The first pages of assigned reading are always the most challenging as we "get used to" an author's writing style and work to figure out what the author's purpose in writing truly is.You were assigned pages 7-22, some of you up to page 30. We have started to look at point of view, characters, sentence patterns and the diction of nouns, pronouns and adjectives.
In your comments, each of you is to contribute one question and one prediction. You all have the advantage of reading other Ray Bradbury stories, so you have an idea what to expect.
- Ask clarifying questions about characters, events, figurative/poetic language, futuristic objects/machines...
- Ask questions about the weirdness of firemen starting fires and how the McClellan family has decided to remain so traditional.
- Predict what will happen to Montag, Mildred, Clarisse, her family...and the future
What happened to Mildred? Why did the emergency people come see her and what exactly were they doing, draining and replacing her blood? I predict that Clarisse and Montag will start a daily routine of walking home together after Montag gets home from work and they'll get to know each other and we will find out why they burn books in the story.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I think the empty pill bottle on the floor that was full in the morning points toward an overdose, intentional overdose because it was so many pills. And, it happened before. Somehow, Mildred is very unhappy or very ill and we don't know which yet because she hasn't said anything to us yet.
DeleteWhy was Clarisse told to say she was 16 and insane? What makes society so fast paced? I predict that Montag will find his true happiness and that he and Clarisse will read the books the he's supposed to burn.
ReplyDelete16 and insane reminds me of what "sophomore" means, and that her uncle understands what it means to be young.
DeleteWhy and what made Clarisse so curious, and so knowledgable about the past? Why do firemen burn books, what happened in the past that they lied about it in the future? I predict that something bad happens to Clarisse, like arrested with her family, so that Montag gets angry and starts reading the books, and rebels against the government, but someone still gets hurt in the end.
ReplyDeleteClarisse has a family that values the past and sometimes, children adopt family values rather than reject them. They are new neighbors to Montag--why do you think they may have moved?
DeleteSee my reply to Jhen... somehow books were dangerous or someone powerful threatened people to get rid of books, or it was so long ago no one really remembers and the law is just there... not sure yet.
DeleteWhy did Bradbury introduce Clarisse before Mildred? What happened to the society that caused firefighters to burn books? I predict that Clarisse will help montag burn books and they will become really close.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it is because Clarisse is more important than Mildred, Jhen. Or because Bradbury expected young readers to read this book and he wanted a hopeful, fresh character. What do you think?
DeleteI would want to destroy something that was dangerous, the way we gather hazardous waste or destroy old medicine. What was so dangerous about books, I wonder--they are just words on paper, aren't they?
Is Montag comparing the people and objects to rain drops and disposable tissues on page 21, and if so why?
ReplyDeleteWhy does Clarisse keep asking Montag questions?
When Montag thinks,"How rarely did other people's faces take you and throw back to your own innermost trembling thought," on page 15, what does he mean?
I can predict that Clarisse and her family with have to except the new laws and way of life in their present day, instead of living in the past.
Montag is listening to a man in Clarisse's house make the comparison, Alexis. The comparison is between people and tissues--sometimes we use them and throw them away--not literally, but people do use each other and move on sometimes, don't they? And without really knowing them or valuing them.
DeleteSo, as it rains, Montag is thinking about all the people and what happened in his day. It makes it seem like everything is piling up on Montag, the way raindrops add up to a storm. Each thing individually is little, but when it adds up, he is kind of confused and stormy inside like the weather outside.
On page 15, I think he means you don't often truly connect with people you talk to--it is rare when people really listen and open up to each other.
For example, when we ask, "how's it going?" do we really want to know or listen or do we expect people to say "Fine" or "Okay" and just move on?
Thanks for asking such thoughtful questions, Alexis. Let me know if these answers make sense...
Those answers do make sense to me. Thank you!
DeleteQuestions- I would like to know why montags and mildreds relationship is the way it is. Why don't they seem interested in each other? Is this the product of a new society or is it just specific to these 2 people? Why does she care more about her headphones than her husband?
ReplyDeletePredictions- i predict that Clarisse will introduce montag to new things that he's never really taken time to think about before. He will then realize that he doesn't actually love his life as much as he thought he did. Changes in his character will amount from these revelations. He might decide he doesn't like his job anymore, or that he wants to go back to more traditional ways of life.