For some of us, it all went by way too fast, while for others it didn’t go nearly fast enough. I will not be sharing which I was, but for all of us, senior year has to end. Whether this is a good or bad thing, we will all at least miss something about our high school days. For me, that thing would have to be yearbook class. It is so much fun and I recommend it to anyone who is a future graphic designer or photographer, like me, or anyone who just likes to be creative ad artistic. We all work together as a team and have the best yearbook advisor ever, Mrs. Greggs.
Even though she gets stressed out and misplaces things sometimes, we all love her anyway. If you had an entire yearbook to put together, newspapers to get out, English classes to teach, and essays to grade, you would be a little stressed too. But somehow, she manages to do all of this without going completely insane. So, thank you Mrs. Greggs for doing what you do best and helping all of us to Remember ’09. You have been a major influence in my life and career path. I will most definitely miss you. Who knows, maybe someday I will end up being a yearbook/newspaper advisor.
I would also like to thank the entire yearbook class for working so hard on making this yearbook. We got so many pages turned in ahead of schedule this year, I was very impressed. Out of the three years that I have been a part of the yearbook staff, this has been our most creative yearbook yet! Thank you to our Yearbook Advertising Crew, the commercials were hilarious and original. To Andrew and Thad, my co-editors, we made a great team and created a pretty awesome yearbook cover!
Class of 2009, I wish all of you the best of luck in everything you do. I am going to miss all of you. You all have bright futures ahead of you, so don’t give up on your dreams. And to everyone who possesses this yearbook, I hope you enjoy it and can reminisce about all the good times you had here at Sullivan High School. We made this for you, to store and preserve your memories and to help you not forget to Remember ’09.
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2009!!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451
Could you imagine a world where no one was allowed to read books and everyone always watched television? What about one where no one takes the time to think, talk, or take a walk outside? What would you do if you were always being told what to do or think and you couldn’t do anything about it? This kind of world doesn’t sound all that crazy does it? The truth is, though, that years ago this would have sounded insane. That is exactly what Ray Bradbury was trying to warn us about in his novel, Fahrenheit 451. Throughout the novel, Bradbury uses plenty of symbolism and imagery to convey his thoughts of what the future of our society will be like.
Fire is a major symbol all through Fahrenheit 451. It has a dual image by representing two completely opposite emotions. It has a negative energy which frightens people by destroying the houses and the people in them. It erases every cultural work of art, and eliminates knowledge and the ability to think clearly because no one can read the books. However, Montag sees fire as a symbol of good and his solution to all problems. When he couldn’t think of any better solution for escape from Captain Beatty and the Mechanical Hound, he just set them both on fire (Bradbury 119). Also, Montag saw a “strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of a candle” in Clarisse’s eyes. This reminded him of a night from his childhood when there was a power failure and their only source of light was from their last candle (Bradbury 7). For the intellectuals, fire has a positive feel as well. They used it to provide them with warmth, a meeting point, and just a place to sit around and enjoy nature. In the end, though, fire destroys the entire city, but at the same time it gives them hope for the future. This hope will give them the confidence and power they need to rebuild and change society.
Two very important symbols at the beginning of the book are the hearth and the salamander. Both of these introduce the major symbol of fire. The hearth is a fireplace, which can heat a home. This gives fire a warm and comforting feeling. It stands for the good side of fire, while the salamander represents the destructive nature of fire. It was once believed that the salamander could live in fire. This is why salamanders are also the names given to fire trucks and are the official symbol of the firefighters.
The sieve and the sand are taken from Montag’s childhood memory of trying to fill up a sieve with sand on the beach to get a dime from his spiteful cousin (Bradbury 78). He compares this memory to his effort to read the whole Bible as quickly as possible on the subway. He hoped that, if he read it quick enough, bits and pieces would stay in his memory. The sand is a representation of the truth Montag is trying to find, and the sieve is like the human mind in search of a truth that remains unknown and impossible to grasp in any permanent way.
“There was a silly bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up” (Bradbury 163). After the bombing of the city, Granger compares mankind to a phoenix that burns itself up and then gets up out of its ashes over and over again. Man’s benefit is his ability to know when he has made a mistake, so that in the end he will learn not to make that mistake anymore. Granger and the rest of the intellectuals are trying to remember the mistakes of the past so that it won’t repeat itself. The symbol of the phoenix’s rebirth refers not only to the rebirth of humankind but also to Montag. He now sees the world in a new and strange way. He can think more clearly and make a difference in society.
The water is a symbol for a helpful power which saves Montag and is a contrast to the fire by dividing two completely different worlds. Montag crosses the river to flee out of the city and get into the forest. The river rescues Montag and takes him away from the city to lose the mechanical hound (cite). Also, Faber portrays himself as water and Montag as fire, claiming that the combination of the two will create wine. The wine could indicate a sense of knowledge and sophistication.
Overall, Bradbury’s use of symbolism is easy to understand because the symbols are easily connected with what they represent. In reality, fire warms us but we fear getting to close to it. Water refreshes us, wakes us up, and keeps us alive. The hearth, or home, is a cozy, comfortable place, while a salamander may seem creepy or make people feel uneasy. These are common things that everyone is familiar with, so they help us to better see the themes and warnings that Bradbury wished to get across.
Fire is a major symbol all through Fahrenheit 451. It has a dual image by representing two completely opposite emotions. It has a negative energy which frightens people by destroying the houses and the people in them. It erases every cultural work of art, and eliminates knowledge and the ability to think clearly because no one can read the books. However, Montag sees fire as a symbol of good and his solution to all problems. When he couldn’t think of any better solution for escape from Captain Beatty and the Mechanical Hound, he just set them both on fire (Bradbury 119). Also, Montag saw a “strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of a candle” in Clarisse’s eyes. This reminded him of a night from his childhood when there was a power failure and their only source of light was from their last candle (Bradbury 7). For the intellectuals, fire has a positive feel as well. They used it to provide them with warmth, a meeting point, and just a place to sit around and enjoy nature. In the end, though, fire destroys the entire city, but at the same time it gives them hope for the future. This hope will give them the confidence and power they need to rebuild and change society.
Two very important symbols at the beginning of the book are the hearth and the salamander. Both of these introduce the major symbol of fire. The hearth is a fireplace, which can heat a home. This gives fire a warm and comforting feeling. It stands for the good side of fire, while the salamander represents the destructive nature of fire. It was once believed that the salamander could live in fire. This is why salamanders are also the names given to fire trucks and are the official symbol of the firefighters.
The sieve and the sand are taken from Montag’s childhood memory of trying to fill up a sieve with sand on the beach to get a dime from his spiteful cousin (Bradbury 78). He compares this memory to his effort to read the whole Bible as quickly as possible on the subway. He hoped that, if he read it quick enough, bits and pieces would stay in his memory. The sand is a representation of the truth Montag is trying to find, and the sieve is like the human mind in search of a truth that remains unknown and impossible to grasp in any permanent way.
“There was a silly bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up” (Bradbury 163). After the bombing of the city, Granger compares mankind to a phoenix that burns itself up and then gets up out of its ashes over and over again. Man’s benefit is his ability to know when he has made a mistake, so that in the end he will learn not to make that mistake anymore. Granger and the rest of the intellectuals are trying to remember the mistakes of the past so that it won’t repeat itself. The symbol of the phoenix’s rebirth refers not only to the rebirth of humankind but also to Montag. He now sees the world in a new and strange way. He can think more clearly and make a difference in society.
The water is a symbol for a helpful power which saves Montag and is a contrast to the fire by dividing two completely different worlds. Montag crosses the river to flee out of the city and get into the forest. The river rescues Montag and takes him away from the city to lose the mechanical hound (cite). Also, Faber portrays himself as water and Montag as fire, claiming that the combination of the two will create wine. The wine could indicate a sense of knowledge and sophistication.
Overall, Bradbury’s use of symbolism is easy to understand because the symbols are easily connected with what they represent. In reality, fire warms us but we fear getting to close to it. Water refreshes us, wakes us up, and keeps us alive. The hearth, or home, is a cozy, comfortable place, while a salamander may seem creepy or make people feel uneasy. These are common things that everyone is familiar with, so they help us to better see the themes and warnings that Bradbury wished to get across.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)