjoy this book.

The Old Man and the Sea - The Sharks

Many people would overlook the sharks when thinking about the symbols in The Old Man and the Sea. The sharks first come to attack the marlin that the old man caught because it was bleeding and they could smell the blood (Hemingway 107). Santiago figured that the sharks would be coming at some point, so he tried to prepare for them. When the sharks first came and started attacking the marlin, Santiago used all of his might to try to kill them. As more and more sharks came up to the boat, the old man started to get tired. He was running out of supplies and ways to kill the sharks. Some of the sharks were harder to kill because of their position near the boat. The old man knew that striking the sharks in on the very tip of the head, close to the eyes, would rupture the skull and they would die (Hemingway 111).

I believe that the sharks in the story represent struggle and obstacles of life. The old man worked very hard to catch the marlin and when the sharks attacked it, he was devastated. He was mostly devastated because he had worked so hard to catch the marlin in the first place and bring him into the dock. The sharks were just another obstacle in life that the old man had to face. Even though sharks are dangerous and they were very hungry, the old man put all of his effort and all of his strength into killing the sharks. As the great marlin had less and less meat on him, the old man lost a lot of his hope. The sharks were the cause of his great loss of hope. Santiago greatly wished he could make it back to land and the sharks would not continue to follow. Every time a shark attacked, the fish bled more, which attracted more sharks. The old man overcame the sharks though, which also shows how people can overcome obstacles in their life. The sharks were a hidden meaning in the story because even though they were represented as evil, the old man built up an inner strength and defeated them in the end, just like we can do in our lives.

As I stated in my blog about the marlin, the fight with the marlin was a symbol for Santiago's fight for pride in his village. The sharks also serve as a symbol. I believe that they could represent the villagers in Santiago's town. Santiago talked in the beginning of the book about how the villagers thought lowly of him. They believed that he was unlucky, and Santiago started to believe it too. They did not believe he could catch anything anymore. When the sharks came, they threatened to crush Santiago's dream, just like the villagers did. They also threatened the fish's dream of escape. So, the sharks could basically symbolize the people in life who try to bring you down. They are the people you need to fight to overcome, just like Santiago tried to.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - Manolin

Even though he was hardly seen in the book, I feel that Manolin plays a very important part in how the book turned out. The boy helps give the old man hope, both at the beginning of the story and at the end. If it was not for the boy, why would the old man have gone through what he did? I think that the boy motivates the old man with his confidence, and the old man thinks of that and picks himself up.

I first noticed this in the beginning of the book. Until the boy start talking with Santiago, the tone is very depressing. The man is upset about his recent failures at fishing. When the old man and the boy get to talking, the tone starts to get brighter. It even says "His hope and his confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises." (Hemingway 13). The boy and his optimism make the old man more optimistic as well. This helps him greatly, because without the hopeful attitude of the boy, the old man probably would have given up on fishing, despite his love for it.

Later, when Santiago is having difficulties with the fish, he thinks that if the boy were with him he would help. He really loves the boy and thinks of him as a great help to him physically and mentally. After that, he thinks of how good it was that the fish jumped and that his hands were not really so bad (Hemingway 42). I do not think it is just a coincidence that the old man is more optimistic after thinking about the boy. The boy really seems to give the old man hope that he can achieve his goals. Just like how Manolin serves as the sunshine in Santiago's life, we can see that that the boy shows the old man how there is good in every situation.

In the end of the book, when the old man goes home, the first thing the he says is "they beat me." Despite this declaration of failure, at the end of the book, the old man is making plans to go fishing again (Hemingway 58-59). I believe that when he got home, he thought about how the boy would encourage him to continue. The boy's optimistic attitude and confidence in the old man helps give the old man more confidence in himself. Because of this, the old man is able to keep going and endure what he must even when things go badly. Manolin serves as a beacon of hope and confidence for the old man, and thats why he is so important to the story.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - The Marlin Symbolizes Inner Conflict??

The marlin has to be one of the most important characters in the book. Even though it is just a character in the story, I feel that it has a more broad meaning. The marlin serves somewhat of a symbolic purpose. Before I talk about that, though, I want to talk about what we do know about the marlin. In the end, we find that the marlin measures eighteen feet in length and Santiago is unable to pull him up into the boat. The marlin fights just as hard as the old man for the will to live and be free. He too is starving and becoming weak.  The marlin knows he is going to die, which is a pretty sad ending to a life.  The marlin was determined and never gave up until his final moments. Where have we seen this before? Right. In the old man. The old man and the marlin both gave equally good fights for their lives. The marlin wanted to live and was determined to fight for it. Santiago wanted to capture the fish for the self achievement and so that he could earn money and honor. Because both of them were so faithful to what they wanted, their efforts were equal, so for a long period of time there was no winner.

If you look at the marlin as if it was a symbol, you can see how he represents the conflict of the story. If you also notice how alike the marlin and the old man are, you can see that the fight with the marlin could represent an internal conflict for Santiago as well as an external one. As we read about in the beginning of the story, we learned that Santiago has been looked upon as an outdated old man who cannot catch a fish anymore. He has not been able to catch a fish for a long time, and the people around him (besides Manolin) believe that he is inadequate. This makes the man feel horrible about himself. When Santiago finally catches the marlin on his hook, he realizes that catching the fish is the only way he could prove the villagers wrong. As he fights to reel in the fish, he finds that he is fighting for his dignity and pride. He desperately wants to show everyone that he is not just an inadequate old coot that cannot fish anymore. Sadly, when he fails to bring back the fish in one piece, he feels that he has failed. He knew that he caught the fish, though, so he felt that he had beaten his inner conflict.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.