I enjoy rereading books. Or at least I did, back when I had time to read books! One book has held the top spot as being the most re-read book in my collection, Farenheit 451. Odd choice for a favorite re-read I know. But from the moment I was first introduced to Guy Montag to the moment I imagined a world where everyone became a walking book as the printed word vanished, I was hooked. Perhaps that is part of why I have such a hard time with technology such as the K*ndle. If ever a man saw what was coming, Bradbury did. From envisioning the advent of reality television and audience participation shows such as American Id*l to understanding how visual media would dull the mind until it could no longer appreciate good literature (just read reviews on any website for classic novels, which typically contain an abundance of complaints about how boring and difficult these books are to read), it is all there in that humble little book. Last week I pulled it out again, and handed it to the crocodile hunter to read for the first time. I have patiently waited for him to complete it so I might pick it up again. Guess now I will tip my hat to Ray Bradbury, and read it again in tribute.
5 comments:
Yes, perhaps it's time to pull that one back off the shelf. Bradbury was remarkably prescient. His science "fiction" has hit the nail on the head an uncomfortable number of times.
I don't own a Kindle either. (:
I refuse to own an e-reader. If I'm going to carve out time to read, I'm going to have pages in my hand. Also not a fan of reality shows- the "real" ones have suffered because the scriptwriters have become lazy. Okay, enough of my soap box. haha
I neve read Farenheit 451, and did not hear the story until my daughter read it last year or the year before in high school. I was simply amazed! I kept saying things like, "You mean he wrote about people listening through ear buds?" "He wrote about reality TV taking the place of time with family and friends?" "He wrote about people killing time (and maybe other things) by driving fast in their cars at night?" It seemed like a book of prophecy to me. God works in mysterious ways, our culture has surely been warned...
I used to teach this novel when I taught 10th grade English at my public HS. IT is SOOOOO good. The horribly sad thing is that even it was too complex for some of my students, who thought IT was "boring". Sigh. Let me know if you want some activities to go with it. The changing meaning of the fire symbolism is a cool thing to analyze.
Monica - I would love to hear any ideas or activities you might have!
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