Tuesday, September 29, 2015

What does the following quote fromRay Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 mean?Here we all are, Montag. Aristophanes and Mahatma Gandhi and Gautama...

This quote is Montag's introduction to the network: a group of men outcast from society who have memorised books, or sections of books, for the benefit of future generations. One man, for example, has memorised the works of Gandhi while another has memorised everything written by Confucius. This has happened on a widespread scale, with men across the country memorising books. Granger, the head of this network, tells Montag why the men have adopted this...

This quote is Montag's introduction to the network: a group of men outcast from society who have memorised books, or sections of books, for the benefit of future generations. One man, for example, has memorised the works of Gandhi while another has memorised everything written by Confucius. This has happened on a widespread scale, with men across the country memorising books. Granger, the head of this network, tells Montag why the men have adopted this method:



We read the books and burnt them, afraid they'd be found…Better to keep it in the old heads where no one can see it or suspect it. We are bits and pieces of history and literature.



When the time comes, says Granger, the men of the network will be called forward and, one by one, they will recite what they have memorised. This information can then be written down and books will be reborn. 


Montag can hardly believe that such a network exists and he quickly comes to realise that this method of rebellion is far superior to his and Faber's (which consisted of planting books in firemen's houses). Montag immediately joins this network and prepares for the day in which he will recite his chosen books: the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Book of Revelation.

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