Pages 3-12:
"...while the flapping pigeon-winged books died..." (Page 3)
The image of this quote really fascinated me because of what it symbolizes. It shows how the the books flapped and tossed as it was being burnt. It can also show how books are as free as a bird, yet it can be gone just like a bird. Books are one of the freest things in the world since you can put any views of the world into it. It can have such a deep meaning that may be difficult for some people to understand.
"So many people are. Afraid of firemen, I mean." (Page 7)
I find this quote fascinating because it was unnatural how people would be afraid of firemen. That is ironic because firemen are suppose to save lives. In the book, the firemen do not save lives and instead, burn and destroy books. They start the fires instead of putting the fires out.
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Pages 13-20:
"This machine pumped all of the blood from the body and replaced it with fresh blood and serum." (Page 15)
This quote interested me because of the action that was being displayed. It shows how the government does not learn how to actually learn something. Instead, they replace and start fresh, as if nothing ever happened. That is shown through the replacement of Mildred's blood with fresh blood. They want everything to start fresh so that people do not have to ask questions and bring up problems with things.
"I just told you. There are these people named Bob and Ruth and Helen." (Page 20)
This quote shows the lack of what people know and do not know. Mildred obviously cannot tell what the play is about. She could barely even summarize it and just says "who" the people in the play are. This problem comes from the government since they do not want the people to know the truth about things. The people cannot look deeper into things and, instead, remember only the facts.
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Pages 21-28:
"I'm still crazy. The rain feels good. I love to walk in it." (Page 21)
This quote shows how Mildred and Clarisse, two people in Guy Montag's life, are completely different. Mildred does not seem to care about important things other than her T.V. family and things that do not have much of an importance to life. On the other hand, this quote shows how Clarisse cherishes the world around her. She likes to wonder off in nature and ask questions about life. She is different because she wants to know more about the world unlike everybody else.
"What a shame," she said. "You're not in love with anyone." (Page 22)
This quote shows tells the truth about how Guy really feels about his wife, Mildred. When Clarisse says this to Guy, she just said what he was not able to say. It is obvious through Guy and Mildred's conversations that they do not have much of a close relationship. Guy is shocked to hear this because he probably knew that he did not love Mildred, but he never heard it in words. This quote makes it clear of how the couple's relationship is not as strong as it should be.
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Pages 29-37:
"Your laugh sounds much nicer than it did." "Much more relaxed." He felt at ease and comfortable. (Page 29)
To me, this quote shows how Clarisse understands Guy probably more than anyone in his life right now. She understands when his mood is different, which Mildred probably cannot do. This quote also shows how Guy is more relaxed and is more happier when Clarisse is around him. He feels that he can be free in the world that seemed to keep it's people trapped. He can actually have a real and truthful conversation with Clarisse.
"But in his mind, a cool wind started up and blew out of the ventilator grille at home, softly, softly, chilling his face." (Page 34)
I chose this quote because it made me wonder what Guy was trying to hide. But then I began to think that if it was something that made him scared of what the other firefighters would think, it must have been books. Guy hiding books in his house is a pretty crazy idea since he is a fireman. His Job is to burn books and yet, if he has some, that could definitely ruin him. Guy already knows what could possibly happen if what he was hiding were to be found.
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Pages 38-45:
"Wasn't there an old joke about the wife who talked so much on the telephone that her desperate husband ran out to the nearest store and telephoned her to ask what was for dinner?" (Page 42)
This quote shows the distance between Mildred and Guy. Mildred spends so much time with her ear shell device that the two could barely make a conversation. She is more into the things that money brings instead of what love can bring. She does not show any effort in their relationship to make it work. Mildred seems to be the materialistic type and caring more about the things she owns.
"And he remembered thinking then that if she died, he was certain he wouldn't cry." (Page 44)
This, again, shows how the relationship between Mildred and Guy are not so close. If Guy were to lose her in any situation, he would not have cared. He would probably care if Clarisse was the one who died. That is because she was the only one who made an impact on his life. Clarisse somehow changed his views on things and made him question things. She basically opened his eyes for him, which is something that Mildred did not.
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Pages 46-50:
"Whole family moved out somewhere. But she's gone for good. I think she's dead." (page 47)
I chose this quote because it really surprised me of how quickly Clarisse disappeared from the book. It made me wonder what Guy was probably thinking. He must have felt hurt and was probably devastated when he heard the words, "dead." Mildred did not seem to really show any emotion. For one thing, it was clearly not so important to her since she forgot to tell him. For another, she did not show any care since she sounded pretty rushed when she was telling Guy what happened.
"He pressed at the pain in his eyes and suddenly the odor of kerosene made him vomit." (Page 49)
The smell of kerosene on Montag's clothing was a symbol of how much he enjoyed and cherished his job. In this quote, it shows how the smell begins to make him sick. This shows that he is beginning to hate what he does as a living. He starts to understand that there is possibly an importance within the books that is being burnt. Montag is now opening his eyes and examining things more thoroughly.
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Pages 51-59:
"She's nothing to me; she shouldn't have had books." (Page 51)
This quote shows how Mildred does not see deeper into things. Instead, she only see things as what it is. Mildred understands what is on the surface, but does not understand the deeper meaning. This quote interested me because it surprised me of how she was not affected by a death, even if she did not know the person. Even if I did not know someone who passed away, it would still make me sad because of all the families and friends suffering. It was a life that had a future ahead, but ended to soon. Mildred probably sees things as life being to short, so why dread on people you do not even know?
"Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against." (Page 58)
This quote shows how the government in the book want everyone to be equal. That is what they think they are doing, but they are just trapping everyone and making everyone the same. In their world, there are few who are unique or his or herself. This also shows how the government might even be scared of what people can do if they new that truth, which is why they hide the truth. The more people ask questions or learn more, the more people will compete and start a media fascination and disturbance to the rest of the world.
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Pages 60-68:
"The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle." (Page 60)
I chose this quote because it shows how the government tries to change the minds of the people. They want the people to believe what they make up. This quote shows the power and the control the government has on the people in this book. The government tries to erase what is actually true and tries to erase the advice that families give to their children. This quote interested me because it amazed me how it would be if all kids when to school that young. Everything they know will be the same as anyone else. Nothing will be created since nothing else is being learned.
"I always like to drive fast when I feel that way." (Page 64)This quote interested me because it shows me how the people in the book really are. Its sounds like they do not think for the future; they think more of what is happening right now. It is not always a bad thing to think for the moment, but sometimes, you have to think of what is important. This shows that Mildred does not have the time to think and process things through. Instead, she tries to forget anything bad that happens by obviously speeding in a car or by taking pills to drain everything out.
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Pages 71-78:
"It was dead but it was alive. It could see but it couldn't see." (Page 73)
I found this quote to be interesting because of what it meant. I thought at first "...dead but alive." I asked how can something be dead but alive at the same time? Then I thought of how the government in the book try to change the views of people. The machine was alive since it was created by the government to do something. But, then again, it was still dead since it was not really real. The connection between the machine and the people in the story is that the people are being told information by the government that stick with them. But, the people can basically be as dead as the machines since they are filled with information that the government gave them instead of finding answers on their own.
"Is it because we're having so much fun at home we've forgotten the world? Is it because we're so rich and the rest of the world's so poor and we just don't care if they are? I've heard rumor; the world is starving, but we're well fed." (Page 73)
This quote shows how Montag's views on the world are changing. He understand that they have the good end of the stick while other people around the world are suffering. He sees how all of the distractions and advantages created pushed them away from the world so that they do not know what is really going on. He knows that there is a deeper meaning more to the world than just burning books.
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Pages 79-86:
"I can get books." "You're running a risk." "That's the good part of dying; when you've nothing to lose, you run any risk you want." (Page 85)
This quote shows how Montag is finally bieng more confident. He is starting to gain his strength and releasing himself from
being stuck into the misuse of technology, which is the problem everyone else is in. Montag is starting to feel the courage to fight for what he believes in. He knows that there is something wrong with the kind of world that he is living in and he is waiting to fix it. With the help of Faber, a trusted friend, they could try to help everyone else understand real problems going on in the world other than things that happen in their everyday lives.
"...and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore."This quote struck me because it brought so much confidence to me. This quote is trying to say that the risk Montag is taking is a difficult one and if he fails to complete it, at least he knows he was doing this for the best and for everyone. By this time in the novel, Montag is doing so much that can possibly get him in a lot of trouble in the future. But, even if he gets in trouble, Montag will end up knowing who he really is rather than who he wanted other people to think he was. He can finally know what is right and wrong and know what he wants.
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Pages 87-94:
"The skeleton needs melting and reshaping." (Page 87)This quote explains how the structure of their government ("skeleton") must be rebuilt ("melting") and renewed ("reshaping").
Montag and Faber know that the government is not doing the right thing for the people. The government is giving the people facts; not the whole story so that they do not have to ask questions and start problems. With the use of technology and the media, the people are misusing it and are being distracted from the important things that is going on in the world. These are some of the reasons why Montag wants to help change the government.
"Oh they come and go, come and go." "He'll be back next week." (Page 94)
This quote shows how the marital relationships in the novel are not so strong. After this quote, Mrs. Phelps also says, "...the Army called Pete yesterday. He'll be back next week. The Army said so. Quick war. Forty-eight hours, they said, and everyone home." This also shows how the people in this government are truly gullible and believe everything that the government is saying. The Army probably says that it is going to be a quick war so that they would not have to stress over it. These quotes show how they do not take things so seriously, they cannot make up their own minds and they cannot depend on themselves.
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Pages 95-102:
"I think he's one of the nicest-looking men ever become president." (Page 96)
This quote shows the ignorance of the rest of the people. Mrs. Bowles says this quote and by this, you know that she chooses people just by their appearance and not by who and what they are in the inside. This shows their ignorance because, again, they look on the outside instead of going deeper. Technology is pulling them away from what is important since they cannot even pick a leader for their country, even to save their lives. They cannot pick a president so many interesting things are distracting them from the news.
"But Montag was gone and back in a moment with a book in his hand." (Page 97)
When I read this quote, I suddenly felt scared for Montag. Taking out a book in front of people other than Mildred is really putting him in danger. This shows how he is really increasing in strength, but he can still be punished by this. The women in the room begin to worry and start to get mad at Montag. With the many modern advancements, people have forgotten about the great things that books can bring. They stop evaluating things to their core and to their deeper meaning. Mildred's friends show how the use of book are no longer needed.
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Pages 103-110:
"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn." (Page 104)This quote tells us that mistakes are meant to happen so you can learn from them. This quote relates to Montag a lot right now. When he brought out that book in front of Mildred's friends, that shows his ignorance since he could be in trouble. With that, he could later learn that some information should be known to only him. He should test things out so he can find the consequences in bad situations. Trying new things is the only way you can really learn something.
"Well," said Beatty, "the crisis is past and all is well, the sheep returns to the fold. We're all sheep who have strayed at times." (Page 105)
Beatty means that Montag is finally back and, to them, he is finally back to normal. Beatty says that Montag's questions about books and bieng a fireman are finally over. But really, Montag is still learning more and asking more questions. By this point in the novel, Montag is disgusted by his job and what he does. He never really understood why he wanted to be a fireman and now he clearly nows that he does not want to be on at all.
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Pages 113-120:
"Poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now..." (Page 114)
I read this quote and I realized who Mildred was really talking about. She was really talking about her "parlor family", or the TV's in the parlor. She was not talking about Montag at all. If she had to choose between the two, Montag or the parlor family, she would most likely choose her parlor family. Mildred's life seems to surround her parlor family. It keeps her away from what is actually happening in the world.
"Beatty flopped over and over and over, and at last twisted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent." (Page 119)
When I read this quote, I was completely shocked. I did not see Beatty's death coming. Although, I should have known since he was not doing himself any good by telling Montag to go ahead and pull the trigger for the fire hose. If Montag did not burn Beatty, he could have been the one who died. Nobody deserves to die like that, but in this case, Beatty was not so bright to do what he did, and in the novel, Montag did say that Beatty was basically asking for it.
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Pages 121-128:
"And the leg was at last his own leg again." (Page 123)
This quote shows how Montag built himself up. Montag built himself back in to confidence. Throughout the days, Montag has really found out who he is and who the rest of the world is. This quote shows his strength and how he is ready to make a difference. Montag is pushing himself, even through pain, which shows a great change from who he was in the beginning.
"They would have killed me..." (Page 128)
This quote explains what Beatty meant when people do not think that they will die. Death would happen to other people, but not to them. In this case, the people in the car would not have died, but Montag could have been one of those "other" people who died. The people in the car would not have known that they killed a fugitive since they lack knowing news about the world. People in this novel live for the second, which is not bad, but it is good to know when things have to be taken seriously.
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Updated Blog! [;
Pages 129-136:
"I feel I'm doing what I should've done a lifetime ago." (Page 131)
This quote shows how Faber is actually learning how to be free. He now realizes that he should have done what he was doing with Montag a long time ago. If Faber did, he could have made a difference or even a little change. Faber now feels that he can change things up with someone by his side. He has more confidence now that Montag is by his side.
"--nose so sensitive the Mechanical Hound can remember and identify ten thousand odor indexes on ten thousand men without resetting!" (Page 133)
This quote is when Montag and Faber found out that the new Mechanical Hound could remember a huge amount of odors. When the two men heard this, they started thinking of all the places Montag touched and took step on in Faber's house. They thought of everywhere he touched that started from the outside of the house to the inside. Montag, for Faber's sake, tells Faber what he should do so that his odor can be gone from Faber's house. This quote got me so excited because I wanted to see what would happen and if Montag's scent would be tracked down by the Mechanical Hound if they were to late.
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Pages 137-144:
"The river was very real; it held him comfortably and gave him the time at last, the leisure, to consider this month, this year, and a lifetime of years." (Page 140)The world outside of the city is free to let your mind roam free. This quote shows how Montag was able to think about his whole life that he missed out on. The location that Montag was at probably gave him the time he needed to relax. The location kept him relaxed since it is so far away from everything and everyone he wanted to run away from. It gives him privacy, but he would still not be alone.
"He was not empty. There was more than enough here to fill him. There would always be more than enough." (Page 144)
This quote shows hows Montag does not need material things to survive. This is what separates him from everyone else in the city. He can be filled by the things of where he is that can make his mind expand. The people in the city are all being brainwashed by the media. They believe the news that the media brings to them and they need the media in order to survive.
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Pages 145-152:
"It was not burning. It was warming." (Page 145)This quote shows the difference of the uses of fire between the people of the city and the people of the areas near the river. The people of the city use it for destruction of knowledge that comes from books. The people near the river use fire for warmth, which shows how the people come together and are closer. They are closer in a different way than the people in the city are. The people in the city are probably friends because of what they own; not for who they are.
"They're faking. You threw them off at the river. They can't admit it. They know they can hold their audience only so long. The show's got to have a snap ending, quick! If they started searching the whole damn river it might take all night. So they're sniffing for a scapegoat to end things with a bang." (Page 148)
This shows how the people who live close to the river have more knowledge than the people in the city. Bradbury shows the difference between the two sets of people. The people in the city are being influenced by the media and the useless factoids. They cannot go deeper in a situation. The people who live near river shows how they have more knowledge in this quote. They can figure out what is really happening and what the government is really doing, which is something that the people in the city cannot do.
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Pages 153-160:
"The other men helped, and Montag helped, and there, in the wilderness, the men all moved their hands, putting out the fire together." (Page 154)
This quote shows how Montag's character changed in the novel from the beginning. In the beginning of the novel, Montag used to create fires and burn as a living. Now, he is a changed person and sees that what he did was wrong. Now, he helps put the fires out with other people who are like him. He sees that fire is not only for burning, its also for warmth and to bring people together.
"Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were, it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away." (Page 157)
The sloth symbolizes all of those people who waste their lives through the influence of the media. Instead of living life and seeing the great things that the world has to offer, they sit around focusing on their necessities. This quote is telling us that you cannot be like that sloth. You have to go over the top, see the world, do great things, and deeply understand the meanings and purposes of the good things in life. Do not waste time learning things that are just facts. Learn the actual artifacts.
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Pages 161-165:
"I'll hold onto the world tight someday." (Page 162)This quote shows how Montag will deeply understand the meanings to things in the future. Maybe not right now, but in time he will and he will not fall into what people say is true, but actually is not. Montag will gain the intelligence that he has been missing from his previous self. He will be able to grasp the world and what it throws at him. In time, Montag will be ready for what is in store for him.
"There was a silly damn bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up... But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we're doing the same thing ..." (Page 163)This quote shows the similarity between the "phoenix" and what they are going through right now. The phoenix would burn itself and then come back to life as a brand new bird. Since there was recently a war in the novel and so many deeper things going on in their government, this quote shows how they will start all over. Everything is all fallen apart from the war and now it is time to rebuild. Just like the phoenix, they will rise from the ashes of the war and start fresh.
