- The document provides context and discussion around Ray Bradbury's short story "Bright Phoenix" including key details about the story and allusions it contains.
- It discusses Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 and how "Bright Phoenix" helped inform its development, addressing themes of censorship, conformity and the dangers of a society that prioritizes television over books.
- Several famous literary and historical allusions are identified and explained that appear in "Bright Phoenix" including references to works by Marlowe, Melville, Blake, Keats, and speeches by Lincoln.
Web & Social Media Analytics Previous Year Question Paper.pdf
Bright Phoenix
1. Welcome to Class 9/16 Take your warm-up notebooks Don’t forget to grab the handouts
2. Warm Up Please take 5 minutes to describe what the world would be like without books (this includes e-books). You should write for the entire time provided
3. Intro to Ray Bradbury American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for Fahrenheit 451 Sets novel and many short stories in dystopian societies Dystopia: a society (usually under the rule of a controlling government), where everything “goes wrong” Usually disguised as a utopia, only worsening the situation
4. “Bright Phoenix” Rich short story written in 1947 Set in the future Book burning with the purpose to control Full of allusions Figure of speech that makes reference to a person, place or event, or another literary work/passage Ie: Kanye West’s “Through the Wire”
5. Can you identify an allusion? If you could feel how my face felt you would know how Mace felt Thank God I ain'ttoo cool for the safe belt I swear to God drive two on the sue I got lawyer for the case to keep what’s in my safe; safe My dawgs couldn't tell if I I look like Tom Cruise on Vanilla Sky, it was televised All they heard was that I was in an accident like GEICO They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael I must gotta angel Cause look how death missed his a** Unbreakable, would you thought they called me Mr. Glass Look back on my life like the ghost of Christmas past Toys R Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash
6. Fahrenheit 451 “Bright Phoenix” was just the first building block of the final product. F451 was completed in 1953 Cold war fears Conformity Bradbury argues that neither are truly about censorship, but about TV replacing books and the danger of such a society One that forgets to think for itself Remember: These were written in the late 40s and early 50s! No cellphones, internet (facebook, email, twitter, etc)
7. Figurative Language Metaphor: direct comparison between unlike things Simile: comparison between unlike things using “like” or “as” Imagery: words and phrases that evoke any of the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)
8. Allusions in “Bright Phoenix” “Come live with me and be my love; and we will all the pleasure prove.” Opening lines of “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe One of the most well-known love poems in the English language Many famous poets have written poems in response to this one. The first was Walter Raleigh’s “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd”
9. “Call me Ishmael” Most famous/memorable opening lines in American literature (from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick) Ishmael is also a prominent religious figure in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity It also sounds like he is using an alias because he does not say “my name is”, he simply says to call him…
10. “Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright… In the forests of the night” “The Tyger” by William Blake (from Songs of Experience) Idea that what creates beauty can also create “evil”
11. “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” From “To Autumn” by John Keats Regarded as one of the most perfect short poems in the English language Poem is filled with imagery About enjoying nature while on a walk Message of the importance of artistic creation
12. “The Allegory of the Cave” Story about controlling people by limiting their knowledge and playing on their fear
13. “Four score… and seven years – ” “translates” to 87 years ago which at that time, made it 1776, AKA the American Revolution, in which the US, broke away from British rule to begin the process of becoming the United States of America
14. The Gettysburg Address Most quoted speech in American history Addresses human equality (allusion to the Declaration of Independence) Idea of a “new birth of freedom” and the rise of a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” that “shall not perish from the earth”
15. Edgar Allan Poe Famous author Known for his short stories and poems Generally dark, mysterious, and with several images/symbols of, and allusions to death
16. Sigmund Freud Austrian neurologist (dealing with the brain) Founder of psychoanalysis (analyzing the psyche, AKA deeper thoughts, unconscious) Interpreted dreams
18. Interesting Irony Jonathan Barnes, the Chief Censor, shares his name with two men: a philosopher and an author Both were too young to have embarked in their profession when Bradbury wrote “Bright Phoenix”
