COMMUNITY OF READERS
October 2006

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

As part of our Community of Readers for the SEEK Pre-Freshman Summer Program, all entering SEEK students, faculty, and tutors will read John Steinbeck's book, Fahrenheit 451 .

        The Community Read discussions will take place the week of October 30, 2006. As you know our book is Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. Please make sure you have completed the book prior to your class meeting.

        Your assignment is in two parts. The first part is due on the day of your counseling class meeting the week of October 30. It will be handed in to your CUNYCAP and it also should be included in your Benchmarks Portfolio. The second part is due on November 10 as part of your Benchmarks assignment. All answers should be typed and should be written in clear essay form. You may use the tutors in the SEEK Tutoring Center to assist you with your assignment.

Part I
(You may choose either question 1 or 2 and everyone must complete questions 3 and 4).

1. Is there a positive side to censorship that allows communities to function smoothly even though people might not have access to books or information? Is there censorship today and if there is, can it be justified? Explain your answer.

OR

2. This book was published in 1953 more than 50 years ago. Many of the technological trends in this book have come true in the past 50 years. Reflect on how technology was controlling the lives of the characters in Fahrenheit 451 and how technology shapes our lives today. Please be specific.

AND

3. If you had an opportunity to save only one book or a single document, what book would you choose? Why? Please choose a book or document other than the books mentioned in the text.

AND

4. Write two interpretive and two evaluative Critical Inquiry questions based on your reading of the book.

Reflect on your summer Critical Inquiry readings, keeping our theme of “Freedom and Responsibility” in mind. Here are some examples from your Critical Inquiry course:

Recall Antigone’s statement of “having criminally done holy things.”

The Declaration of Independence – “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government…”

Martin Luther King Jr. in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” – “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

With your summer readings in mind, consider Fahrenheit 451.

1. How do Guy Montag’s actions fit into the themes presented by these quotes? Were his actions j ustified? Why or why not?


2. Is it ever OK to break the law? Use evidence from your readings to support your answer.