Isaiah Kennedy Mrs. Mary Smith AP Literature 6 21 September 2017 Symbolism of: how to read literature like a professor In his book, how to read literature like a professor, Foster provides insight into the meaning behind recurring situations in literature such as the character of a vampire. The vampire in lore is typically an older man, corrupted by the world, who takes the innocence of a younger woman whom he leaves withered and aged. In books, the vampire character is rarely a literal vampire, but a figurative one instead; in fact, an older professor who uses a young student is the most common portrayal of the vampire. Symbolism is a critical literary technique, arguably the only literary technique given that all the others use symbols …show more content…
When a character travels, they do so for self-knowledge. When you travel to new places you experience new unfamiliar things, and you do not have your familiar surroundings to reinforce your familial values so the new things reach your core and have a substantial chance to change you. Often on the journey, you lose physical items to challenges on the way, symbolic of losing your personality traits to change and that can help to unravel the outer of a person to enable turmoil and change. The actual distance can be important as well, travelling a long distance passing landmarks as a character develops can help a reader appreciate the character development as the journey progresses. Therefore, why does a given event happen in high ground, it can carry a multitude of implications, the character could physically see much ground and then have a revelation, the character was above all the others and felt superior, the character was surrounded by low ground and surrounded by his physical enemies and his troubles. Moreover, you can follow the same process for any other environment or landform, low ground, the character is below the others, in the jungle the character surrounded by the unknown, physically and mentally, and so on and so forth. Following the idea of symbolic geography, weather can be symbolic too. A storm on the horizon can represent a tragic event, having happened or imminent, a character caught in the rain can be cleansed by the rain or muddy from tromping around in a heavy
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster The books main point is to guide readers through their readings while engaging in the reading itself. Thomas C. Foster ideal message throughout the book is that one should use what they know and put the their knowledge into the book. As for the purpose, Foster indicates the importance for owning the book in one's own way considering that no one reads the same.
Foster had also described that, “What the cave symbolizes will be determined to a large extent by how the individual reader engages the text.” Through this Foster had shown the variations of symbolism in a work and the availability of the “symbols to be interpreted in different ways depending on the mindset of the reader. In relation to this concept, Foster had also described the way in which a reader should read the passages through the authors eyes, not their own. Due to the fact that when reading personal emotion and thought, the pieces written by the author may not be interpreted in the way intended to. This leads to the examples used in which a cave in a story is understood in different
Countless children's stories and fairytales begin with the infamous phrase, “Once Upon a Time.” Nadine Gordimer stylistically chose to employ this phrase as her title for her thematic short fiction tale to ironically explore controversial subjects. This strategic choice utilized the “childish elements” of young literature, such as the, “wicked witch,” to convey underlying messages of fear and racism. In Thomas Foster’s, “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” the strategy of “stealing” ideas and elements from four main literary sources, children’s literature included, was discussed. Gordimer pulled from these stories, shown explicitly in the title, to create irony by conveying modern, political ideas and issues in our society through “innocent” plot elements.
Reading the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster helps the reader see books in a whole new light. Throughout the book, the reader progresses through a series of steps that demonstrate depth and symbolism. Foster focuses on presenting the reader with the idea that there are themes, patterns, symbols and many more literary techniques that inexperienced readers might miss initially. Re-reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and analyzing it by Foster’s book helps the reader know what to recognize and analyze. The setting is based on Lennie Smalls and George Milton move to Soledad, California, to find a job and new beginning.
However, one of the most prominent and well used motifs (in my opinion) is the one pertaining to weather. The way it is used has specific meaning in relation to characters and events, and progresses over the course of the novel. Symbolic usage of weather
Being an expert in literature may seem like a rigorous task to complete, but when you put passion into the work anything is possible. In How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster it gives tips on how to analyze all types of reading like a expert. While learning how to be an expert in literature you possess skills along the way. In order to be an expert in literature you have to keep an open mind, practice, and know everything has a deeper meaning.
“Paper Towns” is a story that is all about adventure, and therefore has a quest as the main (advancer) in the story. It results in the loss of innocence while pushing boundaries during the exciting time of adolescence. It possesses all of the five key elements of a quest as stated in “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Thomas C. Foster. It starts with (a), a quester, which is in this case the main character Quentin, the protagonist of the story. Then (b), a place to go, which ends up being Agloe, NY.
In Thomas C. Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor, he describes the setup of the adventure of the protagonist, dividing it into five parts: Our quester, a place to go, a stated reason to there, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go. A protagonist must experience all of these things in order to accomplish their goals and learn their lessons. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens, the main character, must encounter these things in order to unlock the mystery of what really happened to her mother the night she was killed, in addition to learning about the passion of writing and telling stories, the dangers and foolishness of racism, and female power. Our quester, Lily, is a fourteen year old girl with a passion for writing.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster offers a variety of different ways to analyze literature so the reader can understand all levels of a literary piece to get the most out of their reading. His ideas can be applied to almost any kind of work, including movies, such as Beauty and the Beast. The chapters of HTRLLAP that can best interpret and explicate all levels of meaning in Beauty and the Beast are: Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not); …More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence; and Is That a Symbol? “The real reason for a quest,” states Foster, “Is always self-knowledge.
In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster teaches readers the meanings behind commonly used symbols, themes, and motifs. Many readers of all ages use this book as a guide to understanding messages and deeper meanings hidden in novels. The deeper literary meanings of various symbols in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are explained in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. By using Foster’s book, readers can better understand the symbols in The Handmaid’s Tale.
How does How To Read Literature Like A Professor applies to every piece of literature? This novel is written by Thomas Foster and he gives the better understanding on many things, including patterns, symbols, and other literary devices. He helps the reader to gain knowledge on how to recognize each small detail of the story. This novel makes the connection with The Scarlet Letter and makes it easier to comprehend. The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; this novel is about Hester Prynne, who is a young and beautiful woman and committed adultery with town’s minister, Reverend Dimmesdale.
The Pakistan Partition, in 1947, generated a great divide within cultures and families. In “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” Jhumpa Lahiri transcribes a short story about a man isolated from his family by depicting the aspects of symbolism, intrinsic first person point of view, and the theme of loneliness created by simple word choice structure. Jhumpa Lahiri incorporates her style, in this short story, with symbolism to synthesize two feelings of the main character, Lilia. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster states, “Oh, sure, there are some symbols that work straightforwardly: a white flag means, I give up, don’t shoot” (98). With this piece of information, it is best to say that Lahiri is using the candy as a symbol
Behind each movie lies the meaningful aspects and significant features worth noticing. All movies and books can be carefully examined and interpreted. Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor provides a new view on interpreting literature. In the novel, Foster identifies and analyzes common patterns, themes, and motifs found in literature, many of which are also present in Disney’s film, Maleficent. This movie showcases several of his ideas, including quests, flight, geography, and symbolism.
In order to create those fears, In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster uses the example of the metaphorical “vampire” to represent the corrupted authority figure. Foster’s vampire is one who believes
This chapter focuses on the importance of recognizing the symbolic elements of Christ. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from Heaven to earth in the form of man to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He is believed to have lived a perfect life, free from sin, and to have died on a Roman cross for the sins of the world. Sometimes, writers use their characters to represent Christ in different ways. These symbolic characters are known as Christ figures.