Fahrenheit 451: letter to Faber

Dear Faber,

            What an adventure it’s been! I hope things are well with you, and that you got out of the city safely. I did, but only narrowly escaped.

            My adventures continued when I left your house with a suitcase full of your clothes and the hope that I would make it out alive. I madly dodged through the streets, heading towards the river. As soon as I got into the river, the mechanical hound had reached the edge of the water. There were many helicopters and police buzzing around, all searching for me. After they got tired of waiting and left, I floated peacefully downstream, hoping to end up somewhere far away from the madness of the city. I assume that you saw part of this chase on your little television, but hopefully by that time you were on the bus out of the city. If you did happen to see the end of the chase, you probably realized that they faked finding me, instead targeting an odd man who happened to be out for a walk. I made my way along the rusty, old railroad tracks, heading towards a fire in the distance. There I met the “hobos”, part of a group of thousands, who are determined to keep the books alive and in tact by memorizing them, in whole or in part. The leader of this particular group is named Granger, and I think that you would really like these men. They are all very intelligent, like you, and have a great love for books as well. I hope that one day we will reunite and I can introduce you.  

            I am sure that you are aware of the bombs that targeted the city. It is very lucky that we were both out of there before they hit: I, having escaped into the country and you on an early bus out of the city. The city was completely demolished by the time the bombing had finished. When they start to rebuild it, I hope that they consider rebuilding the structure of our government system as well.

            As for my plans for the future, I think I am just going to get out there and experience the world as it really is, uncensored by anyone. Soon we will be heading to the city, to rise again from the ashes.

Sincerely,

Guy Montag

Fahrenheit 451: letter to Mildred

Dear Millie,

            You must have noticed over the past few weeks that I’ve been changing. I don’t feel like the same fireman that I was just a month ago. My whole point of view seems different now.

            I met a girl named Clarisse. The first time we talked reminded me somewhat of the first time I met Faber in the park. At first I thought she was quite obnoxious; however, as I got to know her better, I found that she was quite inquisitive and courageous. After spending a considerable amount of time talking with Clarisse, I realized that she had changed my perspective. Clarisse helped me to think for myself for once. Although she is probably dead now, Clarisse is the one who really put this change into motion.

            Now I have a thirst for books, and to be able to understand what is in them. While I realize that reading books is illegal, I have heard stories from a wise man called Faber of times when it was perfectly normal to read. He used to be an English professor at a university, until people stopped caring about learning and reading books.

            I know you say that books aren’t real, but neither is your “family” in the parlor. Books can transport you and let you experience the world as it is. All that your “family” does is shout at you, allowing you to participate in their pointless programs.

I sincerely hope that you will learn to think for yourself and grow to appreciate the knowledge and wisdom that books contain. Perhaps you will even undergo a change for the better as well.

Guy

Fahrenheit 451: letter to Montag

Mr. Guy Montag,

            It has come to my attention that you have acquired a certain interest in reading the books we burn. I, as the captain of our fire station, feel the responsibility to address this issue on behalf of our station.

            Always remember that you are ultimately saving the people of our country from the poison that books contain. You should consider yourself very privileged to be able to follow in the footsteps of your grandfather and father, as the job of a fireman is one of the most important jobs to protect our nation.

            Throughout my career, I have seen many firemen in your position, who are influenced by the great temptress: reading. All firemen go through this at one time or another. I want to remind you why we burn books. At one point, there was a book that appealed to everyone. Then technology became much more advanced, creating movies, computers and the radio. At the same time, the content of the advancements got simpler. Everything lowered its standards to become the new normal, so that everyone could understand and be considered “equal”. After this, the technology got better while books, with so much conflicting information, got shortened. Gradually people stopped wanting to read them, instead opting for the simpler options like watching wall-to-wall television. It became a fireman’s job to restore the peace that books disturb. There are so many minorities in this country that it is impossible to keep them all happy with the content of a book. We are in charge of incinerating and eliminating these materials so that the people of our country may live peacefully, without feeling uneasy and unequal.

            I hope that you will start to feel well enough to return to the station soon, and get back to normal. You are an important part of our station, and we depend on you.

Sincerely,

Captain Beatty

Dear Diary,

Dear Diary,

I'm in love! I am hopelessly, madly in love with Romeo Montague. It all started when we locked eyes at the ball last night. It may seem sudden, but as soon as I saw him I knew it was love. He took me into the back room, and after a little while kissed me. My first kiss! Nurse interrupted us though, because Mother wanted to speak with me. I know she wants things to work out with Paris, but I can't see myself loving anyone but Romeo. After the ball had ended, I went out to the balcony. I was thinking about the amazing things that had just happened to me, and could not get Romeo off my mind. Thinking no one else was listening, I started to talk about Romeo, and how it didn't matter that he was a Montague. It turned out that Romeo had scaled the wall into our courtyard and had heard me talking about how in love I was. It was so embarrassing! Romeo climbed up the balcony and we had a conversation across the railing. He professed his love to me and even asked me to get married! Today I'm sending the Nurse to find out more details. I only hope he hasn't changed his mind. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

Juliet

Here Goes Nothing

Wow... my first blog post! To be quite honest, it's kind of intimidating. (I can't tell you how many times I had to redo those first two sentences.) I think I'll try to keep the first post short and sweet and not get too carried away with things. I'm not 100% sure what will be going on this blog, as I got it for school but I'm sure I'll have other things to put on here as well. Well, here goes nothing!