Columns

Alright everybody, in class we are starting a columnist unit. So for homework I had to read a bunch of columns. They are stories that are in first person(typically) and they take a side to something and write about it.  Also, they normally have a personal story in them that helps show their point.  It is like a news article but it has opinion and not only facts and statistics.

There was this one column, "the mother of all parties" it was about how moms are always stressing out about parties and have to have the best party out of all the other parties.  It speaks about what the author, as a husband, sees while his wife busies around to throw the best birthday party.  The whole thing is about the birthday parties but there is a hidden purpose for the column.  The main idea is woven throughout the story; and all of the others that I have been reading.  The real meaning in it was that sometimes you just have to step back and let things go as they should.

Theme Project

heme Statement:

Censorship causes diminished individual thought

By:Morgan Register, Abigail Gunter, Sudarsana Addepalli, Brianna Smith, and Megan Hernandez

        Bell 3

Timeline:

• In the beginning, Montag burns books because as a fireman he thinks that it is best for society.
• Montag meets Clarisse and finds her peculiar due to her deep insights on society and how she spends lots of time thinking.
• After Montag sees a lady go down with her books, he begins to question his beliefs on censorship.
• Montag goes and talks to Faber.  He thinks Faber is interesting because Faber is not affected by the censorship surrounding them in society.
• Montag tries to shed some light for Mildred and her friends by reading them a poem, but the plan backfires.
• Montag returns to the firehouse to continue the “book burnings” but finds that their next assignment is his house.
• Montag runs from the government and escapes to the woods and joins Granger and the book people to continue his growth of individual thought and knowledge.

Quotes:

1. “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed”(Bradbury 1).
2. “The Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom” (Bradbury 122)
3. “So long as the vast population doesn’t wander about quoting the Magna Carta and The Constitution, it’s all right,” (Bradbury 147).

Theme to story importance: This theme is crucial to understanding the book because, the premise of the story is based upon the censorship of books and knowledge.

Theme to society connection: This theme is relevant to our society today because censorship plays a major role in how economical information is presented and how it is designed to sway opinions.  It is important for us to study this theme because it helps us to remain aware of the freedom of having individual thoughts and the ability to gain knowledge.