Fahrenheit 451, Part III: Burning Bright

• English
• 11th Grade

Fahrenheit 451 

Part III: Burning Bright 

The Beginning of the End 

• We find out that Millie was the one that raised the alarm about the books in the house. 
• Beatty, Stoneman, and Black were killed or injured by Montag. 
• He barely escapes the mechanical dog and is injured. 
• He plants the books that he has at Black's house and feels no remorse. He calls the fire alarm on Black. 

Beginning of the End continued

• Montag narrowly escapes death because he is able to hide his trace. 
• An innocent man dies because the police claim him as Montag instead of accepting defeat. 
• Montag finds these outlaws who do not have copies of the book and claim to be the living embodiment of the book that they read. 

Character Development 

Beatty- How has he changed through the course of the book and did he deserve to die? 

Mildred- Why did Bradbury think it was important to highlight how absorbed she was by her TV family and social standing? 

   Montag- How has his understanding of books changed his outlook on the world? Do you think he truly understands the importance of books by the end? 

Understanding Character Development 

1. Observing the character and their thought processes. 
2. The first challenge that the character has to go through. How they rise or fall to that challenge. 
3.  At the climax a character discovers the flaws of their ways and tries to overcome their challenges. 
4. Character is now able to use their prior error as a lesson to prevent repetition of this challenge. 

An example: Guy Montag 

1. Montag is a firefighter that burns books for a job. He is unable to comprehend how people are willing to risk their life for a book. 

2. The elderly woman that burns in a fire that he took part in makes him question what books have that will lead them to die. 

3. He gets some books and begins to read, only to discover that the world that he believed in is a falsehood. 

4. He understands now the power that books have and is willing to fight and die for the right to read. 

“‘Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitch the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.'”

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Del Rey, 1953. 

What is the lesson that this book is trying to teach us ?

Which character is considered a neutral character?

1. Montag
2. Mildred
3. Granger
4. Beatty

What book is Montag a living copy of?

1. Frankenstein
2. The Bible
3. The Tyger
4. Oedipus

Is character development important to create a good book?

1. Yes
2. Sometimes
3. No
4. Never

How comfortable are you in understanding character development?

Comfortable

Not Comfortable

Somewhat Comfortable

Not Comfortable at all

Essay Question:
**Pick One question**