Literary devices "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

    

Read , identify & write a comment on five of the following literary devices  on the second part of the novel “Fahrenheit 451” The Sieve and the Sand. (metaphor, simile, alliteration,irony,sarcasm, understatement, paradox, oxímoron). Make sure you perform a detailed analysis on the effect that the literary devices have on the reader and an explicit explanation of why you perceive that. Annotate and cite the necessary quotes as well as the corresponding pages.

SIMILE: 

"Sit down, Montag. Watch. Delicately, like the petals of a flower, Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly..." (p.72) 

Bradbury compares books with butterflies, if we detail the shape of a book it is similar to a butterfly and the pages are described as flowers. This simile critizes and highlights the delicacy, power and beauty of all books that are destroyed by humans and in this case fire. On the other hand, Bradbury used black butterflies in order to refered to the ashes that fire causes, also the dead of the beauty and color in their society. Everything becomes black and white such as our mind. 

METAPHOR:

"Part Two: The Sieve and Sand"

"... the silly thought came to him, if you read fast and read all, maybe some of the sand will stay in the sieve. But he read and the words fell through, in a few hours, there will be Beatty, and here will be me handing this over, so no phrase must escape me, each line must be memorized. I will myself to do it". (p.74) 

This metaphor explains Montag's goal to learn about all the things he reads in books: it's like the sand falling into the sieve, Montag thinks that if he reads fast, the book knowledge will maintain in his brain before it falls through the sieve of his mind. The sieve represents the mind and the sand the book's content. Reading a book with out dedication is not reading, reading is the power to introduce yourself into a "sea of letters"and try to find out the meaning of each sentence and the purpose of the author by telling us that story. Every book is complete mystery an the reader's goal is to find the correct clues in order to complete the puzzle of the story. 

IRONY: 

"The salamander devours his tail. Ho God" (p.82) 

The quote refers to Montag and Feber's plan on planting booms in the firemen's houses. In Montag's society if someone had books at their house, then the house must be burned by a fireman. Bradbury compares and animal killing itself to firemen burning their own house. The author uses a salamander because according to a theory,  salamanders can live in fire and be inmune to flames, just like firemen are supposed to be around fire. The author's purpose by using this literary device is show the reader how our society has being"brainwashed" and pushed us to do several things that does not correspond to our body and personality. Now a days, humans are being manipulated and used as toys in order achieve the society's goal of supreme power. 

SARCASM: 

"The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are" (p,82) 

Books tells us stories, experiences, thoughts and the point of view of reality according to the author. When he or she reads he/she reflects about the actions they took, life, family etc. The importance of books show us how humans play a key role in the world also  how the different writers, poets, philosophers and even children remind us all the stupid things we do day by day. Books are a complete evidence of human's actions through time and if we do not go farther our knowledge will be another piece of the big machine that later on will destroy us. 

 

PARADOX:

  “I saw the damnedest snake in the work the other night. It was death but it was alive. It could see but it couldn’t see. You want to see that snake?” (p. 69)

Montag was confuse about the snake, he couldn´t tell if it was real or not. The society they were living consumed them so fast that they would get lost into their own life and follow ideologies that later on cause them to lost their mind.  The author uses this type of literary device for the reader to be into the story and be as confuse as the main character. Are we lost? Yes we are, humans each day lost themselves into techonology, superficial and stupid things that does not make them feel proud and special. Our reality is a hard one and we just follow that stream because someone said it was good but no it is not, humans should focus more in their autenticity and personal things than worry about other's opinion. On the other hand, the question at the end of the quote invites the reader to join Montag in that specific scene and make the reader doubt about their goal and position in their society.

Paula Andrea Tavera.