Geometric Order In Fahrenheit 451

1. What is the "geometric order" present in society? Is it easy to perceive this order while walking down the street, or is a wider perspective needed?
a. “Geometric order” is society’s demand for uniformity: people are expected to “conform or be cast out.” What with the peer pressure, countless advertisements, and extrinsic motivation that one encounters on a daily basis, this order is hard to miss while walking down the street. However, it is common for people to believe that they themselves are not affected by it—until it is clearly observed in a group’s, or even a community’s, thoughts, feelings, and actions that are so easily swayed by this order.

2. In what way is your future "pre-decided"?
a. As a young person in the process of entering

If the suburbs are a representation of Plato’s Cave, the “restless dreams of youth” are the small glimmers of light from the cave’s exit—the longing for something more. In Fahrenheit 451, for example, Clarisse brought Montag to the realization that he was dissatisfied with the emptiness of his life. She showed him the light of the cave’s exit and was the source of many of his “restless dreams.” As a result, he began searching to fulfill his desire for authenticity and connectedness, and consequently became a fugitive—a disturber of society’s order.

4. In what way can someone "sell their dreams for small desires"? Provide a specific example of this taking place in the class reading (The Giver through Walden Two).
a. Frequently, people strive for meager gains—material possessions, changes in appearance, or social acceptance—at the cost of both the strengths and the flaws that define them unique individuals. Indeed, they become artificial in their attempt to conform. Similarly, in Messenger, citizens of Village could trade their “deepest self”—their kindness and acceptance of differences, their special gifts and talents—for insignificant luxuries. Unfortunately, their effort to buy happiness nearly leads to the ruin of Village and the endangerment of outcasts from outlying