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   mrs-campbell Teacher
   High School - 11th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   Granger imparts quite a bit of wisdom and good advice to Montag, and in his conversation with him relates his fondness for his grandfather.  Granger's grandfather had a profound impact on his life, and taught him valuable lessons about work, learning and individuality--his death was hard for Granger.  His grandfather taught him so many valuable things, and his lessons are still rattling around hin his head to this day.  He says that after his grandfather died, he cried "for all the things he did."  He realized that his grandfather would never DO anything again--never carve, teach, touch, or live another day to do another thing.  Granger's grandfather "did things to the world" and that is what he missed the most.  One of the most important lessons his grandfather taught him was this:

   "it doesn't matter what you do, so long as  you change something from the way it was before you touched it inot something that's like you after you take your hands away."

   Granger missed all of the ways that his grandfather changed the world, and how he was an individual that made an impact.  We miss people for how they changed the world around us.  Montag, when given this advice, had been thinking about Mildred, and that begs the question, what impact did Millie have on the life around her?  And by contrast, what impact did Clarisse have?  When you think of the value of a human life in terms of the impact one makes on the world around you, it puts things into perspective a bit, and Granger's grandfather had a huge impact for good on those around him.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

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   http://www.enotes.com/fahrenheit-451/summary

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   Posted by mrs-campbell on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 9:08 PM