Fahrenheit 451Miss Norris

The Story

In a future society, firemen set fires—to books.

Books are banned because they contain different ideas, which cause conflict.

People are consumed by television and entertainment, they do not think about life or the world.

Montag is a fireman, but meets a teenager named Clarisse who opens his mind to a possibility beyond this highly controlled society, and causes him to question everything he’s ever known…

My opinion

Good for a critical reading, lots of interesting metaphors and allusions—Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer, and the cultural influence of Cold War US is impossible to miss.

Probably wouldn’t have finished it if I was reading it for fun.

Target Audiences

Book censors

Technophiles

Young minds

Bans and Challenges

Ironically, this book about book banning has seen its share of banning itself:

Foxworth, Mississippi, 1999 – Removed from required reading list after parent contests use of “God damn”. (banned-books.com)

Conroe, Texas, 2006 – Challenged by student and parent for “the cussing in it and the burning of the Bible”. (Wrigley)

Bans and Challenges cont’d

YouTube.com

Should it be banned?

Important message that extends beyond the situation in the book.

Nothing graphic, vulgar or obscene.

I’d let my 6 year old cousin read it, and recommend it to teens.

Recommend it?

I think high school students should read this book as a reminder of the importance of questioning things and not being mindlessly complacent.

It’s also an excellent book to study for literary analysis or to compare with other books and films, and has an enjoyable story line.

Works Cited

"Mississippi School Bans Book on Censorship." Banned and Controversial Books. 1 Feb. 1999. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.banned-books.com/bbarticle-miss.html>.

Wrigley, Deborah. "Parent Files Complaint about Book Assigned as Student Reading." ABC Local. ABC, 3 Oct. 2006. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=4625303>.

“YouTube - Religious Nuts in Texas Seek to Ban Book about Book Banning!” YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. BI30, 3 Oct. 2006. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUq2d2OFRkk>.