Censorship, Truth & Happiness in Fahrenheit 451

Students explore the concept of “cancel culture” through Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel, and study the historical and social context of the 1619 Project.

icon/ela/white

ELA

Unit 2

10th Grade

Unit Summary


In Unit 2, students will explore the concept of “cancel culture” through their reading of Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, and the study of The 1619 Project and the backlash against it by politicians in the United States of America. When the phrase “cancel culture” first appeared on social media in 2014 and 2015, it referred to “the idea that a person can be “canceled”...[or] culturally blocked from having a prominent public platform or career. However, over the years, the definition of cancel culture has become integrated with American and international politics and has come to refer to the “erasing of history, encouraging lawlessness, muting citizens, and violating free exchange of ideas, thoughts, and speech.” For the purpose of this unit, we will mostly refer to cancel culture as the latter definition.

This unit starts with building students' knowledge about “cancel culture,” including defining what it is and examining and evaluating contemporary examples of it in our world while reading various articles, essays, letters, and book excerpts. During this arc of the unit, students will not only identify central ideas, trace the line of reasoning in arguments, and evaluate the effectiveness of arguments but also learn about the basics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the conflict surrounding The 1619 Project

The second arc of the unit is a novel study of Fahrenheit 451. As they read about the lives of the characters in Bradbury’s dystopian futuristic society, they will explore how he uses the genre of science fiction to make social commentary about humanity, censorship, and technology. In addition, students will examine how Bradbury uses structure, diction, and figurative language to paint a vivid picture of life in the society he has created. Ultimately, students will draw parallels between the examples of “cancel culture” that they studied earlier in the novel to specific events and actions in Bradbury’s futuristic society. 

In the third and final arc of the unit, students will choose a person, text, or subject matter that has been cancelled to research and write a script for a podcast in which they explain the social and historical context of the incident, explain its contemporary significance and impact, and take a position on the appropriateness of the cancellation and the form it took.

Please Note: This version of the Fahrenheit 451 unit was published in 2021. If you are looking for the new unit that will be included in the fully revised 10th Grade sequence for the 2024-25 school year, you can find it here.

Fishtank Plus for ELA

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Texts and Materials


Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.

Core Materials

Supporting Materials

Assessment


This assessment accompanies Unit 2 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.

Key Knowledge


Essential Questions

Thematic

  • What does it mean to cancel culture? How does cancelling culture impact our ability to learn from history and understand multiple perspectives? 
  • To what extent is engaging in “cancel culture” socially responsible? 
  • Is censorship in any form justified? What does censorship accomplish? 
  • Can truth and happiness exist simultaneously? 

Skill

  • How and why do writers use literature to create social commentary? 

Themes

In order to successfully teach this unit, you must be intellectually prepared at the highest level, which means reading and analyzing all unit texts before launching the unit and understanding the major themes the authors communicate through their texts. By the time your students finish reading this text, they should be able to articulate and explain the major themes the authors communicate through their texts related to the following thematic topics as they uncover them organically through reading, writing, and discourse. While there is no one correct thematic statement for each major topic discussed in the unit texts, there are accurate (evidence-based) and inaccurate (non–evidence-based) interpretations of what the authors are arguing. Below are some exemplar thematic statements.

  • Cancel Culture and Censorship: In Fahrenheit 451, books are banned, and as a result, they are burned in addition to the homes containing books. While this may seem absurd, Beatty informs Montag that books became phased out over time as people stopped reading. Fahrenheit 451 highlights the danger and complexity in censorship. As a result of censorship, individuals like Mildred lack history, culture, and authentic perspective about the world. 
  • Truth and Happiness: Throughout the novel, characters such as Mildred distract themselves from engaging with their true emotions by indulging in excessive amounts of TV and overdosing on pills. Bradbury highlights that the route to true happiness is only through engaging with the truth and difficult thoughts and experiences. 

Vocabulary

Text-based

anesthetized avenged bombardment breach cacophony cadence censorship cowardice contemptible condemnation diverted distilled discourse dictum dilate dilate exploitation honed insidious incriminate jargon melancholy muzzle objectivity odious olfactory perpetual phosphorescent philosophies profusion proclivities pulverized rarity refracted reckoning rigidity sieve stolid stagnant subconscious subaudible subside tactile titillation toil torrent transcription

Literary Terms

allusion anti-hero characterization diction dystopia iront metaphor science fiction simile symbol theme

Idiom/Cultural Reference

Caesar Cesarean section Ecclesiastes and Revelation Little Black Sambo Praetorian Guard Uncle Tom’s Cabin Vesuvius centrifuge flue holier-than-thou minstrel man phoenix praying mantis pratfall status quo séance valise water under the bridge

Text-based

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 10th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Notes for Teachers

Unit 2 features complex and controversial texts such as the 1619 Project and Fahrenheit 451. While the 1619 Project highlights the impact of slavery in the United States of America by offering a more comprehensive explanation of its institution and telling the story from the perspective of multiple authors, Fahrenheit 451 explores the impact of hiding the truth on happiness and the beliefs and values of society under a totalitarian government. Both texts have been challenged for their use in classrooms. Nevertheless, we strongly believe that these texts, despite the maturity of the content, are meaningful and appropriate for high school students, so long as proper guidance and support are provided around how to discuss and handle these topics. No matter the racial, gender, sexual, and ethnic identities of your students, this unit will undoubtedly spark difficult—and important—conversations. Students may have strong emotional reactions to the content. As always, it is important to consider the knowledge and diverse experiences your students bring with them to your classroom.  

Lesson Map


Common Core Standards


Core Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.1.a
L.9-10.1.b
L.9-10.3.a
L.9-10.4
RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.2
RI.9-10.2
RI.9-10.5
RI.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.3
RL.9-10.4
RL.9-10.5
RL.9-10.7
RL.9-10.9
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.2
W.9-10.1
W.9-10.1.a
W.9-10.1.b
W.9-10.1.c
W.9-10.1.d
W.9-10.1.e
W.9-10.2
W.9-10.2.a
W.9-10.2.b
W.9-10.2.c
W.9-10.2.d
W.9-10.2.e
W.9-10.2.f
W.9-10.7
W.9-10.8
W.9-10.9

Supporting Standards

RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.2
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.3
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.1
W.9-10.1.a
W.9-10.2.a

Pre-AP English Standards


Core Standards

LO 1.1A
LO 1.2A
LO 1.2B
LO 1.3A
LO 1.3B
LO 1.4A
LO 1.4B
LO 1.4B
LO 2.2A
LO 2.2B
LO 2.2C
LO 2.2E
LO 2.3A
LO 2.3B
LO 2.3C
LO 2.3D
LO 3.3A
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
icon/arrow/right/large copy

Unit 1

Altruism and Interconnectedness in Short Texts

icon/arrow/right/large

Unit 3

Feminism and Self-Respect in Sula

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Access rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free