Option 1 Essay

In the very beginning of the school year, we read “The right to your opinion”, in which we learned that we don’t exactly have the right to our own opinion. I translate opinion to the word tone seeing as they both resemble each other in a way. Ray Bradbury wrote the novel Fahrenheit 451, the main character in the novel was Guy Montag yet there were other characters such as; Clarisse McClellan, Beatty (the Firemen Chief) and Guy’s wife Mildred. Bradbury had different tones with each of his characters, with Montag it was a motivational type of tone. It resembled a sort of “Come on Montag! You do you!” For Mildred, it was more of a snobby tone, seeing as Mildred thought she was better than others and only her life mattered. But for Clarisse and Beatty? What was Bradbury’s tone for those two?

First off, Clarisse and Beatty are complete opposites throughout the entire book. We, the readers, only met Clarisse for a few pages but we noticed how she was different than the rest of the characters. In the very beginning of the book, Clarisse and Montag were talking and she said something like, “I’m different than the other students. While they ask how something is done, I ask why it is done.” Bradbury’s tone with Clarisse was professional and clear. I believe that Bradbury wanted Clarisse to act like an adult but he didn’t want to make her an adult, seeing as the adults in the book seem brainwashed by society. Bradbury’s tone for Clarisse was very friendly because, I believe, that he wanted the readers to enjoy listening to her so that she would be a great role model to Montag to get him out of his enclosed box. No matter how much Bradbury’s tone was pleasant towards Clarisse, he wasn’t pleasant to other character.

Bradbury's tone with Beatty had a different route. The tone with Beatty seemed as if it were foreshadowing to something evil, how right he was. The tone was meant for us to be cautious of Beatty because Beatty was the main source of the book burning in the book. We, the readers, were meant to not trust him so the author's tone was very much welcomed. Beatty liked to confuse Montag with his strange riddles and reciting poetry. Beatty was the true version of an antagonist seeing as the way he was brought into the story seemed to get us with shivers of disgust.