Fahrenheit 451 Quotes Analysis

Where the connection lies between Benjamin Franklin and Fahrenheit 451 is on page thirty-two of the novel. At this point, Montag is beginning to come to realize that what he does for a living is strange. His thoughts cause him to ask questions that set Captain Beatty and the other firemen off. When Montag asks what firemen did in the past, Stoneman and Black pulled out their rule books to prove Montag wrong. The rules of the firemen are as follows: 1) Answer the alarm quickly. 2) Start the fire swiftly. 3) Burn everything. 4) Report back to the firehouse immediately. 5) Stand alert for other alarms. The rule book also included a short history of American firemen which goes on to further state that Benjamin Franklin was the first fireman in

America (Bradbury 32). Knowing that in the 1700’s most houses were log homes with open fire fireplaces for cooking and heat, Benjamin Franklin decided it was an intelligent idea to replicate the duties of the fire fighters in Boston. After proposing the idea and debating in favor of it, Franklin was able to form the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia in 1736 (Citizen Ben). Benjamin Franklin was included in this part of the novel because according to the rule book, in 1970, they were to burn books in the colonies that were inspired by English work (Bradbury 32). Although Benjamin Franklin performed a normal fireman’s work by putting out fires and did not burn books as they do in Fahrenheit 451, he was part of a protest that burned British centered texts. With these connections, it is easy to see why Bradbury would have included Benjamin Franklin’s name how and when he did.
In addition to Benjamin Franklin, the quote by Hugh Latimer that states, “Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out,” is a statement with great significance in Fahrenheit 451. Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were Protestants who believed so deeply in their religion that they were willing to oppose the beliefs of Queen Mary (“Latimer and Ridley”). Because of their strong religious beliefs, Latimer and Ridley wanted to spread their religion throughout England and, as a result, were burnt alive in 1555 (Bradbury 32). The quote is Hugh Latimer’s exact words to Nicholas Ridley as they were being burnt.
Where this quote plays a significant role in Fahrenheit 451 is in a similar situation to that of Latimer’s and Ridley’s.

The firemen had received a routine fire warning, and they creeped down their fire pole and crawled into the Salamander. When they reached their destined location an older woman was waiting for them. When the firemen located all the books and prepared to burn them, something out of the ordinary happened, the old woman sat in the middle of the pile of books and stared straight into the flame thrower. Montag begged the lady to leave but she insisted that she would not. With no time to waste, the flame thrower started up and sent the books up in flames with the poor old woman in the middle. Coincidently, just as Latimer and Ridley were burnt alive, the old woman was also burned alive as she sat there with her collection of illegal books and said, “Play the man Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” The old woman’s actions shows not only the readers, but also Montag and the other firemen that the books meant the world to her. Montag wonders what could have been so important about them. He was so curious that he grabbed a copy of the Bible from her house and hid it in his jacket to add to his own secret collection. It was following this event that Montag began to read the books he had hidden in his house in the ceiling vent. Also, the fact that Beatty was able to recite the quote

word for word when they returned to the firehouse shows that he has knowledge about books and has probably read quite a few of them. If books were to be burned because something is so bad about them, then why would such information stick with Beatty? Bradbury most likely included the quote in the book to make the old woman’s death significant. She used the quote in a way and with the hope that her death would bring awareness to people in the society. Her death would be the eternal flame that changed the government power and how their society is run.