Hi, Just thought I'd share a thought or two upon current book "fahrentheit 451" which I've almost read,very near the end now. What a fantastic book on many levels,the story is so compelling and humanistic and is asking many questions, and yet does not answer everything. I feel maybe we the readers must ask ourselves where we stand now, today standing in our own futuristic reality, i.e what's important ? are we happy with all our toys and gadgets? But personally speaking this book has really made me feel quite angry, and mad at the way society has changed in my own life time and speaking from a English way of life stle view-point. Here and now some of the elements in Ray's vision of the future are taking place and are becoming the norm" for example TV seems to dominate people's lives with endless mind numbing programmes..x fact..big bro..brit's got talent..the soaps.. and a daily feed of grivle from across the pond to name but a few items. Also in the uk the obsession with booze and mobiles/text/facebooking makes me think that, even with out government intervention the populous is doing a good job of self mutilation and selling it's self short... and the world in general is still obsessed with war , destruction , money and hasn't seemed to learned any lessons from history and for all it's brillent inventions we as people are going back to the caves, am I alone in thinking this way, I wonder how many others feel the same ??But getting back to the book it's a fantastic if disturbing book, and i was looking up on wilkepedia about the differences with the book and the film (1966) and I'm so glad I read the book first, I haven't once saw a film that can match your own imagination and the printed words to paint such brilliant images as the human mind. Kind of proving the written word is more dramatic and important than even the latest Cgi's of the new movies. what do you think ? but what great lines for example when montag's asking Faber what's the meaning or answers behind why books are so important and should they be kept alive? to which Faber replies " don't ask for guarantees, don't look to be saved in any one thing, peson, machine, or libary. do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for the shore"...
powerful words and what a challenge to us cowards out here !!!! I'm still enjoying reading this book and will be sad to see the adventure end......regards dave

You are JUST now reading Fahrenheit 451? What have you been reading the past 70 years?

yeah it's almost time to take to the tracks . if you really wanna be scared , check out the robot dog thing , our lovely millitary industrial complex had produced , and see if it reminds you of anything .
i think but am not sure , i have to read it again , but he was sort of saying at the end that total destruction was the only hope of turning everything around . it had to get where it was going , almost like a wish . so it could be wiped clean . thoughts ?

i've just stsarted reading it again after 10 years , thanks dave

Hi,
been reading lots of ray's book over the years mainly the short stories - so getting around to some of the novels I've missed, but what gems await ,,,but who's read everything by every author,,,
just finished Fahrenheit 541 and what a great novel, so powerful and raw and sadly a true reflection of the society we are living in today,, I guess what i was saying was that i hate people missing the oppurtunity to live and like the book says or implies "get your heads out of the t.v,,drugs..booze,,violence and bull**** and start living and loving and enjoy what you 've got ,,if you know what i mean, and the conclusion in Ray's book was the only way to end it, sad as that seems but no one's thinking of the wars in the world they seem to be a foot note to the late night news, and then suddenly it all goes bang,, unfortunealy in a world were god and religion is fading one control is replaced by another,,, do you think ???
I'm not yet 70,,27 yrs old with 21 yrs experience, but been reading among others
..steinbecks..
h.g wells,,
phil.k (kindred)dick ..
asminov..
a.c clarke,,
Omraam milhael aivanhov,,
eckhart tolle,,
william trevor,,
richard matheson..
e. a poe..
james blish,,
rud,, kiplying..
aesop's fables.
jill morris,,
Earnst hemmingway..
roald dahl,,
dickens,,
fred wander..
premo levi..

amongst others but I try not to read everything by one particular writer as i would't have stuff to look forward too, or consider... how about other members , what else do you all read ???

i most recentl read "the wreckage of agathon" i forget the author , then "rant" by chuck palunik<sp

quote:

Originally posted by dave/l'pool artist:
...I'm not yet 70,,27 yrs old with 21 yrs experience, ...

I didn't get it when Kukai_Aoki asked what you'd been reading for 70 years, but assumed you must have said you were 70 and I had missed it.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:

I didn't get it when Kukai_Aoki asked what you'd been reading for 70 years, but assumed you must have said you were 70 and I had missed it.

Hah, no, no, no.

I made an error, I meant 60 years. Y'know, the 60 (give or take) years that Fahrenheit 451 has been out in the open for all to read?

It was supposed to be a joke.

Sigh...

I walked past a sale table today, and there it was - a nice new HarperVoyager paperback of F451, so I bought it, of course. Oddly enough, I think it's only my second copy of the book. With Bradbury books, you feel you need spares

quote:

Originally posted by douglasSP:
...With Bradbury books, you feel you need spares

Ah, so true. I own five copies of The Illustrated Man, two copies of Dandelion Wine, seven copies of ...i sing the body electric (I once was part of a book club with 6 other eager readers) and three copies of Death is a Lonely Business.

Every other Ray Bradbury book I only have one copy of, which is sad considering my collection.

fahrenheit 451 is a great. i confess it didn't appeal to me the first time i read it back in high school. glad to have second chances in life. rereading it for the second time made me realize how good it is.

actually, i did a review of it here:

http://plaridel.wordpress.com/...7/26/fahrenheit-451/

Dave, Wikipedia is part of the problem and by problem I mean the reality of Fahrenheit 451. See, they don;t have to burn a book, no one reads them anyway (save for people like us). Our literary works are being destroyed along with the youth's minds and these problems coincide. It's all part of the plan to dumb down the American public. Was this the true meaning of former President Busch's infamous banner, "Mission Accomplished?"

Busch?

BrII: A naturally liberated dried busch is a tumbleweed. Right old friend!?

F451 is a classic for all times.
Well...I still cover well over 2000 pages of literature when teaching a full year course. Kids still love to read when the person handing out the texts has a purpose, as well as some tricks up his/her sleeve. (Then, of course, one also needs to address composition, research topics, and oral presentations.)

I prepare students for classes that can earn college credit if they choose to enroll in "AP" Eng 11-12 studies. Almost all do so. Our success rate over the past several years has been well into the 90 percentiles (for credits earned.)

The last message I placed on a bulletin board yesterday before departing from final classroom details, as a new school year lurks next Tuesday: "It was a pleasure to burn." This was an unplanned, last second, lights already turned out whim. Ironically, it had caught my eye amongst the many filed materials I was putting away.

The phrase had been boldly and creatively designed by one of my students last spring as a part of a F451 presentation. Reason!? I had minutes earlier placed Joe Mugnaini's classic fireman on the same bulletin with the simple message "READ!" attached below the image.
http://www.coverbrowser.com/im...tine-books/217-1.jpg

I never met-a-phor I didn't like! The apples in our backyard tree will never make a pie of themselves. They need to be gathered, prepared, and baked -- just right.

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