Curriculum  /  ELA  /  10th Grade  /  Unit 1: "If This Goes On..." Technology, Truth, and Happiness in Fahrenheit 451  /  Lesson 10

"If This Goes On..." Technology, Truth, and Happiness in Fahrenheit 451

Lesson 10
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ELA

Unit 1

10th Grade

Lesson 10 of 21

Objective

Analyze how two key scenes reveal Montag's dual personality at the end of Part 2.

Readings and Materials

  • Book: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury  pp. 89 – 106 — "Part 2: The Sieve and the Sand"

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Target Task

Discussion & Writing Prompt

On page 99, Montag thinks, "Now, he knew that he was two people, that he was, above all, Montag who knew nothing, who did not even know himself a fool, only suspected it. And he knew that he was also the old man who talked to him and talked to him…" Explain how Montag's feelings and behavior in the dinner party scene and firehouse scene reveal these two dual personalities.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking

Close Read Questions

Consider the poem the excerpt from "Dover Beach" that Montag reads to the women. Why do you think Bradbury would choose this poem for Montag to read? In what ways does it reflect Montag's conflict at this point in the novel? Provide specific examples from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

What details, imagery, and figurative language does Bradbury use to characterize Mildred and the other women in this scene? What is the effect of those choices on our understanding of the characters and what values they represent? Provide specific examples from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

What is Beatty's goal in describing his dream on pages 103–104, and how does he go about achieving it? Provide specific examples from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

Vocabulary

Text-based

ruinous

adj.

(p. 92)

disastrous or destructive

homely

adj.

(p. 93)

(of a person) unattractive in appearance

beatific

adj.

(p. 104)

blissfully happy

parry

v.

(p. 103)

ward off with a countermove

rebut

v.

(p. 104)

claim or prove that an accusation or evidence is false

perfunctorily

adv.

(p. 105)

quickly, without care or interest

displace

v.

(p. 106)

to take over the place, position, or role (of someone or something)

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Standards

  • RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
  • RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.10
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9
W.9-10.10

Next

Unpack a writing prompt and use a graphic organizer to gather evidence in preparation for a two-paragraph response.

Lesson 11
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