©2005 -- Michael Thompson
"Dover Beach"/Fahrenheit 451
Write a response (two or three paragraphs) to this prompt: Montag forces Mildred and her friends to listen to him read a poem called "Dover Beach." Mrs. Phelps begins to cry when she hears the poem. Why? What is it about the poem that brings her to tears? How does the content of the poem relate to the content of her life? (What is the theme of the poem?) Support your main ideas with specific examples from the poem and the novel.
Follow these steps:
(This assignment was originally written for the computer lab.)
1. Re-read the conversation Mildred and her friends were having before Montag
came in with the book of poetry.
2. Read "Dover
Beach" in its entirety.
3. If possible, don't shut down your Internet connection while you do this:
Open a word processing program through the Start Menu so that in the taskbar
you can see both the contents of the web browser and the word processor, and
then "flip" back and forth between your essay and the poem as necessary.
4. You may quote small parts from the poem or from Fahrenheit 451, but
the bulk of your writing should be your own words and ideas that clearly answer
the question and support your thesis with specific evidence.
5. Assuming the lab works as it is supposed to, this will be due at the end
of the period.
6. Spell check before you print.
7. Don't forget to log out when you are finished.
And, just for fun--seeing as we are studying a book that deals with censorship--you could also check out the Censorship Page. You might be surprised by some of the stuff you find. (And won't it be ironic if the district "nanny program" won't let you access it?)
©2005 -- Michael Thompson