Abandonment

My heart is like a bleeding soldier

Left to die on the mud-covered battlefield

My heart is like an emaciated, stray dog

Lingering in the reticent streets

My hear is like a withered leaf

Desperately clinging on to its branch

My heart is more forsaken than all these

Because abandonment has come to me

Leave me in a cold, concrete room

Surround me with piercing, barbed wires

Blanket me with a cloak of invisibility

And trample with the feet of those who know love

Besiege me with jovial, heartfelt families

As I continue to acknowledge my deserted heart

Because at the abyss of my heart has come,

Abandonment has come to me. 

IRB1 Favorite Excerpts

"Oh, just my mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking. It's like being a pedestrian, only rarer. My uncle was arrested another time - did I tell you? - for being a pedestrian. Oh, we're most peculiar."
"He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back."
"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made equal... A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man's mind."

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the author conveys many different points through carefully illustrated scenes. From these scenes, two stan out to me the most. One of the two scenes is the scene in which Montag, the protagonist, is confronted by Clarisse, a "normal" girl that is viewed as an outcast in Montag's dystopian society. This scene is significant due to the fact that to the reader, the actions that Clarisse does is viewed as normal but to Montag it is viewed as atypical. However, Montag finds these actions to be intriguing and his acquaintance with Clarisse helps him to realize his unhappiness. As a result, Montag later continues to go on a search for his happiness by reading books. The second scene that I found significant was the scene in which Montag's captain, Captain Beatty, explains the history of firemen to Montag. Beatty defends the disintegration of authenticity in a passionate, almost regretful tone. He is willing to defend the "equalization" of society yet he still remains educated himself for he has been exposed to the knowledge of books. He uses his book-educated mind, his "loaded gun," to manipulate Montag. THis draws the reader to the idea of whether Beatty chose his job for the fall from faith in books or to enable himself to gain illegal access to books through his position of authority. As a result, a clear tone of irony is drawn from this scene.

Choose A Topic...(Fahrenheit 451) Weblog 3

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, the author, describes the “civilized society” of the era as one that is not normal compared to the society we live in today. In this novel, there are many actions that the audience can see through the protagonist that may seem normal to them, however, these actions are considered a peculiarity and some even illegal in the story.

First, the concept of the “Fireman” is viewed differently. In the story, firemen were used to burn books, which were illegal during the time. This may be because of the general lack of interest in books that the people of this dystopian society may have. Instead, forms of entertainment are underscored. Different forms of entertainment include the television, radios blasting loud music, speeding cars, and vivid advertisements. To the protagonist, however, these forms of entertainment create a lifestyle with too much stimulation in which no one has the time to concentrate.

Next, the protagonist confronts a girl in the beginning of the book. The girl, Clarisse McClellan, is thought to be odd in this “civilized society”. In the story, Clarisse is alienated and viewed as an outcast because of her “strange” acts such as hiking, playing with flowers, and asking questions. To the audience, these are everyday, commonplace activities that one may do. However, these actions are regarded to be “thinking too much”. Then, Clarisse continues to talk about the endeavors of her family. She states that her “family sits around and talks”, a pedestrian act. The protagonist is stupefied at this. Therefore, we can already see a character that the audience may think of as “normal” in an unusual behaving society.

 In conclusion, the story embodies a dystopian society in which certain behaviors are reckoned as atypical but the audience may think of as realistic. However, through the eyes of the protagonist, it is viewed as bizarre and out of place to do such things. The story makes a connection to the readers by conspicuously pointing out that the different activities that the reader may do in the real world would probably be considered as unheard of or even illegal in the world of Fahrenheit 451.