Fahrenheit 451 Pre-Reading

Fahrenheit 451 Pre-Reading

by

Open Ended

What are some things (simple things) that we take for granted in our lives?

So far we've:

​...discussed potential inventions that we need, but haven't been invented yet. Let's refresh!

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​...investigated important inventions, advances in technology, thinking, medicine, religion, and basically life itself! (Yesterday's task) Let's refresh!

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​...been told we're going to be reading Fahrenheit 451. (Which is true)

​Now let's:

​...talk about "dystopian" societies.

​...unpack the theme speculative fiction.

​...reflect upon potential warnings in older texts and film

​On your desk, please respond to the prompt when directed to.

To begin: on your desk, write what you think the "dystopian" genre is.

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​You can write individual words, examples, movies, etc.

​Dystopia defined:

An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.

​Characteristics of Dystopian Societies

• ​Freedoms are restricted

• ​Citizens are under constant surveillance

• ​People have a fear of the outside world

• ​A figurehead or concept is worshipped in the society

• ​The natural world (as we know it) is banished and destroyed

On your desk:​

Take 2 minutes to write down any other examples of dystopias that you can think of. Go!​

​If you're having trouble, think of books or movies in which the protagonist...

• ​feels trapped and is struggling to escape

• ​questions the existing social and political systems

• ​Helps the reader recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world

• ​Believes something is terribly wrong with the world in which he or she lives

​More characteristics

• ​Generally there is a class system (not always simple to conceptualize)

• ​People are often referred to as numbers rather than by name

• ​People are cloned so there are several of the same people; they are in uniform and lose individuality.

• ​People are required to "not excel" but rather to lose their competence.

​On your desk...

​If you were to write a book that had an underlying theme that "warned" the future about the current state of the world, what things would you try to warn the future about?

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(What things in our world, if we're not careful, could potentially lead to the downfall of our world?)

​Speculative Fiction

​When an author writes a book as a warning, it falls under the genre of speculative fiction. (It's also Science Fiction)

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​This book is a reminder that what we have is valuable, and sometimes we take what we value for granted.

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​"If this goes on..."

​Our author, Ray Bradbury was writing about his present, which is our past. He was warning us about thigns; some of those things are obvious, and some of them, half a century later, are a bit harder to see.

​What did Bradbury think we were taking for granted?

​You have been told that books will no longer be allowed to exist.  In fact, all printed material will be illegal, and you can be punished for reading, possessing or even looking at any print matter. You still have access to books. What is the most meaningful or important book you have ever read?  What did you learn from that book that you could not have learned anywhere else? Would you like to live in a world without books? What might motivate a society to rid itself of some books or even all books?

On your desk...​

Write​ the most meaningful or important book you have ever read and share with your partner.

​On your desk...

What might motivate a society to rid itself of some books or even all books?

Open Ended

Now, let's think. Dystopia. Warnings. No more books. Inventions we need. What is a potential warning that Bradbury put in his writing? (What is he warning us about?

​Back to your Pre-Reading Packets!

​...on Schoology