Mini-lesson #1a: Student Sample Essay #1 Directions: Read the following student essay and complete the ratiocination guide below. Then, answer the questions that follow. Ratiocination Guide As you read, complete the following steps. If you are unsure of what some of these items are, make an educated guess. Locate and highlight the thesis statement. Locate and highlight the topic sentences and concluding sentences. Underline textual evidence (quotations/ paraphrasing). Draw brackets around the explanation/ analysis of textual evidence. Circle any higher-level vocabulary. Student Sample Essay #1 Imagine having not being able to understand emotions or read emotions. Christopher Boone is not a typical teenage boy. His world revolves around writing a murder mystery novel as he tries to solve the death of a neighbor s dog all while having autism. Through this mystery, he learns of the lies and deceit of his father, as he discovers his mother never died of a heart attack and his father is a murderer. When this occurs, Christopher begins to feel afraid, one of the only emotions he is capable of experiencing. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, author Mark Haddon demonstrates that betrayal leads to courage through situational irony and the characterization of Christopher Boone as a teenager with autism. Unfortunate experiences and unexpected situations frighten Christopher and force him to grow up, which is depicted through the situational irony of the novel. When Christopher discovers the dishonesty of his father, he scream[s] and push[es] him, refusing to speak with him (Haddon 122). The irony of this situation is that Christopher s father had once represented the only safe haven for him in life. However, discovering his father s dishonesty forces Christopher to realize that even his father is not safe and is not perfect. His father s deceit acts as the ironic situation that inspires Christopher to face his fear of leaving his neighborhood. As Christopher flees from his once safe home, he concludes that there is nothing he [can] do which [feels] safe, except go to London to find his mother (Haddon 130). Facing the betrayal of his father strips away Christopher s naiveté and acts as the catalyst that gives him the courage to journey to his mother s house. Even though Christopher has not seen his mother in years and had felt betrayed by her as well, he decides to take the risk to visit her and give her a second chance. With his actions, Christopher proves that the unimaginable becomes possible when faced with lies. Ironically, Christopher begins to see that what he once deemed safe is not actually safe and what he deemed dangerous is not actually dangerous all as a result of witnessing his father s duplicity. The author also reveals through Christopher s autism that he becomes more courageous and matures because of his father s lies. Christopher s autism forces him to feel continuous anxiety. In fact, he tunes his radio to the white noise in
between stations in order to diminish his worries (Haddon 8). In his own personal way, he is able to make his stress and anxiety disappear if only for a moment because he cannot hear anything else (Haddon 8). He believes that the scratchy noise will make his concerns vanish. This is not the mark of a person who would be capable of journeying alone through a huge city such as London to find his mother. The fact that minor disturbances send Christopher to his white noise radio reflect the fact that he is very insecure and dependent on his safe home for comfort. This is especially emphasized when certain things frighten Christopher so immensely that he becomes sick, curl[s] up on the ground and groans, sometimes for hours at a time (Haddon 137). Normal everyday occurrences are huge obstacles to Christopher due to his autism, which makes his triumph at the end of the novel even greater when he reaches his mother s house all on his own. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon educates the audience about how betrayal can ironically give someone the power to overcome adversity and fear. He shows that even someone with autism is capable of overcoming anxiety in order to discover the truth. In this coming-of-age story, Christopher Boone serves as an example that anything is possible with a bit of courage and inspiration. Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? 6. What else do you notice about the essay?
Student Sample Essay #1: Answer Key and Modifications Student Sample Essay #1 Imagine having not being able to understand emotions or read emotions. Christopher Boone is not a typical teenage boy. His world revolves around writing a murder mystery novel as he tries to solve the death of a neighbor s dog all while having autism. Through this mystery, he learns of the lies and deceit of his father, as he discovers his mother never died of a heart attack and his father is a murderer. When this occurs, Christopher begins to feel afraid, one of the only emotions he is capable of experiencing. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, author Mark Haddon demonstrates that betrayal leads to courage through situational irony and the characterization of Christopher Boone as a teenager with autism. Unfortunate experiences and unexpected situations frighten Christopher and force him to grow up, which is depicted through the situational irony of the novel. When Christopher discovers the dishonesty of his father, he scream[s] and push[es] him, refusing to speak with him (Haddon 122). The irony of this situation is that Christopher s father had once represented the only safe haven for him in life. However, discovering his father s dishonesty forces Christopher to realize that even his father is not safe and is not perfect. His father s deceit acts as the ironic situation that inspires Christopher to face his fear of leaving his neighborhood. As Christopher flees from his once safe home, he concludes that there is nothing he [can] do which [feels] safe, except go to London to find his mother (Haddon 130). Facing the betrayal of his father strips away Christopher s naiveté and acts as the catalyst that gives him the courage to journey to his mother s house. Even though Christopher has not seen his mother in years and had felt betrayed by her as well, he decides to take the risk to visit her and give her a second chance. With his actions, Christopher proves that the unimaginable becomes possible when faced with lies. Ironically, Christopher begins to see that what he once deemed safe is not actually safe and what he deemed dangerous is not actually dangerous all as a result of witnessing his father s duplicity. The author also reveals through Christopher s autism that he becomes more courageous and matures because of his father s lies. Christopher s autism forces him to feel continuous anxiety. In fact, he tunes his radio to the white noise in between stations in order to diminish his worries (Haddon 8). In his own personal way, he is able to make his stress and anxiety disappear if only for a moment because he cannot hear anything else (Haddon 8). He believes that the scratchy noise will make his concerns vanish. This is not the mark of a person who would be capable of journeying alone through a huge city such as London to find his mother. The fact that minor disturbances send Christopher to his white noise radio reflect the fact that he is very insecure and dependent on his safe home for comfort. This is especially
emphasized when certain things frighten Christopher so immensely that he becomes sick, curl[s] up on the ground and groans, sometimes for hours at a time (Haddon 137). Normal everyday occurrences are huge obstacles to Christopher due to his autism, which makes his triumph at the end of the novel even greater when he reaches his mother s house all on his own. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon educates the audience about how betrayal can ironically give someone the power to overcome adversity and fear. He shows that even someone with autism is capable of overcoming anxiety in order to discover the truth. In this coming-of-age story, Christopher Boone serves as an example that anything is possible with a bit of courage and inspiration. Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. a. The student discusses how not seeing the world clearly causes irrational fear uses the evidence of situational irony and characterization. 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? a. Introduction Paragraph, First Body paragraph focuses on the first literary device situational irony/ Second Body paragraph focuses on the second literary element characterization, Conclusion 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? a. For the most part: topic sentence, evidence/ explanation, evidence/ explanation, concluding sentence 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? a. Uses quotations to show examples of the character s actions showing irrational fear and anxiety to prove the thesis & topic sentences/ evidence is in quotation marks but does not stand alone blended into a sentence/ evidence contains MLA internal citations to show where the quotation comes from 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? a. Overall, the essay contains a few higher-level language does not use first or second person 6. What else do you notice about the essay? a. Answers will vary, but the essay needs more textual evidence and explanation contains moments of stating analysis without backing it up with evidence b. Essay contains a strong thesis statement and a strong concluding statement/ has nice transitions throughout Differentiation Options 1. Have students complete the activity in groups and take them through the ratiocination activity step-by-step. You can make it into a competitive Scavenger Hunt activity in order to maintain student interest. 2. Give students a copy of the essay already ratiocinated essentially, give students the key. Then have students work in groups to identify the parts of the essay that are marked: thesis, topic/ concluding sentences/ quotations/ vocabulary, etc. Students can label these on the ratiocinated essay.
Mini-lesson #1b: Student Sample Essay #2 Directions: Read the following student essay and complete the ratiocination guide below. Then, answer the questions that follow. Ratiocination Guide As you read, complete the following steps. If you are unsure of what some of these items are, make an educated guess. Locate and highlight the thesis statement. Locate and highlight the topic sentences and concluding sentences. Underline textual evidence (quotations/ paraphrasing). Draw brackets around the explanation/ analysis of textual evidence. Circle any higher-level vocabulary. Student Sample Essay #2 According to Duff Brenna, All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature. Brenna s quotation qualifies the notion that characters make decisions based upon their emotions more so than their logic or rational thinking. This can be seen by the downfalls of the heroes in both the epic poem Beowulf and the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Through the characterization of each respective hero, Beowulf and Macbeth, they prove that heroes act upon emotion rather than logic, which brings about their downfalls. In the epic poem Beowulf, the titular hero ultimately dies because he makes the tragic mistake of acting upon his emotions for the sake of glory. At first, Beowulf s decision to act upon his emotions proves successful during the battles with Grendel and Grendel s Mother as he proves victorious despite the fact that he takes great risks. In the battle with Grendel, Beowulf faces an unknown foe, declaring, [his] hands alone shall fight for [him]. Beowulf bases this decision upon the fact that fighting equitably with this monster will bring him greater glory. However, the irony of this situation rests in the fact that Grendel the monster has not fought fairly by attacking the Danes while they are defenseless and asleep. Beowulf does not take this into consideration, and instead, leaps into battle, sword blazing, to claim his victory. Luckily, he lives, and he defeats the evil Grendel, reaping masses of treasure from King Hrothgar. However, later on in the epic poem, when Beowulf faces the dragon, he acts rashly once again upon his emotions, which leads to his ultimate demise. The fire-breathing dragon wreaks havoc upon Beowulf s village, killing and destroying everything in sight; thus, the battle between Beowulf and the dragon is already an unequal battle given the dragon s supernatural advantages. Even though Beowulf recognizes the dragon s advantage over him, shown by Beowulf s decision to use a sword in this battle unlike the former battle with Grendel he again acts upon his desire for glory and ignores the grave danger of the situation. Likewise, Beowulf ignores the fact that his potential death will leave his people vulnerable to the total ruin of the dragon s wrath, but he decides to play the hero anyway and seek fame still. Beowulf s diction play and fame reveals that he is motivated by emotion rather than logic
or reasoning, as he does not consider the consequences of his potential death. Thus, the characterization of Beowulf as a brash and selfish hero qualifies Brenna s argument that characters act upon emotion rather than reason. Shakespeare s tragic hero Macbeth also proves Brenna s argument through the titular character s decision to act upon his emotions rather than reason, which brings about his downfall just as it brings about the downfall of Beowulf. In the play, Macbeth makes the tragic decision to commit regicide based upon one single desire vaulting ambition. In the doubletrust soliloquy, Macbeth weighs the consequences of murdering his king and determines that the reasons to murder the king far outweigh the one, single reason to commit the deed. In fact, Macbeth reasons that King Duncan is a blameless king and deserves protection because Duncan is Macbeth s family member, guest, and king. However, Macbeth ignores these reasons and decides to act upon his desire, his emotions, and kills the king even though it is not a rational decision. Macbeth proves that he is a character ruled by his emotions, shown later on in the play when he decides to have his friend Banquo murdered due to his hubris. Macbeth recognizes that he has damned his soul for Banquo s sake, has defiled his mind so that Banquo s issue may become king. He also recognizes that Banquo has acted in safety, following reason over emotion, while Macbeth has not. This motivates Macbeth to hire murderers to kill his friend, and he lies to them, telling them that Banquo was their enemy. By acting upon his emotions, Macbeth begins to unravel, shifting from a once noble warrior into a cold-hearted killer who allows his desires to overshadow his sense. The final unraveling of Macbeth occurs when he is insulted by Macduff s failure to appear before him in court, an insult that motivates Macbeth to murder Macduff s entire household. Macbeth proclaims, The firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand, revealing that he will no longer consider the consequences of any of his actions but act upon pure emotion alone. Like Beowulf, Macbeth shows that characters in literature are motivated by emotion. As said by Brenna, All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature. The characterization of both Beowulf and Macbeth prove Duff s point to be true. Beowulf and Macbeth show that literary characters are driven by emotion and that emotion oftentimes leads them to total destruction. When man goes unchecked by the rules that govern society and is left to act upon his emotions alone, his inner greed comes forth, birthing the beast that is selfish, inhumane suffering. Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? 6. What else do you notice about the essay?
Student Sample Essay #2: Answer Key and Modifications Student Sample Essay #2 According to Duff Brenna, All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature. Brenna s quotation qualifies the notion that characters make decisions based upon their emotions more so than their logic or rational thinking. This can be seen by the downfalls of the heroes in both the epic poem Beowulf and the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Through the characterization of each respective hero, Beowulf and Macbeth, they prove that heroes act upon emotion rather than logic, which brings about their downfalls. In the epic poem Beowulf, the titular hero ultimately dies because he makes the tragic mistake of acting upon his emotions for the sake of glory. At first, Beowulf s decision to act upon his emotions proves successful during the battles with Grendel and Grendel s Mother as he proves victorious despite the fact that he takes great risks. In the battle with Grendel, Beowulf faces an unknown foe, declaring, [his] hands alone shall fight for [him]. Beowulf bases this decision upon the fact that fighting equitably with this monster will bring him greater glory. However, the irony of this situation rests in the fact that Grendel the monster has not fought fairly by attacking the Danes while they are defenseless and asleep. Beowulf does not take this into consideration, and instead, leaps into battle, sword blazing, to claim his victory. Luckily, he lives, and he defeats the evil Grendel, reaping masses of treasure from King Hrothgar. However, later on in the epic poem, when Beowulf faces the dragon, he acts rashly once again upon his emotions, which leads to his ultimate demise. The fire-breathing dragon wreaks havoc upon Beowulf s village, killing and destroying everything in sight; thus, the battle between Beowulf and the dragon is already an unequal battle given the dragon s supernatural advantages. Even though Beowulf recognizes the dragon s advantage over him, shown by Beowulf s decision to use a sword in this battle unlike the former battle with Grendel he again acts upon his desire for glory and ignores the grave danger of the situation. Likewise, Beowulf ignores the fact that his potential death will leave his people vulnerable to the total ruin of the dragon s wrath, but he decides to play the hero anyway and seek fame still. Beowulf s diction play and fame reveals that he is motivated by emotion rather than logic or reasoning, as he does not consider the consequences of his potential death. Thus, the characterization of Beowulf as a brash and selfish hero qualifies Brenna s argument that characters act upon emotion rather than reason. Shakespeare s tragic hero Macbeth also proves Brenna s argument through the titular character s decision to act upon his emotions rather than reason, which brings about his downfall just as it brings about the downfall of Beowulf. In the play, Macbeth makes the tragic decision to commit regicide based upon one single desire vaulting ambition. In the double-
trust soliloquy, Macbeth weighs the consequences of murdering his king and determines that the reasons to murder the king far outweigh the one, single reason to commit the deed. In fact, Macbeth reasons that King Duncan is a blameless king and deserves protection because Duncan is Macbeth s family member, guest, and king. However, Macbeth ignores these reasons and decides to act upon his desire, his emotions, and kills the king even though it is not a rational decision. Macbeth proves that he is a character ruled by his emotions, shown later on in the play when he decides to have his friend Banquo murdered due to his hubris. Macbeth recognizes that he has damned his soul for Banquo s sake, has defiled his mind so that Banquo s issue may become king. He also recognizes that Banquo has acted in safety, following reason over emotion, while Macbeth has not. This motivates Macbeth to hire murderers to kill his friend, and he lies to them, telling them that Banquo was their enemy. By acting upon his emotions, Macbeth begins to unravel, shifting from a once noble warrior into a cold-hearted killer who allows his desires to overshadow his sense. The final unraveling of Macbeth occurs when he is insulted by Macduff s failure to appear before him in court, an insult that motivates Macbeth to murder Macduff s entire household. Macbeth proclaims, The firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand, revealing that he will no longer consider the consequences of any of his actions but act upon pure emotion alone. Like Beowulf, Macbeth shows that characters in literature are motivated by emotion. As said by Brenna, All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature. The characterization of both Beowulf and Macbeth prove Duff s point to be true. Beowulf and Macbeth show that literary characters are driven by emotion and that emotion oftentimes leads them to total destruction. When man goes unchecked by the rules that govern society and is left to act upon his emotions alone, his inner greed comes forth, birthing the beast that is selfish, inhumane suffering. Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. a. Acting on emotion alone brings about downfall shown through Beowulf and Macbeth 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? a. Introduction, First Body paragraph about Beowulf, Second Body paragraph about Macbeth, Conclusion 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? a. Topic Sentence, Evidence/ Explanation, Evidence/ Explanation, Concluding Sentence 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? a. To support the claim that emotions bring about downfall some is in quotation marks, blended into sentences/ some is paraphrased 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? a. Overall, the essay has some nice higher-level vocabulary does not use first or second person/ does not use casual talk/ avoids using too many be verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) 6. What else do you notice about the essay? a. Answers will vary the essay is a bit repetitive in places and needs more textual evidence but does a good job of analyzing the text instead of talking about people in general /tends to rely on more plot summary instead of analysis in places Modifications 1. Have students complete the activity in groups, and take them through the ratiocination activity step-by-step. You can make it into a competitive Scavenger Hunt activity in order to maintain student interest. 2. Give students a copy of the essay already ratiocinated essentially, give students the key. Then have students work in groups to identify the parts of the essay that are marked: thesis, topic/ concluding sentences/ quotations/ vocabulary, etc. Students can label these on the ratiocinated essay.
Mini-lesson #1c: Student Sample Essay #3 Directions: Read the following student essay and complete the ratiocination guide below. Then, answer the questions that follow. Ratiocination Guide As you read, complete the following steps. If you are unsure of what some of these items are, make an educated guess. Locate and highlight the thesis statement. Locate and highlight the topic sentences and concluding sentences. Underline textual evidence (quotations/ paraphrasing). Draw brackets around the explanation/ analysis of textual evidence. Circle any higher-level vocabulary. Student Sample Essay #3 Many characters in Ray Bradbury s novel Fahrenheit 451 prove to be interesting character studies. These characters include Clarisse McClellan, Captain Beatty, and Guy Montag. Montag, in particular, shows interesting evolution as a character as he goes from being a blind follower of his society s laws to questioning the very reason for his existence. The three dimensions of Montag s character, physiology, sociology, and psychology, reveal a well-rounded character that changes throughout the story. Analyzing these elements of Montag s character reveals a theme that life should be questioned and the unobserved life is not worth living. The physiology of Guy Montag shows that he fulfills the stereotypes of the American Dream but is not satisfied by them. Montag is 30 years old, shown when he states, Since I was twenty, ten years ago (Bradbury 8). Bradbury s decision to choose a man at 30-years-old is purposeful because a man at that age has figured out life, started a family, and is supposedly working the job he wants to work. However, Montag begins to question all of these things that stereotypically represent a particular version of the American Dream during the 50 s. Montag begins to realize that having accomplished this dream does not make him happy. Part of this is revealed in the descriptions of Montag as a fireman because these descriptions show that he does not have an independent identity. The narrator describes the firemen when he says, They had charcoal hair and soot-colored brows and bluish-ash-smeared cheeks (Bradbury 33). The identity of each fireman becomes consumed by the remnants of fire and erases their individual identities, morphing them into a single blob, identified only by their jobs. Montag discovers that he does not like this lack of identity because of its impersonal nature. The physiological aspects of Montag place him as a part of the American Dream stereotypes that defined post-wwii America. The sociological background of Montag shows that he has come from a world with no close relationships. This is implied by Montag s memory of a time when his house lost power as a child. He recalls, One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a lost candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery [ ] and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon [ ] (Bradbury 7). During this moment,
Montag truly bonds with his mother, which is shown by the fact that he remembers this day because it was so different from normal days when his mother would ignore him. This is later emphasized when Montag cannot remember when or how he met his wife, Mildred. Montag thinks, Funny how funny, not to remember where or when you met your husband or wife (Bradbury 43). The fact that neither Montag nor his wife can remember this important life event shows the distance in their relationship and even causes Montag to question the reason for marriage at all. In this futuristic society, technology distracts people from having any sort of close relationships for the sake of happiness and stability. However, Montag quickly learns that not having close relationships makes life meaningless. The sociological aspects of Montag s character depict a dispassionate and distracted life that Montag wishes to change. Before Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, he believes in and supports the society in which he lives. In fact, he even enjoys his job and relishes in the power he wields by destroying books and personal property. At the beginning of the novel, Montag recalls the smile that comes across his face before going to bed. He reflects, Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles, in the dark. It never went away, that smile, it never went away, as long as he remembered (Bradbury 4). By smiling before going to bed, Montag shows that he loves his job and that it makes him seemingly happy because it is supposed to make him happy by society s standards. Although Montag seems to be happy, Clarisse asks him a simple question that forces him out of the illusion in which he has been living. Clarisse simply asks Montag, Are you happy? (Bradbury 4). No one has ever asked Montag that question, and Montag thought he was happy up until that moment. This moment causes Montag to question everything he thought he once knew, which ultimately drives his rebellion. However, he quickly realizes that his happiness is merely an illusion and that he has not been truly living but merely existing. After meeting Clarisse, Montag s perspective about his society changes from blind acceptance to one of reckless ambition and skepticism. After Clarisse asks Montag if he is happy, Montag realizes that he is not. The narrator describes that He felt his smile slide away, melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin [ ] Darkness. He was not happy. He was not happy (Bradbury 12). Montag s repeated behavior of smiling before bedtime changes drastically after Clarisse asks him whether or not he is happy. This marks the moment when he begins to question the ways of his society, and he also begins to want more from life than just the distracted living that it offers. Because Montag has not done much thinking during his lifetime, he has difficulty thinking through the consequences of his actions. The result of Montag wanting to know more and his inability to think through his actions leads him to make near-fatal mistakes. At one point in the novel, Montag decides to read a poem to his wife and his wife s friends. Faber sees the flaw in Montag s action since he is a professor and has done more thinking. Faber warns Montag, saying, Montag, go through with this and I ll cut off, I ll leave (Bradbury 98). But
Montag does go through with it, which results in Montag s own house being burned and Montag nearly being killed by the Mechanical Hound. Montag s rash actions show he has much to learn even though he wants change so badly. The psychology of Montag s character shows that he evolves from an unthinking character to one that makes mistakes by trying to think. Bradbury s novel Fahrenheit 451 sends out a warning to society about losing individuality. The physiological, sociological, and psychological traits of Montag reveal his identity conflict. By studying Montag s character, we can begin to see the importance of identity in society because it is that very identity and individuality that allows for a person to question what may turn out to be unethical and unfounded traditions. Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? 6. What else do you notice about the essay?
Student Sample Essay #3: Answer Key and Modifications Student Sample Essay #3 Many characters in Ray Bradbury s novel Fahrenheit 451 prove to be interesting character studies. These characters include Clarisse McClellan, Captain Beatty, and Guy Montag. Montag, in particular, shows interesting evolution as a character as he goes from being a blind follower of his society s laws to questioning the very reason for his existence. The three dimensions of Montag s character, physiology, sociology, and psychology, reveal a well-rounded character that changes throughout the story. Analyzing these elements of Montag s character reveals a theme that life should be questioned and the unobserved life is not worth living. The physiology of Guy Montag shows that he fulfills the stereotypes of the American Dream but is not satisfied by them. Montag is 30 years old, shown when he states, Since I was twenty, ten years ago (Bradbury 8). Bradbury s decision to choose a man at 30-years-old is purposeful because a man at that age has figured out life, started a family, and is supposedly working the job he wants to work. However, Montag begins to question all of these things that stereotypically represent a particular version of the American Dream during the 50 s. Montag begins to realize that having accomplished this dream does not make him happy. Part of this is revealed in the descriptions of Montag as a fireman because these descriptions show that he does not have an independent identity. The narrator describes the firemen when he says, They had charcoal hair and soot-colored brows and bluish-ashsmeared cheeks (Bradbury 33). The identity of each fireman becomes consumed by the remnants of fire and erases their individual identities, morphing them into a single blob, identified only by their jobs. Montag discovers that he does not like this lack of identity because of its impersonal nature. The physiological aspects of Montag place him as a part of the American Dream stereotypes that defined post-wwii America. The sociological background of Montag shows that he has come from a world with no close relationships. This is implied by Montag s memory of a time when his house lost power as a child. He recalls, One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a lost candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery [ ] and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon [ ] (Bradbury 7). During this moment, Montag truly bonds with his mother, which is shown by the fact that he remembers this day because it was so different from normal days when his mother would ignore him. This is later emphasized when Montag cannot remember when or how he met his wife, Mildred. Montag thinks, Funny how funny, not to remember where or when you met your husband or wife (Bradbury 43). The fact that neither Montag nor his wife can remember this important life event shows the distance in their relationship and causes Montag to question the reason for marriage at all. In this futuristic society, technology distracts people from having any sort of close relationships for the sake of happiness and stability. However, Montag quickly learns that not having close relationships makes life meaningless. The sociological aspects of Montag s character depict a dispassionate and distracted life that Montag wishes to change.
Before Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, he believes in and supports the society in which he lives. In fact, he even enjoys his job and relishes in the power he wields by destroying books and personal property. At the beginning of the novel, Montag recalls the smile that comes across his face before going to bed. He reflects, Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles, in the dark. It never went away, that smile, it never went away, as long as he remembered (Bradbury 4). By smiling before going to bed, Montag shows that he loves his job and that it makes him seemingly happy because it is supposed to make him happy by society s standards. Although Montag seems to be happy, Clarisse asks him a simple question that forces him out of the illusion in which he has been living. Clarisse simply asks Montag, Are you happy? (Bradbury 4). No one has ever asked Montag that question, and Montag had thought he was happy up until that moment. This moment causes Montag to question everything he thought he once knew, which ultimately drives his rebellion. However, he quickly realizes that his happiness is merely an illusion and that he has not been truly living but merely existing. After meeting Clarisse, Montag s perspective about his society changes from blind acceptance to one of reckless ambition and skepticism. After Clarisse asks Montag if he is happy, Montag realizes that he is not. The narrator describes that He felt his smile slide away, melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin [ ] Darkness. He was not happy. He was not happy (Bradbury 12). Montag s repeated behavior of smiling before bedtime changes drastically after Clarisse asks him whether or not he is happy. This marks the moment when he begins to question the ways of his society, and he also begins to want more from life than just the distracted living that it offers. Because Montag has not done much thinking during his lifetime, he has difficulty thinking through the consequences of his actions. The result of Montag wanting to know more and his inability to think through his actions leads him to make near-fatal mistakes. At one point in the novel, Montag decides to read a poem to his wife and his wife s friends. Faber sees the flaw in Montag s action since he is a professor and has done more thinking. Faber warns Montag, saying, Montag, go through with this and I ll cut off, I ll leave (Bradbury 98). But Montag does go through with it, which results in Montag s own house being burned and Montag nearly being killed by the Mechanical Hound. Montag s rash actions show he has much to learn even though he wants change so badly. The psychology of Montag s character shows that he evolves from an unthinking character to one that makes mistakes by trying to think. Bradbury s novel Fahrenheit 451 sends out a warning to society about losing individuality. The physiological, sociological, and psychological traits of Montag reveal his identity conflict. By studying Montag s character, we can begin to see the importance of identity in society because it is that very identity and individuality that allows for a person to question what may turn out to be unethical and unfounded traditions. (continued)
Post Questions 1. What is the student s argument? Paraphrase the argument in your own words. a. That Guy Montag s character shows the idea that life should be questioned and not just blindly accepted 2. How is the essay structured from beginning to end? a. Introduction paragraph (thesis as last sentence)/ First Body paragraph about physiology/ Second Body Paragraph about sociology/ Third & Fourth Body Paragraphs about psychology what causes Montag to change and how he changes/ Conclusion paragraph to rephrase and restate the thesis 3. How are individual paragraphs structured? a. Topic Sentence/ Evidence #1/ Explanation/ Evidence #2/ Explanation/ Concluding Sentence 4. How does the writer use textual evidence? How is that evidence formatted? a. To support the topic sentence & thesis/ quotations are blended into the sentences/ MLA internal citations for quotations 5. What do you notice about the language of the essay? a. No first or second person/ no casual street language does NOT sound how a person speaks/ more formal & academic 6. What else do you notice about the essay? a. Answers will vary The thesis statement outlines the essay evidence is presented in the order it is mentioned in the thesis statement/ lots of commentary about characterization (this is a characterization essay)/ the paragraphs are like miniature essays in structure with a beginning, middle, and end/ does NOT summarize the plot of the story b. Attention-grabber is not very interesting but concluding statement is memorable and strong c. Introduction and conclusion paragraphs contain three parts d. Transitions are used throughout to make the essay flow & various sentence structures are used e. Textual Evidence needs more textual evidence to support analysis/ opinions in places Modifications 1. Have students complete the activity in groups, and take them through the ratiocination activity step-by-step. You can make it into a competitive Scavenger Hunt activity in order to maintain student interest. 2. Give students a copy of the essay already ratiocinated essentially, give students the key. Then have students work in groups to identify the parts of the essay that are marked: thesis, topic/ concluding sentences/ quotations/ vocabulary, etc. Students can label these on the ratiocinated essay. Side Note: I have heard from different experts on the writing process that students need to see about 100 models of a piece of writing before beginning their own. While this is not practical in a single year, you might consider having students read more than these three sample essays before moving on to the next mini-lessons. And then, perhaps, over the course of their academic career, they may end up reading about 100 samples by the time they graduate.