Fahrenheit 451 Question 7

            As an author, you want people to read and revel in what you wrote.  While writing, the author puts in techniques to engage the readers.  In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury wrote the novel with two distinct techniques to make the story effective.  He used descriptions and symbolism. 

            In a couple of my previous blogs, I have mentioned Ray Bradbury being extremely descriptive in his writing of Fahrenheit 451.  Being descriptive can make things interesting by adding more details.  Also, the audience reading the novel can create a more complex image of the story and characters in their mind.  Me personally, I would rather the words be descriptive because I have to be able to picture what is going in my mind otherwise I get lost in the book.  One thing I love in descriptions are the smells.  “A dry river smelling of hot cloves and warm dust. And the other smells! There was a smell like a cut potato from all the land, raw and cold and white from having the moon on it most of the night. There was a smell like pickles from a bottle and a smell like parsley on the table at home. There was a faint yellow odor like mustard from a jar. There was a smell like carnations from the yard next door.  He put down his hand and felt a weed rise up like a child brushing him. His fingers smelled of licorice” (Bradbury 144).  When I read this my nose twitched.  Then I started to smell what he smelled: the potato, the pickles, and mustard.  I think it is just so cool how that can happen.  Kudos to Ray Bradbury!

            One thing about Fahrenheit 451 that is unusual is that it is broken into three sections: The Hearth and the Salamander, The Sieve and the Sand, and Burning Bright.  In The Hearth and the Salamander, we were learning about Guy Montag’s life which is the main foundation, which is like a hearth.  As for the salamander part, the fire trucks in the novel are called Salamanders.  On to The Sieve and the Sand.  In this section, Guy is trying to wrap his brain around all the information he has gathered but he is struggling.  The sand is falling right the sieve.  Lastly, Burning Bright is probably the most symbolic title.  Guy Montag burns down his own house.

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.