When coming on the board today, I noticed several posts which seem to talk about F-451 without actually mentioning it in the initial post of the thread. Granted, it has been a hot topic lately, but Ray is a man who has authored many novels and hundreds of short stories. Since I have been on this board I have seen a vast knowledge of Ray's work by those who I agree with as well as those I do not. But this extremely recent influx of posters sounds like they only know of one novel. Go to the section that shows his works.

I got the impression that school's back in session and the teachers are having them read F451. I wish I could have been assigned books I'd have actually liked in school! I think, for those posters who've indicated that they don't like the novel, they should try his short stories or another full length novel; I'm sure they'd greatly enjoy his other works!

I've actaully enjoyed the influx of questions and dialoge on F451. I think students are getting hit with it in school, and even those who don't seem to get it are discussing it and it's ideas. I'm sure many will have the same experience I had. You read it, you like it, and then you go out on your own and try other stuff.

This influx is certainly better than the Michael Moore influx of a few months back!

Amen to that, Mr. Dark!

Mr Dark! ITS IDEAS! For shame, Sir!

Because F451 has so much life in it, I treat it's grammatical labeling as a personal possessive, as opposed to an impersonal on -- hence the apostrophe.

Nevertheless, I stand, humbly, corrected.

There are teachers out there who teach novels like this. As I have stated before, I have taught it in my English class. Often however, curriculum is set by administration so the teacher does not always have a full say in what they teach. I have been lucky enough to have choice in my career. Also, writing skills and grammar skills have become poorer over the years, and hence we are forced to spend more time in the 7-12 grade English classes on that aspect and cut down just a bit on the literature because the skills are not being taught as stringently as they should be in elementary school. I suggest to any parents out there to make sure reading in elementary school is taught through phonics. It is the best method. We who are over thirty were most likely all taught that way. If your child's school doesn't teach this way, find an after school phonics program or do it yourself. That way when we get them in secondary English, we can focus more on literature.

I've started college, been studying, feeling that I learned more from being a member of the labor force then as a student.

I ask you older generations this. Many of you have stated that you see America going down. A lot of you blame the youth. I ask you why do you think this is happening?

I have my own answere, I'm just curiouse as to what you have to say.

I don't see America going down. We are the only candle of enlightenment shinning in the darkness of ignorance and intolerance, a safe-haven for the people of the world who would leave their native lands and start again just to experience the thrill of indepenence and the true taste of freedom.

The current generation does labor under the heavy and increasing burden of having to master more and more facts and data in a lifetime of learning. They start earlier and must work ever harder just to keep up with the exponential curve of knowledge growth that occurs in a lifetime.

In one hundred years Mankind has moved from a country farm life and horses for transportation to virtual reality and space travel. What will happen in the next fifty years? Only those who can accept rapid change and adapt to it will enjoy the future. Technoogy can help. Imagine having chips embedded in your head that automatically translate from your language to mine as we speak to each other, or the ability to use nanomachines to fix probelms in our bodies and to correct birth defects.

The downside? Where will all the people fit on this planet? It is mind boggling to try and see the future. But each generation has its prophets and Ray Bradbury was among the best of ours. His eternal optimism for the future of the Human Race is the singular characteristic of his make up that I admire the most.