Today's date is the 24th of March. It's hard to believe that a week has come to pass since the disruption to not only our lives but society in general. I wonder if all of the talk from the soothsayer telling Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March" could have carried a message for today's world? These are definitely uncertain times in which we live. It is my hope that we will be back to our regular routines sooner than later.
When we left off, we were making our way through "Julius Caesar". We will progress with the reading of the play. Many of you probably have your book at home. Just in case, you can find an edition of the play by clicking HERE. The Folgers edition is a good supplement as parts are written in clearer English.
**My summaries are on my drive at school. There are some pretty decent ones found HERE. Y'all are probably a step ahead of me and may have been reading online summaries all along.
Wednesday, March 25
Today would be a good day to curl up with some Shakespeare. Read through Act 3, Scenes one and two.
Please check back for updates. We are taking this one day at a time. I'm an email away if you need anything: margaretpittman@nlesd.ca
I miss you all!
Mrs. Pittman
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
At this stage of the school closure, I am no longer certain what day in the schedule it is.:( Again, as I posted on the main page, I was waiting for further direction from my administrators and the Board before uploading additional things here. It was important to know how this directed learning is to unfold.
I encourage you to finish reading Julius Caesar. I know it doesn't compare to reading it together in class. I will upload the questions for those who wish to see them through.
Also, I encourage you to continue watching the 1953 movie adaptation of Julius Caesar that we started in class starring Marlon Brando.
The week of our return to school, I will be sharing a link to a book that I would have loved to have read in class. You are strongly encouraged to read it when it becomes available. Hint: it's by one of my favourite classic science fiction authors.
Be safe! Wash your hands.
Monday, April 27, 2020
I hope you have all been doing well. As of April 21, I sent out detailed emails with individualized learning plans to the students (as well of the parents of the students) who are either currently not meeting academic success in English 2201. Please check your spam folders.
*If you do not have access to your school email, please let me know and I can provide assistance.*
I miss all of you and our daily interactions in the classroom. I hit the ground running with my return from Easter Break by making some revisions to my report card comments as well as creating the plans referenced.
You can start to read "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury. It's one of my favourites and I wish we could be in class to study this dystopian novel. Please start with Part One. There will not be any activities assigned until Part One is read.
A PDF copy of the novel can be found by clicking the picture of the book's cover. The link was updated on Monday, May 10th as the link I had provided wouldn't load for me.
For this week, please focus on Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander. Aim to have most of it read for next week's update. I'd like you to pay particular attention to the characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that are emerging. Please make note of your ideas.
If you have any questions, please be sure to reach out to me.
Monday, May 4, 2020
Students are to finish reading Part One of Fahrenheit 451. Some things to consider at this stage is why the
first part was titled “The Hearth and the Salamander”. Continue to pay particular attention to the characters as they start to
emerge and develop ad well as the thematic elements that are at play. Questions will be provided for those who
would like to complete them to further the comprehension of the first part.
I hope you all enjoyed the reading of the first part of "Fahrenheit 451". The thing about Bradbury (the author) is that he's not for everyone. Science Fiction is not necessarily everybody's cup of tea. How I wish we could have been reading this together in class. My introductory lesson to this novel is one of my favourites of my entire career.
I've included some notes about the first part of the novel. For those who would like to work through some questions for the first part of the novel, they're listed below the notes. Again, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Fahrenheit 451: Part One - The Hearth and The Salamander
NOTES
*In Fahrenheit 451, the content of books does not matter; the process of reading and thinking does.
Brief Plot Overview: The novel opens with Guy Montag, a "fireman" in a futuristic society where he and his coworkers start fires, rather than pat them out. Books are banned and burned upon discovery, and Montag has no qualms about his responsibility.That is until he meets Clarisse McClellan - his seventeen-year-old neighbour. She's very chatty, and opens his eyes to the world of nature, dew drops, and not being a stooge. After their first meeting, Montag returns home to find his wife overdosed on sleeping pill. He calls for help, but he gets plumbers instead of medics. This sort of thing happens all the time, they say. The next morning, his wife doesn't remember anything and is happy as can be.
Montag grows increasingly dissatisfied with his life and work as he talks more with Clarisse. He starts to wonder if perhaps books aren't so bad, and even steals one from a book burning. Meanwhile, Clarisse disappears (probably dead), and his boss, Captain Beatty, is growing suspicious. He lectures Montag on the dangers of books and explains the origin of their profession.
Far from rejuvenated, Montag feels more rebellious than ever. He spends the afternoon with his wife reading a secret stash of books he's been storing and decides he needs a teacher. He takes a Bible and tries to memorize some of it on the way.
Plot Analysis
Initial Situation : “It was a pleasure to burn.” Montag is a fireman and enjoys it. Everything is fine which leaves the reader to wish for something conflicting to happen.
Conflict: Clarisse McClellan shows up. Mildred tries to kill herself. Oh, and there's that Mechanical Hound threat, too. As soon as Clarisse starts asking the tough questions (“Why did you become a fireman?”; “Are you happy?”), Montag starts to doubt himself. We see the beginnings of his identity crisis (he feels himself divided in two) and it's clear that this girl awoke some dormant dissatisfaction in him. Mildred's near-death and the casualness of the rescue team indicate that he is not the only individual with problems. This is a deeply flawed society.
Symbolism and Allusion
Fahrenheit 451: The temperature at which paper burns.
Salamander: The salamander is the insignia of the firemen. In ancient mythology, the salamander was believed to be a creature that could pass through fire without being hurt.
Seashells: The seashells are ear-radios that feed people a constant stream of music and chatter. When Mildred wears her seashells, she is adrift, like someone floating in the sea, out of touch with reality.
Parlor family: The family on the “parlor walls” are constantly talking but they never say anything. They provide an empty sort of entertainment that requires no thinking or understanding. For Mildred, the images on the walls of her living room are more real to her than her own family.
Fahrenheit 451: Part One - The Hearth and The Salamander
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Montag had been collecting books for over a year before the story begins. What caused him to suddenly start reading and questioning? Compare the characters: of Mildred and Clarisse. How does each affect Montag? In Francois Truffaut's film of Fahrenheit 451, the same actress played both roles. Why do you think Truffaut did this?
2. Clarisse says her uncle remembers a time when people “used to believe in responsibility.” How is the absence of personal responsibility evident in the society of Fahrenheit 451? Do you see this as a problem in our own society?
3. Bradbury describes a sort of virtual reality with his “parlor walls.” How is this medium used to control society? What similarities do you see to the media in our own society? What are the differences?
4. Beatty says, “None of those books agree with each other.” Why does he find this undesirable and even threatening?
5. Beatty describes the way books were gradually condensed into summaries and sound bites. Are we experiencing a similar “dumbing down” in our culture today? How important do you think knowledge of the classics is in this Information Age?
6. Beatty explains how books were pared down to a uniform blandness by numerous special interest groups who demanded the removal of passages they found offensive to themselves or their beliefs. How is this similar to the current trend toward “political correctness”? Are there any instances, such as hate speech, in which you think censorship is justified?
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Start reading Part Two of Fahrenheit 451. As with part One, pay particular attention to any new characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that continue to emerge.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Finish reading Part Two of Fahrenheit 451. Pay particular attention to any new characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that continue to emerge.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Start reading Part Two of Fahrenheit 451. As with part One, pay particular attention to any new characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that continue to emerge.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Finish reading Part Two of Fahrenheit 451. Pay particular attention to any new characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that continue to emerge.
Be sure to consider why the second part was titled
“The Sieve and the Sand”.
I've included some notes about the second part of the novel. For those who would like to work through some questions for the second part of the novel, they're listed below the notes. Again, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Fahrenheit 451: Part Two - The Sieve and the Sand
NOTES
At the end of Part One, Montag is feeling rebellious and leaves home with his Bible to search for answers. In his desperation and search for knowledge, he recalls an encounter with and elderly man in the park a year before. Faber is an ex-professor. Though reluctant initially, Faber finally agrees to work with Montag against the firemen. Faber provides Montag with a two-way radio earpiece and sends him on his way. That evening Montag loses his cool and reads some banned poetry aloud to his wife's friends. Not such a great decision. That night at the firehouse, Beatty taunts Montag by quoting contradictory passages from the same books. He's trying to prove that literature is confusing and problematic. Then he takes Guy to a fire alarm - at Guy's own house, called in by his wife, who flees the scene.
Plot Analysis
Complication: Faber comes into the mix; Montag reads Dover Beach aloud. Though it’s a good poem, it was a bad decision to read it. As Montag becomes more and more the rebellious figure, he seeks out accomplices. Mildred, being vapid (dull) and television-obsessed, doesn't work out. That's where Faber comes in. When Guy puts the two-way radio in his ear, he adds another layer to the identity crisis introduced in the conflict stage. When he reads the poem out loud, his private rebellion becomes public, which can only spell trouble in this rigidly policed society.
Symbolism and Allusion
Plato's Cave Allegory: Montag says, “Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave.” In Plato's Republic, the philosopher compares people to prisoners in a cave whose only reality is the flickering shadows on the wall cast by firelight. When people emerge from the cave into the sunlight they realize that what saw on the cave walls was not truth but only a reflection and they are able to experience reality and gain knowledge.
The Sieve and the Sand: Montag tries to memorize his books before Beatty destroys them. He likens this task to trying to fill a sieve with sand. He thinks that if he reads fast enough, maybe his mind can retain some of the knowledge.
Fahrenheit 451: Part Two - The Sieve and The Sand
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. The war is constantly in the background of Fahrenheit 451. Why does the government not inform people about it? Why are the people content to remain ignorant? Montag says, “I've heard minors; the world is starving, but we're well fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we're hated so much?” Does this have any relevance to our current world situation?
2. Faber says, "Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord." Why did they? Do you think there is a danger of this is happening in our own society? If so, how can it be prevented?
3. Why do you think Bradbury chose the poem "Dover Beach" for Montag to read to Mildred and her friends? Why do the women react the way they do?
4. What does Faber mean by “the terrible tyranny of the majority”? How has it shaped the society of Fahrenheit 451?
5. Why does Beatty quote to Montag from books that he has burned? Why would a well-educated, well-read man despise knowledge?
6. Faber says, "It's not books you need, it's some of the things that were once in books. The same things could be in the ‘parlor families’ today.” Do books have an inherent value or is it only the knowledge and ideas contained in them that’s important? Do you think books may someday disappear altogether? How do you feel about that?
As of May 25 and according to the NLESD Director of Education Tony Stack, home-learning plans will be suspended June 5 to allow teachers time to complete their final tasks and focus on preparing for 2020-21.
May 27, 2020 UPDATE
If we have been in communication regarding work you need to submit, this message is for you. My employer and administrator have communicated the following information. PLEASE NOTE:
- On-line learning ends on June 5th.
- All work that has been assigned for at-risk students and credit recovery is due no later than Friday, June 12th.
A number of you have been working on these overdue assessments since April. It's time to get those items in.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Time is ticking!
I hope you're all doing well.
Monday, June 1, 2020
Fahrenheit 451 is a novel I have always loved exploring with my students. There is something enlightening about the novel and how it treats issues surrounding censorship and fundamental freedoms. I know you all would have enjoyed studying it in person and viewing the film adaptation - 1960's movie special effects and all! I wish we could have read this together in person.
For this our official last week of at-home learning, please read Part Three of Fahrenheit 451. As with the previous parts, pay particular attention to any new
characters that are introduced, the setting, as well as any themes that continue
to emerge.
Once you have finished reading, consider why the third part was titled “Burning
Bright”.
Also, take a look at the bigger picture and reflect on how this novel can relate to
present-day society as a whole. When taking this into account, you must examine why it is important to study literature that has
been challenged.
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