The Hearth and the Salamander – Flashcards
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At the beginning of the story, how does Montag feel about his job? Give specific examples to support your response.
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He enjoyed it. It says in the book "It was a pleasure to burn"
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What is your first impression of Clarisse?
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She is weird, curious; there is something different about her.
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What memory does Montag encounter?
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(At the end of page 5) when he was a child and his mother found a candle
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What is Montag's reaction to Clarisse's question: "Have you ever read any of the books you burn?"
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He laughs and says, "That's against the law!"
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What do Clarisse and Montag argue about? What does Clarisse tell Montag that firemen used to do?
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They argue about happiness. She tells him that firemen use to put fires out instead of starting them.
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Explain the significance of Clarisse's speech about "blurs." What are the billboards 200 feet long?
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People don't always see things the way that they are. Cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last. "I sometimes think drivers don't know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly," she said. "If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! he'd say, that's grass! A pink blur? That's a rose-garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows. My uncle drove slowly on a highway once. He drove forty miles an hour and they jailed him for two days. Isn't that funny, and sad, too?"
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Why was Clarisse's uncle arrested? What does this indicate about the society in which they live?
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He drove to slow and he was being a pedestrian. That everyone has to follow the law exactly how it is written.
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What question finally offends Montag?
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"Are you happy?"
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What does his encounter with Clarisse remind him of?
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It reminds him of a time ago when he met an old man and they talked
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What do you think the author meant when he said, "How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought"? What does this question reveal about Montag's state of mind?
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How often do other people remind you of yourself? That he was lonely, empty
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How does the author describe Montag's home?
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It says at first that the house is not empty, but then it says it was indeed empty
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Why do you think Montag did not want to open the curtains or windows?
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He was embarrassed and didn't want others to see what was inside
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What does Montag find under his bed?
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The empty pill bottle
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Describe the machines. What do they do to Mildred? How do the men treat their "patient"? Why is it so "routine" to them?
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The machines were described as black snakes. One machine sucked out bad things, the other put in new blood. They don't seem to really care, because doing this is a regular thing to them.
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What does Montag hear after the men leave? What is his reaction?
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He hears laughter from Clarisse's house, and he wanted to go up on their porch and see what they were saying.
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Mildred's earpieces have been described as "electronic bees," "mosquito hums," and "hidden wasps." What are these earpieces? Why does she always have one in her ear? Why do you think Bradbury compares these devices to insects?
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These earpieces are called seashells. She always has seashells in her ears because she is so obsessed with technology. He describes them as insects because.........................................
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How does Mildred react when Montag tells her what happen the night before?
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She was confused, thought they had a crazy party. Kept saying why would I do that
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What is Mildred's "script" about? What part does she play? Why does she want to buy a fourth wall?
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The people on the TV show will pause for a response and she will answer. She wants to buy the fourth wall because the 'play' will be more fun, their room wouldn't be theirs, it would be like all kinds of exotic peoples rooms
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Why does Clarisse insist that Montag is not like the others?
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Because he is one of the few that put up with her
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Describe the Mechanical Hound. What is its purpose? How does Montag feel about the Hound?
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Look at page 21 and 22 for description of Hound. The firemen let loose chickens, rats etc. and watch the hound attack them. Montag is afraid of the hound.
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Why is Clarisse considered "anti-social"? How do the kids in this society entertain themselves? What is your reaction to this?
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Because she doesn't mix she doesn't think the same way as everyone else. Look at pages 27 and 28 for kids entertain themselves. My reaction is that is awful
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What do people talk about in this society? How is this different from our society? Why do you think Clarisse has such a problem with everything being "abstract"?
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They name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming pools and say how swell, they say all the same things. We talk about more interesting things, not everyone is saying the same thing. Because she wants everyone to be thinking like her, and its just boring with everyone talking about the same thing.
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What does Montag continually hear overhead?
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He hears the bombs and the planes at war
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Why do you think the woman stays in her house while it is burning?
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She wanted to show them that she would stand up for how wrong it was to burn book until death, she was making a statement that books are important
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What does Montag take from the burning house? Why? What does he do with it afterward?
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Montag takes a book from the house, because he read a line in it and it blazed in his mind. He puts it in his pillowcase afterward.
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What does Montag ask Millie about in their past? What do you think he asks her this important question? "When did we meet?" And where?
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I think he asks this because it proves that they don't really know each other or want to be in this relationship, or love each other.
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What does Montag realize about his relationship with his wife?
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He's not in love with her and she is not in love with him
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How does Mildred feel towards the characters in the parlor? Why is this disturbing to Montag?
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She consistently calls them apart of the family or a relative. This disturbs Montag because he doesn't know any of them or understands the point of watching them.
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What does Mildred tell Montag about Clarisse?
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How does she deliver this news? That her whole family moved, but she is dead. She was talking to him then said oh I forgot.
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30. Describe Montag and Mildred's relationship.
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They don't care/love each other, Mildred doesn't even care that Montag's sick, she just wants him to go to work, doesn't want to do anything for him.
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What does Montag learn about Beatty from his visit?
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That he had been through it too about being sick.
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What does Beatty tell Montag about how books disappeared? What is your reaction to his explanation?
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...
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From Beatty's speech, what does Bradbury reveal about his own fears about society? What ideas/concepts are true in our modern society?
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He reveals that some people know too much and that knowledge is not always good. People are always tying to make others happy and the same.
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How do you feel about Bradbury's predictions of school? Are there any truths to this assessment?
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I feel that he predicts school to be evil in the way that others shouldn't be left out because they don't know as much. Also, yes because some people are smarter.
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According to Beatty, who is to blame for the banishment and burning of books?
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The people/citizens read pages 51 and 52
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What are the people in this society allowed to read? What is the purpose of reading in this society?
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Magazines, comics, sex magazines, old confessions or trade journals
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According to Beatty, what is the firemen's primary job? What is the ultimate goal in this society?
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They were custodians of their peace of mind and the ultimate goal is to make everyone happy.
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What do the firemen do if one of their own "accidentally" steals a book?
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"We let the fireman keep the book twenty-four hours. If he hasn't burned it by then, we simply come burn it for him."
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Why are there no longer front porches in this society?
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They got rid of them because it was the wrong type of social life and people rocked and talked.
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What does Montag show Millie? What is her immediate reaction?
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20 or some books and she was shrieking and afraid, scared, terrified, paled, and her heart started racing.
