Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Culminating Writing Activity

Choose one of the topics below.

• The importance of asking “why.”
• Censorship and the suppression of ideas.
• The power and value of ideas.
• The power of interpersonal relationships.
• Montag as a dynamic character.
• The power of conflicting ideas in developing a concept of truth, and the risk to the uneducated or ignorant of falling prey to propaganda.
• The deadening power of technology when it suppresses or replaces true human interaction or experience.
• The value and meaning of a free society. (While there are some risks to a free society, the threat of a society that suppresses freedom is the very possibility of being truly human.)

Once you have chosen a topic, develop it into a thesis statement. Remember that you are formulating a “theory” about the novel that you will have to “prove” with reasons and examples in your body paragraphs.  You should incorporate at least two direct quotations (that are correctly introduced and have page numbers) in your body paragraphs as well.

Example Thesis Statements:

• In Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and in real life, censorship causes a loss of societal growth and individual thought and personal happiness.  (Note, that in this thesis, at least one of your body paragraphs would focus on real life.)
• In Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the society loses its power and purpose because individuals lose their ability to live a full life involving relationships, meaningful activities, and rich ideas.

You may use this planning outline below to help you:

Paragraph 1:  Intro & thesis

          Thesis: __________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: Support Paragraph

          Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Support from novel (quotation w/ page #): _______________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 3: Support Paragraph

          Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

          Support from novel (quotation w/ page #): _______________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 4: Support Paragraph

          Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

          Support from novel or real life: ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 5: Conclusion (restate the thesis and main ideas and provide a sense of conclusion and purpose to your essay). 

OR:  Choose this Creative Option: 

Re-write the ending to Fahrenheit 451 or write a new chapter.  Many readers are disappointed that Clarisse does not reappear at the end, or that we never know exactly what happens to Faber, or Montag, for that matter.  While writing, you must consider how the characters would actually act and what they would actually say and do based on our knowledge of them.  For some ideas (Bradbury himself has questioned the ending and has been tempted to change it) see the Afterword (starting on page 167).  Your piece should clearly reflect your understanding of the themes and characters in the novel (in other words, don’t go completely off track and imagine Montag ending up in an ice crystal on Mars) as well as incorporate stylistic elements that Bradbury utilizes.