Theme , symbol and motifs

Themes, symbols, motifs

Theme: ignorance

Theme: Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

This is how they achieve to control the society in Fahrenheit 451, by promoting ignorance. In the reader this creates frustration, at least in me, because they are destroying the work of many years of people that is so valuable; it's like the society is moving backwards.

http://www.recoveringgrace.org/2015/03/ignorance-is-not-bliss/ 

The audience of this text is adults. In it, there is man that can not see because his eyes are covered with a white ribbon that says ignorance. This symbolizes that ignorance doesn't let people to really see what is in front of them. It has a critical tone, the effect ignorance has in society here is shown in a really concrete and easy way to understand. In this image, the message is conveyed because of the fact that it is simple but at the same time it has a really deep meaning. It has a plane and unicolor background without details and this makes the reader to focus all the attention on the person in the center.

Symbol: Fire

Symbol:  Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. 

http://www.irkitated.com/2014/07/fire-challenge-darwinism-at-its-finest.html

The firemen in this book are encharged of destroying the books, therefore they are also destroying knowledge, so this is what fire represents in the story. However it has a contradictory meaning because at the end Montag uses fire to burn Beatty and win his freedom. 

This text is intended for the society in general, and the purpose of it, is to show firemen as heros. In the image, the fireman is going inside the fire to put it off or to save someone, and it looks like he has everything under control. It has a imposing tone because the fireman is shown as someone majestic and dominant. The bright colors make it look more exalted and that is the way the message is conveyed. It has a rectangle layoutt and it is very well depicted, the color and intensity of light in some places make it look really intense.

Motiff: religion

Motiff: Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Throughout Fahrenheit 451 there are many religious references. Probably what Bradbury wanted to  criticize is that because of ignorance religion is forgotten. Bradbury uses language and imagery from the Bible to resolve the novel. It also contains references of the miracle at Canaa, when Jesus  transformed water into wine and of the Christian value of forgiveness that Faber invokes, among many others.

http://www.formacionparaprofesionales.es/conferencia-sobre-religion-y-progreso-en-ide-cesem/

This image is intended for religious people or for travelers. In it, different religions are shown as different paths of life. It has a diversity tone and it can even be considered indifferent because these religions are portrayed as distinct ways of seeing the world  that are totally separated from each other. The message in this text is conveyed because of the use of arrows that have the names of the religions written on them and they point at different directions. The background is white, so it contrasts with all the arrows. Christianity and Judaism point at a similar direction and Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism point at a similar direction.  Finally, in relation to its structure, it has a square layoutt. The arrows are in different colors, and the arrows at the top are bigger than the ones at the bottom. This may be to show which ones are the most important for the author. 

Hey there!

Fahrenheit 451 is actually a really good novel. It is easy to understand, but the themes in are deep and profound. In relation to the language, you can find many figures of speech, so words or phrases are interpreted beyond their literal meaning. These literary devices embellish the story, awaken the reader’s imagination and help convey the meaning faster and more vividly than words alone.

1.    Metaphor

“If you read fast and you read all, maybe some of the sand will stay in the sieve” p.74

ü In this moment, he wanted to read the Bible and memorize what he was reading. He recalled a moment of his childhood: when he was at the beach and tried to fill a sieve with sand for a dime. In this phrase the sand represents words or knowledge and the sieve his brain or memory.  The use of this literary device makes the reader realize how difficult it is for Montag to concentrate or think in this distopic future.

2.    Simile

“Delicate, like the petals of a flower” p. 72

ü This phrase is a simile because the author compares Beatty´s voice with a petal of a flower, this phrase makes the reader imagine Beatty´s voice as soft and calm as a petal of a flower is.

3.    Alliteration

“Denham's Dentifrice, Denham's Dandy Dental Detergent, Denham's Dentifrice Dentifrice Dentifrice” p. 75

ü This phrase is an alliteration because there is repetition of beginning sounds. In this part of the story, Montag was in the train trying to read the Bible but he couldn’t because he heard repeatedly this toothpaste commercial. By using this alliteration, it helps to show how everyday and constantly advertisements get into people’s head, and can even control what they think. The reader can understand because of the use of this literary device that the noise is irritating and intense.

4.    Personification

“I can’t talk to the walls because they’re are yelling at me” p.78

ü This phrase is a personification because walls can’t scream or yell, so the author is giving an object (in this case the walls) characteristics than only humans have. With this phrase, the reader can understand that Montag is in a desperate position.

5.    Onomatopoeia

“The train hissed like a snake” p. 76

ü This phrase has three literary devices: personification, simile and onomatopoeia. It is an onomatopoeia because it is imitating the sound of the train and in this way, making the reader imagine it.

6.    Repetition

“Shut up, shut up, shut up” p.75

ü There is a repetition of the word “shut up” as to emphasize on Montag’s frustration because of the noise.

7.    Analogy

“The salamander devours his tail!” p.82 

ü .In this part of the story, Faber and Montag are planning to plant books in the house of some firemen. In this way they will get caught and their houses will be destroyed. The salamander is the firemen, so the salamander devours his tail means that firemen will burn their own houses. It is an analogy because there is a comparison being made between a salamander killing itself and firmen destroying their own houses.

8. Irony
"He heard the fire siren start up and run, and the Salamanders coming, coming to burn Mr. Black's house..."
ü This phrase is ironic because the firmen in this society destroy and burn houses and they don't stop fires like they should. This creates confusion in the reader because that is not what they would normally do.