Question # 1 Period 2

[Rebecca]

[Dallas]

The firemen arent really accomplishing that job because on pg. 9 it states "He was not happy. He was not happy... He recognized this as the true state of affairs." At least not for montage they arent

[Allison]

Fireman might think they are "custodians of peace of mind" but they are making life for people worse. Montag says "Nobody listens any more. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what i have to say ." This shows that what firemen are doing are leaving people unhappy. Montag can't have a conversation with his wife because she is so invested in her "family". The people in society that are unhappy are the ones who aren't blinded to the words the firemen give to them. 

[Daisy]

Those who are happy are being brainwashed like their "parlors" who they consider their "family". People who have knowledge for example the "book burners" had to leave there homes and families just because they loved their books. Clarisse was a happy person because she lived her life to the fullest. She didn't care of what people thought of her but in her society she's consider weird and strange. Bradbury wrote " I'm very social indeed.It all depends on what you mean by social,doesn't it? (27)."

[Stephanie]

I think the only people that were truly happy at the start of the novel were Clarisse and the people that were living by the railroad tracks. For example, at the beginning of the book Clarisse says to Montag, "I like to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all night, walking, and watch the sun rise." and then later on she asks if Montag is happy and he starts to really think about it. I think that the "odd balls" are the people who are actually happy with their life and happy to live.

[Dallas]

They are also not accomplishing these jobs because the book states "'At least once in his career, every fireman gets an itch. What do books say, he wonders." If the fireman were completely blissfully happy and would have no curiosity for books. But no every once in a while a fireman gets curios and according to the book curiosity and complexity equal unhappiness.

[Rebecca]

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the fireman's job is to burn books to keep the citizens happy. I don't necessarily believe that the books are the cause of the unhappiness in their world. For example, Clarisse was more than happy. She was a 16 year old girl, and she observed everything that she passed. She asked Montag "Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out  instead of going to start them?" No body knew about this, yet she did. She was still happy. "Did you know that once billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last." Montag didn't know any of the things this 16 year old girl was telling him. Montag was unhappy, "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." The thing about this, Clarisse did not wear a mask. Her happiness was general. Montag thought she wore a mask because he was so unhappy he thought everyone was. The constant suicides in the town proves everybody was so unhappy, all the time. They said it was normal, that they don't even need a doctor when someone tries to commit suicide. This is terrible. How is a 16 year old girl happy when everyone else is miserable and they don't even realize it? This is because they don't take the time of day to slow down and look at the great things in life. Like the dandelion.

[Rebecca]

I didn't even think of putting the parlors and Mildreds "family" as my evidence for this question, great thinking!