Fahrenheit 451 help with homework Part 1

1. Describe the society (a fictional America) that Montag lives in. In what ways is it similar to, but more extreme than, our society? What signs are there that it is a “dystopia” (the opposite of a utopia, an ideal society)?

2. What makes Clarisse so special—so different from most people in her society? What qualities does Montag have that make him receptive to her influence?

3. Why do you think the mechanical hound has been programmed to react to Montag?

4. Why do you think the woman chooses to burn herself along with her books? Why does this have such a powerful effect on Montag—what does it mean to him?

5. What is the point of Bradbury’s description of the kind of television show that Mildred likes to watch (p. 44-46)? [“sound and fury, signifying nothing”—I’ll explain this quotation in class]