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Thomas C. Foster
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Thomas C. Foster
How to Use This Blog
The purpose of this blog is to assist you in the analysis of your summer reading assignment for AP English. As you are reading and annotating How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, you will be required to post your study guide responses for each chapter for a minimum of 25 posts. Additionally, you should try to avoid repeating your classmate's examples; therefore, those who wait to complete the blog assignment will have a more difficult time trying to find creative and original examples. If you do utilize the same example, you must expand and look at the work in a different perspective. Finally, you will need to respond to at least five other individuals' posts. Aim for 100-200 words per response for each post, depending on the type of question you are asked to answer. Focus on facts and specific details in the novel/movie rather than making judgments or summarizing. Pay attention to the movies/TV shows you are watching and think about novels you have read. These ideas will hopefully help everyone think outside the box and dig deeper. I'm looking for the WOW factor!
Blog Archive
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2009
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May
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- Introduction: How'd He Do That?
- Chapter 1 - Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It'...
- Chapter 2 - Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
- Chapter 3 - Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
- Chapter 4 - If It's Square, It's a Sonnet
- Chapter 5 - Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?
- Chapter 6 - When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare ...
- Chapter 7 - ... Or the Bible
- Chapter 8 - Hanseldee and Greteldum
- Chapter 9 - It's Greek to Me
- Chapter 10 - It's More Than Just Rain or Snow
- Interlude - Does He Mean That
- Chapter 11 - ... More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: C...
- Chapter 12 - Is That a Symbol?
- Chapter 13 - It's All Political
- Chapter 14 - Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too
- Chapter 15 - Flights of Fancy
- Chapter 16 - It's All About Sex; Chapter 17 - ......
- Chapter 18 - If She Comes Up, It's Baptism
- Chapter 19 - Geography Matters...
- Chapter 20 - ... So Does Season
- Interlude - One Story
- Chapter 21 - Marked for Greatness
- Chapter 22 - He's Blind for a Reason, You Know; C...
- Chapter 25 - Don't Read with Your Eyes
- Chapter 26 - Is He Serious? And Other Ironies
- Chapter 27 - A Test Case
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May
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17 comments:
Having not read any of the Harry Potter books, or even watched any of the movies (deprived child, i know), I opted to go the alternative route. As you can see this saves me from expanding my summer reading from three books to ten. It also allows me to use a very familiar charicter, Winston Smith, our protagonist from George Orwell's 1984. Winston is of considerable bad health. He smokes, drinks and has a hard time stretching in the morning. His most notable ailment, though it wouldn't be considered a deformity, is his varicose ulcer above his right ankle. Winston's mark that sets him apart as the protagonist for this story is his ulcer, because it symbolizes his repressed disdain for the party. The second time his ulcer is presented in the book, it itches because Winston cannot quite remember why he started his diary. He is subconsciously talking himself out of it, holding back his hate for the party, which in turn irritates the ulcer. He is able to release a lot of his passion during his affair with Julia. This kind of act against the party is relieving to him, allowing him to let out some of his repressed emotions, and so the ulcer starts to go away. Winston is marked for greatness by having the feelings he has against the party, with his ulcer the physical representative of that. Sadly for our protagonist, the ulcer is absent in the final stages of his life, not because he has an outlet for his feelings, but because he ceases to have them.
A character with a special one of a kind mark or physical implication suggests the character will accomplish greatness. Also, a mark suggests the character is different. Harry Potter is marked with a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Knowing that he was marked when his mother sacrificed her life for his, tells me that somehow his life would be different from anyone else’s. Since his mother saved his life, Harry Potter’s quest was to save others to in a way return the favor. Harry had many more difficult struggles to face than anyone else such as he has to battle the most evil creature and win to save the world. Along with Harry's uniqueness, there were difficulties and embarrassments he faced; people looked at him as if he had three heads. He could hear snake voices and even talk to snakes. Other unique qualities that he obtains are the ability to see the horses that most people could not perceive. He is the fastest flier in the school. He had the most stress out of any of the Hogwart students. Not only did he need to keep up with his grades, but he had to save everyone from Voldemort otherwise they would be doomed. His mark of greatness is the mark of a hero. The scar made him a stronger person because the struggles he faced tested his strengths emotionally, mentally, and physically. His destined greatness, that nobody else could conquer, was defeating Voldemort. When Voldemort attacked Harry, part of Voldemort, evil, transferred to Harry. Harry in the end defeated Voldemort, so Voldemort had to flee from inside Harry. The scar symbolizes the evil that effects all us.
Harry Potter is left with only a mere scar of a lightning bolt, from his first encounter with Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had succeeded in killing many of the people living in the magical world, including Harry’s parents, but simply cannot defeat Harry even when he is only a baby. Anyone who is familiar with the Harry Potter series knows that the reason Harry was able to survive and defeat Lord Voldemort was because of the ‘power of love’ his mother displayed towards Harry. So from this scar we understand that Harry has what Lord Voldemort will never be able to defeat, which is simply the act of being loved. As the series continues and we learn that Lord Voldemort is slowly coming back into power, we already know the one person who has the power to defeat the dark lord. The only person who can bring Lord Voldemort back down from his power is the one who stripped away his strength and power in the first place, the boy who lived; Harry Potter.
Charcters with markings, scars or disabilities are sometimes the people with the most power or intelligence. One of my favorite movies of all time is V For Vendetta. "V", as he likes to be called is the protagonist of the story and has experienced a difficult past life. In his history he was almost burned alive, leaving behind third degree burns over his entire body. Throughout most of the movie you could not tell he was any different from a normal person, but in one scene his gloves are off and a girl sees it so he tells the story. He hides his scars from the naked eye to conceal his almost embarrassing past. He figures people will see him as a monster, not a human being. He is probally right. People in society are very judgemental and don't except people who are different. His markings don't make him any less of a man than anyone else though. In fact, that experience made him strive to be better. He is more intelligent then any man in the city, he even out smarts the police on numerous accounts. In his house has thousands upon thousands of classic literature novels, and he has read every single one of them. His near death experience made him into the man he is. His scars mad him more powerful in a way, pretty similar to how Harry's scar made him so powerful.
Whenever a character in a literary work has a physical imperfection, it means something. It might just be an imperfection to make the plot work or it might mean something beyond the surface and make the story more interesting. Like Scott, I am not familiar with the Harry Potter series, so I decided to write about Quasimodo’s hunched back. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a very popular book with some very interesting characters. You have this character that was abandoned when he was a baby because he was ugly. This is just absolutely terrible. It kind of gives the viewer an outlook of what this guy’s life consists of. Since he has a hunched back he was ordered to stay in the bell tower and ring the bell so nobody could see him. Through out the years, his hearing has become damaged and he has no friends besides his step-father who he loves dearly. Things obviously aren’t going the best for him. Although he had very low self-esteem I'm sure, he still managed to be the hero at the end of the story. I’m pretty sure Quasimodo’s hunched back did nothing more to the story besides make the plot and that moral of the story work. The author needed an unsightly character and if you have ever seen Quasimodo, he is truly horrid.
It is quite possible that Harry Potter has one of the most famed physical imperfections in all of literature. As most everyone is familiar with, Harry got this scar when he and his family were attacked by the evil Lord Voldemort. Though Harry’s parents were murdered in the event, the love of Harry’s mother protected him from injury except for the scar on Harry’s forehead. Those who read the Harry Potter series will quickly realize that Harry’s mark is obviously a symbol of that horrid night but also of the blessed love that has the greatest power in the face of evil. By the end of the Harry Potter series, this fact is still true as love is once again shown as the purest, most powerful, and the greatest magic of all magic. Harry’s scar is even a big part of his character though for the first twelve years of his life Harry doesn’t know its meaning. Living with his brutal and uncaring aunt, uncle, and cousin for those twelve years, Harry isn’t shown love, or even warmth, and is instead treated by his “adoptive” family as if he is lucky enough and should be glad someone took him in and raised them. While here, despite his present situation, Harry knows within his heart that his parents loved him, and so clings to that love as his shield from those who think otherwise and do not care for him and is humbled in the fact that his only desire is to have his parents and a real family back again. When Harry does prepare to and then enter the wizard world, he is no longer just the Harry Potter who lived under the staircase of his relatives but “the boy who lived.” Instead of taking part and getting the most out of his new found fame, he shies away from it and is humble because he realizes that his parents had really loved him all along. Also, Harry keeps his desire to have a family, and so has no real want of fame. It is even because of his scar that Harry befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger instead of the dreadful Draco Malfoy and is revered in the series as a true son of Hogwarts and his Griffindor dorm because he ultimately chooses the good in himself and the good others see and love him for (a.k.a. what the scar represents to Harry) instead of the more unholy characteristics like hate, fame, and self-gain.
In the series of Harry Potter, his scar shows more and more significance as his years at Hogwarts go by. Harry’s scar was left by Voldemort, the antagonist of the series, on the night Voldemort killed Harry’s parents as well as Harry himself. But because Voldemort killed his parents first, there was a protection set into motion because of their sacrifice for Harry. Voldemort left Harry with a mere scar, the shape of a lighting bolt. Even the scar’s shape is significant. We’ve probably all heard something like “weathering the storm”, where someone is describing going through a hard time but making it through alright all the same. Harry’s scar shows he weathered, and still weathers, a truly horrible storm. Also, when you picture a storm, generally a lighting bolt comes from a cloud. The imagery is symbolic to Harry’s life in a sense that he is the lighting bolt, quick and powerful, and the cloud from which the strike comes are all Harry’s loved ones that support and help him like Ron, Hermoine, Sirius, Dumbledore, and so on. Harry’s scar also represents the transfer of some of Voldemort’s power to him, as well as a connection forever binding the two while they’re both alive. His scar represents the great sacrifice his parents made out of love, as well as a miracle (being that Harry survived).
When an author gives a character a physical imperfection, they are hinting that there is something very different about that character. Harry Potter’s scar on his forehead means many things are different about him. When Harry was just a little boy, Voldemort came into his house and murdered his family. He tried to kill Harry too, but he couldn’t. Because of Harry’s parents love for and sacrifice for him, Harry was protected. Harry was the only person Voldemort had ever failed to kill. That’s the first thing that his scar on his forehead tells us about him. His scar is in the shape of a lightning bolt. This can also mean many different things. I interpreted the shape of his scar as a symbol to Zeus. Zeus was a Greek god whose symbol was the lightning bolt. All Gods are immortal, and in a way Harry is immortal. Voldemort had killed anyone he wanted to, but he couldn’t succeed in killing Harry. Zeus was also the ruler of the Gods. He had a position of power amongst the Gods. In a way, Harry is in a position of power amongst the other wizards. He is the only one who can kill Voldemort. Harry’s scar also represents the bond that was forged between Voldemort and himself. When he survived Voldemort’s attempt to kill him, part of Voldemort was transferred into him. I believe this part of Voldemort that was transferred took the shape of a lightning bolt on Harry’s forehead. Harry now has visions of Voldemort and things that Voldemort wants or did. Harry’s scar also starts hurting when Voldemort is angry or in Harry’s presence. This is because a part of Voldemort is in Harry. Harry’s scar ultimately shows his difference compared to the other wizards, and the fact that he is special in the sense that he is the only one strong enough to destroy Voldemort.
In the Harry Potter series the reader uncovers more and more about the lightning bolt scar left on Harry's forehead by Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort. One night Voldemort entered the Potter’s house with all the intentions of killing the entire family. However, when Harry's mom sacrificed herself Voldemort could not kill Harry. He was left with one small scar. Not only does this scar symbolize the horror that the Potter family went through, but also the love they had for one another. The scar is a major part of his life. As Harry later finds out, he is the 'chosen' one. He was saved by his parent's love to one day kill Lord Voldemort. Harry is the only wizard capable of accomplishing this. This mere imperfection holds so much strength and meaning in it.
Usually a scar or other physical imperfection implies that character is not only different on the outside, but also different on the inside. They are also used to show that the character is destined for greatness. One example of this would be Harry Potter. He has a lightning bolt scar that runs down his forehead. He received this scar from an encounter with Voldemort after Voldemort killed his parents. The only injury he received was the scar, this caused him to earn the title of "the boy who lived" and makes him stand out from other wizards in an unwanted way. He was only a baby and yet he was able to withstand Voldemort's attack. While Harry acquired some Voldemort-like qualities from the encounter, I believe the scar makes Harry a symbol of hope for the other wizards. It shows that Voldemort is not all powerful and that he can be defeated. Whenever something goes bad Harry is always the one to solve it, I believe he is destined to defeat Voldemort and the scar is a mark to show how great he can become.
Sometimes markings or physical deformities are the best way for an author to characterize the protagonist. I hope all of you know Jesus. He is probably the most well known character in history. He also is known for his markings. Before He obtained his scars of sacrifice, many people doubted His power. They didn’t really believe He was the Savior or that He could really turn water into wine. People thought He was a blasphemer. That is why He was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Well after His death, three days to be exact, Jesus resurrected and proclaimed His prophecy. The only way to tell if it wasn’t a joke or some elaborate prank was by the markings on His hands and feet where the nails holding him up upon the cross once were. After everyone saw this, Jesus was instantly a “living” miracle. He was now believed to actually be Christ the Savior. From the markings on His hands, it suddenly changed everyone’s perspective on His divinity. Markings really can make a difference on characterization.
The scar on Harry Potter's forehead indicates that he is different, and that something traumatic has happened in his life in order for him to get that scar. This is the way it is with any character in story or movie. In stories or movies there is always the guy that has an awesome looking scar across face or over his eye. There is always an interesting story behind it, which makes him different. This is the way it is with Harry. His scar makes him different than anyone else in the wizard world, because the scar is unique. The scar shows that he defeated Voldemort and he lived through it, and he is easily identified by people because of it.
The one thing that sets Harry Potter apart from the rest of the wizarding world... His scar. That unmistakable mark on his forehead from his first meeting with Lord Voldemort shows that he is meant to accomplish something that others could only dream of. While others, including Harry's parents, were killed with the same spell tried on Harry by Voldemort, Harry wasn't killed, but barely even hurt. When someone in the wizarding world saw the scar, they immediately knew who he was, whereas, without the scar, they probably wouldn't have even cared. Because they knew who he was, they were either afraid of him for the danger that he supposedly brought, or were extremely pleased to meet such a famous boy. They knew about what had happened to him, his parents, and everyone else who had faced Voldemort. What they didn't know is how Harry survived, although anyone who has read the books knows that Harry's mother saved him through the sacrifice of her own life. Only a few of his friends actually took the risk of helping Harry through the pains of his past and pushed him to avenge his parents and all the others that Voldemort killed. All of this was put into motion because of Voldemort's failed attempt at killing Harry... Leaving the scar to help Harry show that he could beat Voldemort.
Garret- I liked how you used Greek mythology to figure out the meaning in Harry's scar. I completely forgot that the scar was shaped like a lightening bolt and what that alone adds to the story.
Harry Potter’s lightning bolt scar grows in significance throughout the series. His imperfection sets him apart from everyone else. How many people do you know with a lightning bolt shaped scar in the center of their forehead? Exactly. Harry is already set apart from half of the world due to the fact that he is a wizard. To be different from the rest of the world, Rowling threw the scar into her stories. Harry received his scar in a murder attempt carried out by Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter is the only person to have survived Voldemort. When Voldemort was preparing to kill Harry when he was just a baby, Harry’s mother sacrificed her life in place of her son’s. This act of love proves that good always prevails over evil. The scar symbolizes the power of love. Because Harry is the only person to survive an attack by Voldemort, he is not only expected to do great things but also forced to. Harry Potter serves as a symbol of hope in the world. He, being the “chosen one”, can, and indefinitely will, defeat Voldemort.
Harry Potter’s lightning bolt-shaped scar is a very obvious mark of greatness. It’s a feature that practically everyone in the wizarding world recognizes as a label for “the boy who lived.” Harry is the only one to have survived an attack from Voldemort, and that’s an incredible detail, seeing as Voldemort is probably the most deadly wizard in HarryPotterian history (which I’m sure is not a real phrase). People frequently comment on Harry’s scar, and sometimes he can even feel the scar burning, itching, or warning him of something. Because of the oddity of his scar (it’s lightning bolt-shaped, for crying out loud! Can it get much more ominous of power and purpose than that?), the reader knows that Harry is indeed the chosen one who will defeat Voldemort. It gives him away as the hero and makes for a cool design on the front title on the books (though that’s not terribly important). All in all, Harry’s scar symbolizes how he is set apart from the normal wizarding community.
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