Monday, August 22, 2016

What are examples of puns in Fahrenheit 451?

Interesting question! In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury several literary devices are utilized including puns. Throughout the book, several puns are implemented to incite the readers’ deeper reflection.


Before providing examples of puns, it is important to understand what a pun is. A pun is a literary device utilized to illustrate how one word can represent two different meanings or how two words that sound very similar can represent two different meanings. This...

Interesting question! In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury several literary devices are utilized including puns. Throughout the book, several puns are implemented to incite the readers’ deeper reflection.


Before providing examples of puns, it is important to understand what a pun is. A pun is a literary device utilized to illustrate how one word can represent two different meanings or how two words that sound very similar can represent two different meanings. This is usually done to create irony or humor.


Throughout the book, several different puns are implemented. For example, Montag is considered a “firefighter.” In today’s language, this word represents the idea of someone stopping a fire to prevent destruction and harm. However, in the book, the term represents someone who fights with fire to destroy books.  Subsequently, another pun is made by Granger’s grandfather. He states, “I hate a Roman named Status Quo.” Here, the Roman's name is also a word that means "the existing state of affairs." Thus, an unusual pun is created, which encourages the readers' minds to think about the concept more deeply.


Therefore, in the book, Bradbury utilizes puns to draw the readers' attention to important concepts. Although puns can be a bit tricky, these literary devices are often useful in creating irony or humor.

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