Most people have a time in life when people tell them they are wrong, they can’t do it, they have to conform to society’s limits. But, inside of them,  they know none if this is true. They are supposed to be free to do what they want for themselves. In Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” and Kesha’s “Praying” both acknowledge this situation when even if the world is beating down on them, screaming NO!!! , they know that really, they can say YES , I’m proud of who I am. In “Fahrenheit 451”, Montag is beaten upon by society for reading books, but he knows his life is changed for the better when he opens those books. In “Praying”, The speaker knows that they are a beautiful, amazing person even if someone in a past relationship or experience degraded and tried to ruin them.

 

In both texts, we  find a common theme that you need to make your own decisions and be yourself. In  “Fahrenheit 451”, Montag was told his whole life that reading was horrible and that it is the root of all things evil. He believes this lie for most of his life so far, blindly following the lie. But, when he reads a line from a falling book, it changes everything. He realizes literature is beautiful and decides to follow his own path, knowing that this was right all along. In “Praying”, Kesha states “Well, you almost had me fooled, told me I was nothing without you” which shows that she was strong enough to fight for herself and show she had her own path. Another quote is “I’m proud of who I am, no more monsters I can breathe again. And you said that I was done, well you were wrong and the best is yet to come.” This shows she found her own path after proving she is amazing and she knows what is best for her.

 

In spite of these texts showing that you can be stronger than others who are beating you down, there are differences between how this theme comes about. In “Fahrenheit 451”, Montag proves he is strong and knows what he is doing by reading and being proud of it. Kesha  is showing she is strong by getting out of an abusive relationship and telling her story of her freedom and strength. In praying, the speaker states, “You brought the flames and put me through hell, I had to learn how to fight for myself.” Also, Montag is running towards a life enriched with literature, while Kesha is running away from an abusive relationship.

 

In both “Fahrenheit 451” and “Praying”,  Bradbury and Kesha speak about the importance of knowing that you can make your own decisions. After studying both texts, readers can conclude that that it is up to them to let the world beat them down and give in, or get up, dust yourself off, and try again.

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel by Ray Bradbury. It’s set in a futuristic world where books are illegal and firemen burn houses, but only if they contain books. Guy Montag is a fireman, but he is different. He learns to love books after meeting several people that made a difference and reading a line out of a book in an old woman’s house. He begins to read and enjoy literature, which gets his house burned. He then becomes a fugitive after killing three to save his books. One lesson in this story is that books  have the power to change lives.

Since the beginning of the novel, the details and imagery in the book shows that literature can change the way people think, go about their daily tasks, and ultimately how it can change their lives. In this world, books are banned because literature was poisoning people’s minds, as they found that people would often have depression or mental illnesses and the government thought literature caused it. The author describes how Montag is restless and can’t go back to work after stealing and reading a book. In the text, the author states, ” He had chills and fever in the morning. ” and “I wasn’t alright.”  It also greatly effects Mildred’s mental health after Montag starts reading to her. She starts talking to her “TV Family” more and she becomes irritable and is upset by many things.  Learning about literature also greatly changed Montag’s life. Clarisse taught him about the world before its nuclear wars and about how people used to read books. Her inquisitive nature also causes him to become curious and start reading.

In the middle of the novel, The author continues the theme. Beatty has a conversation with Montag, which is a precursor to Montag’s house being destroyed, but Montag doesn’t catch on that he needs to get rid of his books. In the text, the author states ” A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind. Who knows who might be the target of the next well-read man? ” This quote shows that Beatty finds books and readers dangerous. However, Montag keeps the books. He reads them to Mildred. They spend their days together. Another precursor to the end is the fact that “The Hound” ( a large metal contraption that kills book readers) is sent to their home. “Mildred  sat across the hall from him.’ What does it mean? It doesn’t mean anything! The captain was right!’ ‘Here now,’ said Montag. ‘We’ll start over again, at the beginning.’ ” Another quote is ” The parlor was dead and Mildred kept peering in at it with a blank expression as Montag paced the floor and came back and squatted down and read a page as many as ten times, aloud.” These lines develop the theme very well, as it shows how the books are changing Montag.

The theme of the book shows through at the end too. The first example is that Montag becomes a fugitive after killing three others to protect his books. On page 113, the author states , ” And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him. ” One example of this is that Montag found a band of outcasts who memorized literature. The band is made up of professors that met each other while wandering the country sides, trying to find a place where they fit in. On page 143, the text states ” We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn’t be here. When we were all separate individuals, all we had was rage. I struck a fireman when he came to burn my library years ago. I’ve been running ever since. You want to join us Montag? ”  This shows how the theme was developed through the end of the story.

The last few paragraphs have shown how the theme has developed throughout the story, but what if the theme didn’t really fit? Any of the major events that happened in this book could’ve been due to circumstance as Montag went through a mid-life crisis. Books would just be a pawn in this destructive game of life.  To support this counter, the text states ” ‘It doesn’t  like  me,’ said Montag. ‘ What, the Hound?’ The Captain studied his cards.” This shows that Montag was irritable and freaked out by the hound, which could’ve set off a chain reaction of events. Also, towards the end of the story, Montag killed the other two men for just standing there after he murdered Beatty. In the text, the author states, “They turned, their faces like blanched meat, streaming with sweat; he beat their heads, knocking off their helmets and bringing them down on themselves.” However, books have a lot to do with the major events, as Montag  killed Beatty after having a nervous breakdown about his books, so once again, books have the power to change lives.

I am currently reading a book called Strange Truth by Maggie Thrash. It is a mystery set in the present at a private school in Atlanta. The main characters are Benny Flax, a stubborn boy with a certain hatred for adults, and Virginia Leeds, a gossip girl with a mysterious background. Together they investigate the suicide of Brittany Montague, or rather her framed suicide. These two dive into the deep , tangled mystery of murder, jealousy, and the secrets the school really hides.

This book is a captivating mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I do recommend reading if  you enjoy plot twists. I would rate it 4.5/ 5 stars , because the book will take some time to read as it is over 300 pages. It is a series, and you can check this book out at the public libraries.      FUN FACT: The title of the book is also known as We Know It Was You, because the copyright was changed so the book title would fit in with the name of the series, which is The Strange Truth series. The second book is called Strange Lies.

The book I chose to read is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray  Bradbury. The book is set in a bleak, dystopian future where books are illegal and firemen start fires instead of putting them out. Guy Montag is one of these firemen, and he burns books to make a measly living. The book is set in 2053 in the United Sates, but the exact location is unknown. The environment is similar, but most people don’t go outside and the sidewalks aren’t really supposed to be used . There is also a curfew in place for everyone. The book’s setting is different than where I live, because we can’t have talking walls installed, and we don’t have robot bugs that play music or sounds. Hounds, the robotic dogs that take people down and kill them with morphine don’t exist either. To show an example of the parlor ( talking walls) , the author wrote this line.”The living room; what a good job of labeling that was now. No matter when he came in, the walls were always talking to Mildred.”

The main character is Guy Montag, a fireman. His main problem starts when he meets Clarisse, his 16 year-old neighbor, who tells him about the past and causes him to question the profession he has held for 20 years. His father and grandfather were firemen, so he felt obligated to become one. Clarisse tells him about the past , and he has a profound realization that the world isn’t as it seems. Montag is similar to me because he is a person. He is also wary of creepy things. He is different because he starts fires and has never experienced the joy of reading a book. When he was speaking to  Clarisse , she asked “Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of starting them?” which causes Montag to question what firemen really used to do.

In 1st period , Mrs. Henderson’s class works on yet another paper. Many students grumble about the lack of interesting topics covered in that class. Later in the day, many of them saw small foam capsule animals. They questioned where they came from. They had come from Mrs. Henderson’s science classes.

 

At first it seemed like there wasn’t enough time , that they would do it the next day. It never happened. The foam animals were to never be seen by her first period class. However, they saw a packet never to be done by other classes. Is this busy work to try to get the poor performance students on track? Bystander, Claire McCoy , who has the teacher 6th period, disagrees. “It isn’t fair that 1st period does different work than us. It’s the same science class with the same lessons as the others. ” she stated in an interview.

Picture this , you were in a class with other people that you felt were smarter than you, even if you were all at the same level. If you got a special curriculum with lots of papers for practice instead of doing hands on activities to help you learn with the rest of the class, how would you feel? Different, Singled out? That’s what these 1st period students who have realized the difference are feeling.

 

Jason Draper, a science teacher and concerned parent believes this issue needs to be dealt with. “Last year my step-kids didn’t cover any of the required Indiana health standards. This year they have the same science teacher and one isn’t doing the same thing the other is.”  There are many ideas as to why the lessons are different. Only 21% of this class had a final grade above a C average in science class last year. Maybe this work is to help improve grades.

On September 13th , Mrs. Henderson announced this to her class. ” You think these videos are just chat time. We are a lab down and all you do is talk.” Maybe the work has something to do with the chatting. In an article about kids being affected by outside noises, the research shows that ” By contrast, researchers found students with poor attention skills benefited from the additional noise…” .  This shows that the majority of the students would benefit from noise, but most teachers think that conversation or background noise would cause a problem.

 

Many of the people in this class are very social and are friends with each other. This causes complications in the classroom. Many students don’t want to do the work either. This causes frustration , as many people are failing the class due to missing assignments. According to a student in her 4th period, Mrs. Henderson is “tired and frustrated because of my 1st period.” An interview with Mrs. Henderson was held on the 14th .  While speaking to the reporter, she stated  “Well, 1st period was behind on the cricket lab. I had a conversation with Mr. Balmoria and we decided it would be best to finish the original lab instead of doing another assignment and constantly getting behind the other classes from all of the chatter and socializing.” Maybe, the students are at fault…

 

On the 18th of September, 2017, Mrs. Henderson was speaking to her class. She stated ” Hey!! I need you guys to stop talking. Group 1 is presenting their boat and I need you to be respectful and quiet.” That morning the class had to copy a chart for psl. Only 9% of the class had their psl done before announcements. What are the students doing that causes them to be irresponsible? It might have something to do with the fact that 78% of the class would rather socialize than do work.

 

Many peers get in trouble daily for talking, using their phones during class, or sitting in the wrong seat because they want to talk to friends, whether online or IRL friends. When a classroom should be running smoothly with no complications in the plan, these “bumps” are causing many problems. The class stops many times during during the period to deal with these common nuisances. Snapchat or Instagram , social media platforms, are commmonly used in this class while Mrs. Henderson is trying to teach. An un-named student almost got her phone taken away because she was using social media during class.

 

The few that want to get their work finished in class find the problems incredibly disturbing. Delaney Wilson, a student in this class has comments about this issue. ” My class always has extra homework. It’s annoying that we never get any work done.”  What can be done about this issue? So far, nothing. The seating chart has been changed once a week, and a card is given to decide which group we get in during labs. Still , the problem hasn’t been solved. Can this obstacle of socialization be solved? The outlook on this isn’t good. Many teachers find the problem, but can’t find a solution. Many kids think the problem shouldn’t be solved. So, who is really at fault, the kids or the teachers?

 

In 1st period , Mrs. Henderson’s class works on yet another paper. Many students grumble about the lack of interesting topics covered in that class. Later in the day, many of them saw small foam capsule animals. They questioned where they came from. They had come from Mrs. Henderson’s  science classes.

 

At first it seemed like there wasn’t enough time , that they would do it the next day. It never happened. The foam animals were to never be seen by her first period class. However, they saw a packet never to be done by other classes. Is this busy work to try to get the poor performance students on track? Bystander, Claire McCoy , who has the teacher 6th period, disagrees. “It isn’t fair that 1st period does different work than us. It’s the same science class with the same lessons as the others. ” she stated in an interview.

Picture this , you were in a class with other people that you felt were smarter than you, even if you were all at the same level. If you got a special curriculum with lots of papers for practice instead of doing hands on activities to help you learn with the rest of the class, how would you feel? Different, Singled out? That’s what these 1st period students who have realized the difference are feeling.

 

Jason Draper, a science teacher and concerned parent believes this issue needs to be dealt with. “Last year my step-kids didn’t cover any of the required Indiana health standards. This year they have the same science teacher and one isn’t doing the same thing the other is.”  There are many ideas as to why the lessons are different. Only 21% of this class had a final grade above a C average in science class last year. Maybe this work is to help improve grades.

On September 13th , Mrs. Henderson announced this to her class. ” You think these videos are just chat time. We are a lab down and all you do is talk.” Maybe the work has something to do with the chatting. In an article about kids being affected by outside noises, the research shows that ” By contrast, researchers found students with poor attention skills benefited from the additional noise…” .  This shows that the majority of the students would benefit from noise, but most teachers think that conversation or background noise would cause a problem. Many of the people in this class are very social and are friends with each other. This causes complications in the classroom. Many students don’t want to do the work either. This causes frustration , as many people are failing the class due to missing assignments. According to a student in her 4th period, Mrs. Henderson is “tired and frustrated because of my 1st period.” An interview with Mrs. Henderson was held on the 14th .  While speaking to the reporter, she stated  “Well, 1st period was behind on the cricket lab. I had a conversation with Mr. Balmoria and we decided it would be best to finish the original lab instead of doing another assignment and constantly getting behind the other classes from all of the chatter and socializing.” Maybe, the students are at fault…

 

Late in August 2017, it was announced that the News Sentinel will no longer be an evening paper. It was decided that the paper will be completely digitized sometime in October. After 184 years of being in print, the company has decided that it will be able to reach a wider audience if it is completely online. However, the Journal Gazette is planning to have a section where an article from News Sentinel will be published. The 2 rivaling newspapers have a renewed contract that goes through 2075 stating that they will work together. Sherry Skufca, editor of the Journal Gazette supports this idea. ” We are very happy with the News Sentinel as it plots its course through the future. ” , She stated in an interview .

For 150 years, Fort Wayne has been a 2 newspaper town. The transition will change a lot of things, but the goal is to make the news paper available to a much wider audience. Both newspapers will still have their own independent voices when they start printing the clearly marked News Sentinel article in the Journal Gazette. It is to be determined what will be featured in The Journal Gazette.

I had a pretty exciting weekend. It started off with my friends, Regina and Claire coming home with us for a sleepover. We went to the mall and went inside Think Geek and Hot Topic. After that, we went back to my house and went swimming. Later, while we were playing Truth or Dare, we were surprised with a puppy!!!!! At first, our dog Eddie wasn’t very happy because we were thrilled with the fact we got to hold and play with this little fluff ball. He looked like we betrayed him because no one wanted to pay attention to him. He was awfully sad but on Sunday he was happier. on Saturday , he still wasn’t thrilled and Claire and Regina went home. Eddie still wasn’t happy, but he realized he had a new little friend to play with. On Sunday, he was running around with Darwin the puppy. I was sad that I didn’t get to watch them play, because Mr. Hoering gave us … HOMEWORK!! (what a nice thing to do, right?) That was my weekend.

The last book I read was “The Program” by Suzanne Young. The book is a dystopian romance about a world where you are sent to a rehab facility for showing any signs of sadness an suicide in teenagers is a national epidemic. Sloane is the main character of the book and it follows her story through her depression and her time in the program. The book I checked out from the library is I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest. The book is about Libby and May, who  write a series of comics about ” Princess X ” a superhero who fights all sorts of creatures. A few years later, Libby passes away in a car crash and Princess X goes with her, or so May thought. Later May sees a sticker of Princess X slapped on a corner window. Suddenly May sees he everywhere. Stickers, graffiti, patches, and a website. This can only mean one thing… Libby is alive.