Thursday, May 7, 2009
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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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28 comments:
Once understanding memory, symbol and pattern, literature takes a new form. Using these techniques, it is easy to compare many aspects of one literary work to certain aspects of several other literary works. This deepens the understanding of the literary work and makes it more enjoyable to read. Also when reading lengthy or complicated pieces of literature, these techniques make it easy to ignore the tedious details and focus on the essentials of the story. Also it is easy to relate events or characters of the story to the events or characters of a more familiar story. This would make it easier to understand the nature of the characters and help with the prediction of what is going to happen in the book. The protagonist from George Orwell's 1984 is Winston Smith. After i fully understood the nature of the name i was able to understand the character more completely. The first part of his name was inherited from a very popular person around the time the book was written, Winston Churchill. The second part of his name was chosen simply because "Smith" is an extremely mediocre name therefore representing an average man. After understanding these two, it is easy to read "Winston Smith" and understand that he is just an average man but he has the potential to lead the people to rebel against Big Brother. Knowing this, the suspense and enjoyment of the reading was greatly augmented.
-Scott Gryspeerdt
Scott - Nice start and thoughtful answer. Very insightful observation about Winston Smith's name.
Understanding memory, symbol and pattern, only enhances the literary work. Without being able to comprehend literature, you won't experience the true meaning of the story, therefore missing out on all the excitement and joy of reading. If you can identify some of the symbols or patterns in a work of literature, it will make the reading easier and more enjoyable. Recognizing patterns in long storys can help you understand the story as a whole. You won't get caught up in all the other nonsense in the story. One moment of literature insight I experienced was during Fahrenheit 451. Toward the end of the book, a phoenix is mentioned in comparison to the burned down city. I realized the phoenix was a symbol for Montag's "rebirth" within himself. Understanding this symbol put the book together and created a sense of enlightenment for me. Without knowing the symbol, I would not have completely grasped the meaning of the story.
As we get older and our brains develop we start to analyze things in a better, more productive way. When younger, we couldn't read books that were hard because our minds didn't allow us to catch the small details that tied the book together. Now, understanding symbol, pattern, and memory allow a person to distance oneself from the story, and to look past things such as plot, characters, and drama. Experience has shown us that if you are able to understand symbol, pattern, and memory, you are able to understand reading in general. Memory allows a person's symbolic imagination to connect to an earlier instance with things that have happened in real-life. Pattern is the ability to see repetitive action, thoughts, etc. A symbol is pretty much everything until proven otherwise. When all of these aspects are combined the reader gets a better understanding of the book and a truly more fulfilled reading experience. I realized all of this was possible when reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Obviously a mockingbird has to play a role in the book but if a person were reading without using symbol, pattern, and memory, they would have never realized that the mockingbird represented Tom Robinson's death. In the book, Atticus says, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Mockingbirds do no harm, they sing so people can enjoy them and so like Tom, they are innocent. Killing a mockingbird would be a sin because they do nothing wrong. In reality Lee was comparing Tom Robinson's death to a mockingbird's death. Also, Scout realizes towards the end of the book when Boo Radley killed bob to save the kids, that Boo could be considered a hero and get a ton of attention, but that's not what he wants. He wants to stay out of the limelight and just pretend that nothing ever happened. He is like the mockingbird, he did nothing bad and because of that, he should not be punished. This gives a reader a full view of symbols, pattern, and memory.
Chris - As your phoenix example from F451 expresses, society as well as Montag, can learn from their mistakes and truly rise above. If only everyone realized this!
Sarah - One of my favorite novels and great choice of primary quotes to understanding a significant theme in the novel. Strong explanations to support how the theme is repeated throughout the novel.
The human mind is a very complex thing that operates on many levels all at once. As such, it only makes sense that when reading, people can take in the words on the page on so many different levels. Often times, as Foster states, people are drawn to only the most apparent feelings given by a story (as said by Foster, an emotional level), and while that isn't particularly a bad thing, experienced, well-practiced readers can enjoy not only the basic effects but also a sort of sense of satisfaction from understanding how (or why) an author did something. The way that they do this is through the means of good (vast and well-applied) memory and an understanding of various patterns and symbols. As a reader 'practices' he or she develops an ability to recall things from past books, poems, movies, experiences, and whatnot and apply them to different things that are read. Also, as a reader is exposed to more ideas and subjects (from different perspectives and at different levels), various patterns and symbols become more recognizable. When readers come across one such recollection, pattern (whether in events, style, or dialogue), or symbol (which can cover a veritably endless supply of subjects), they know what to expect, and they can often see a meaning that isn't brought directly into light by the writer's words. For example (though this is a relatively obvious one), the Chronicles of Narnia series has a plentitude of symbols, and Aslan is one of them. If you're religious (and maybe even if you aren't), then it is easy to see that C. S. Lewis made Aslan as a definite symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ. Once that symbol is understood, then I could paint Aslan in my mind as a much more grand and righteous figure than I might have gathered from reading the words on the page without making any inferences. Also, being a Christ figure, Aslan, in a sense, comes with a set of expected events that are associated with Christ. One such example is Aslan's death on the stone table (Christ's atonement and crucifixion). As I parenthetically mentioned before, Aslan being a type of Christ is a fairly easy conclusion to reach, but I liked it, so for me, this symbol made the Chronicles of Narnia a great deal more enjoyable because of a greater understanding (and thus greater appreciation) for a major figure in the series.
(sorry about the deleted post, I wanted to change something)
James - I liked your comment about how well-practiced readers understand the author's purpose for incorporating symbol and pattern. Aslan is a great example of a Christ figure and you may look at his character more deeply when you analyze future chapters such as 7 & 14. Thoughtful start.
Once a person learns how to analyze and recognize memory, symbol, and pattern, reading literary works becomes easier. The more books a person reads the better a person is able to remember and compare books. This knowledge of memory inables the recognization of patterns in books to be less complicated. Someone can relate a pattern of a story to a another story that contains similar types of charaters and occurences. Symbols affect reading by helping a person comprehend the deeper meaning of a story or a object in the story. Patterns in a well written story usually follows real-life patterns which makes it easier to predict what will happen, so if one event leads to another sometimes a person can realize what is about to occur. By my understanding of symbolism, it was not difficult to recognize that the dog in Nicholas Sparks' novel "The Guardian" represented the lady's husband who died. The dog always looked after her like her husband did. In the end when the dog gaurded her from the killer and took his own life to save hers, it was no question the dog resembled her dead husband who always protected her. It was like once he died, a part of him was inside the dog which became her guardian
Leah -
I agree it is important for individuals to be culturally literate which allows one to find the connections and patterns in literature. I have not read The Guardian, but it reminded me of the movie Meet Joe Black.
Memory, symbols and patterns are essential aspects when reading a piece of literature. Memory enables the reader to compare literary works with similar texts that they have previously read and find patterns among them. Recognizing these patterns can make a difficult reading into an easier and more understandable one because when the reader discovers the pattern they have read elsewhere, they will be able to catch on to the plot at an earlier stage in the novel. Symbols help provide a deeper meaning of the story and can also connect you with real life examples. Recognizing the symbolism in John Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath, made the novel much more enjoyable and understandable. One of the numerous examples that Steinbeck uses is when describing the struggles of a small turtle trying to cross the highway. The turtle takes a slow journey across the blistering road while at the same time trying to dodge the vehicles that are impending upon him. This scene is very symbolic because the turtle is supposed to represent the Joad family and their travels to the west. No matter how many conflicts the family may face on the way, they will eventually make it to their destination after encountering several life changing trials and tribulations, just like the little turtle.
Hillary -
Significant universal symbol - its associated meaning of courage is observed in many pieces of literature: The fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare" and as the character Turtle in The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
Being able to understand memory, symbol, and pattern in a literary work help to appreciate it and makes it more enjoyable. If someone couldn't understand or recognize these then they could miss some of the bigger points of a story because they could be focused on other things in the story other than what they should be. If you can recognize patterns and other things then you know what to look for and what is important, rather than just hoping to notice it. There have been a lot of novels in which my appreciation for it has risen because I was able to recognize a symbol or pattern. One my favorite ones, however, would probably have to be in Fahrenheit 451 with the destruction of the city and and everything else being compared to a phoenix. Mankind destroys itself only to rise up out of its own ashes, hopefully being better than it was before it was destroyed and that it had learned from its mistake.
Being able to comprehend memory, symbol and pattern in a literary work gives the reader a deeper, greater understanding of literature. Once a reader is able to comb through literature by picking out minor details and incorporating symbolism, reading becomes a more satisfying experience. Memory, symbol and pattern are three aspects that piece a story together. Without them, the reader is unable to grasp the deeper meaning of the literary work. In John Knowles’s A Separate Peace, there are two sessions at Devon. The winter session is a cold and heavily disciplined one while during the summer session, teachers are extremely lenient. As I was reading this novel, I began to notice that the summer session symbolizes freedom and youthfulness. The boys can get away with anything in summer. When the winter session creeps up, Devon’s environment becomes firm. Rules that were bent in the summer session are enforced. By noticing and understanding how John Knowles used the two sessions as symbols, the story fell together. Without catching symbols such as the two sessions at Devon, I would have simply read A Separate Peace instead of actually studying and enjoying Knowles’s careful wording and helpful symbols. Now I am able to look past plain and straightforward plot lines to the untold and mysterious details cleverly hidden in literature.
Reading a book can be as simple, or complex as you want it to be. When we were younger we read books hoping to figure out the main idea. Nowadays we take the time to look a bit further. We read deeper into the meaning and look for specific details. We even take the time to point out different uses of literary terms such as, memory, pattern, and symbol. If you can recognize such things in a story you are looking at the story in a much more complex, yet insightful way. Memory comes into play when books you have read in the past help you better understand a book you are reading now. Pattern in when you notice something is being repeated, and symbol is anything and everything until it is proven otherwise. A book that I have read and noticed symbolism in is Night by Elie Wiesel. It is a book about a young boy forced to join a concentration camp. He and his dad are separated from his mother and little sister. His dad and him try to make the best of things but they only manage to get worse. They struggle to stick together and even stay alive. Elie (the young boy) beings to lose faith throughout this horrifying journey, this is why the book is named “Night”. Midway through the story Elie is ready to give up and become dead like the night.
Memory, symbol, and pattern all improve the understanding of the literature in which we read. By properly utilizing all of these devices we as the reader can not only better comprehend the work, we can more easily connect it to another work of literature. Many stories have similar symbols which allow us to make in depth connections on each individual work and to better understand and enjoy each story. Many literary works also share similar patterns. This allows the reader to more fully understand the plot and it can also allow the reader to more accurately predict what will happen later in the work. A symbol that sticks out in my mind is the sieve and the sand from Fahrenheit 451. Montag recalls his childhood memory of trying to fill a sieve with sand to earn a nickel. No matter how much sand he puts in it always slips through the sieve. The sand represents the knowledge Montag and the human race alike seeks and the sieve represents his mind being unable to comprehend the truth. I think this is an important symbol because it shows that in the novel people cannot fully grasp the past and therefore believe it to be untrue.
No one can doubt the initial impact of a literary work, but those who truly know how to read and understand literature rely on memory, symbol, and pattern to enhance and mature what the author means in their text and the further depth beneath. Memory, or one’s knowledge of previous texts, works, or anything and everything stored within the reader’s mind, helps relate themes, characters, and other literary terms to the current text. Another important part of the three, symbol, can account for all the characters, subjects, the context, the setting, and just about anything until proven otherwise, whether it’s as simply understood as a man symbolizing Christ or as unnoticeable as a character descending a hill to visit the unfortunate symbolizing a visit to hell. Pattern, like memory and symbol, is just as important and functions much like the way a mechanic diagnoses a problem or a student solves a foreign math problem; as Foster says, “If this and this are happening, then check that.” The use of pattern especially helps when reading complicated literature because, by uncovering, noticing, and relating the smallest details to works that one is familiar with, the reader can focus on making more connections to that work and avoid/sort through the unnecessary details to get the main idea. Recognizing these patterns early on can also help the reader come up with ideas about what is to be expected as they continue reading, somewhat like foreshadowing without the writer’s intent. I’ll admit I may not be the most well read person but these three key elements of successful reading have personally helped enhance my appreciation of literary works. My most current successful experience with pattern was while I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. Early on I recognized that the setting and atmosphere Chief Bromden and the other ward patients were in was less than ideal, much like the world of Winston Smith in George Orwell’s 1984. However, this connection was made even stronger when Harding, a patient at the ward, whispered the inevitable, “Oh, the bitch, the bitch, the bitch,” to the new ward resident, McMurphy, just after he sang praises for the in charge Nurse Ratched just like when Winston wrote, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary and when other characters of 1984 admitted their hate for Big Brother and the Inner Party. I already knew the message and thoughts in 1984, so it was interesting to compare how each novel went about explaining and adding to their message, as well as how they contrasted. Even as I continued, I kept recognizing new patterns and connections and it ultimately resulted in viewing the book in a new way, making it a much easier read. Recognizing these patterns has also made me start to question the author’s way of writing as well as characterization, plot details, and relationships in the book on a whole new level and grow in depth so much so that I still find myself continue to understand and add to my knowledge.
Jessica - Very observant understanding of the weather. Unfortunately, we are approaching the "winter" season ourselves. You will notice the weather plays a significant role in numerous novels and movies. You will delve into this idea more in Chapter 10 as well.
Carley - You brought up an interesting point: the strength and significance of a title. This really struck a cord in me when you reminded me of the meaning. What a powerful, single word!
John - A very noteworthy symbol to the reader as well as to Montag. Everyone seems to be fighting against time in some way. Montag is trying to memorize what he has learned before it is too late and we are always rushing to accomplish our dreams as well.
Hannah - Nice job incorporating quotes and even one of the summer reading novels. As you continue to analyze novels at a deeper level, you will notice many connections and patterns - as Foster says, most literature is a carbon copy of some other piece.
Memory, symbol, and pattern are three key components of a story that once fully understood, will make a reader's reading experience much more rewarding. Being able to notice the many symbols and patterns in a work of literature will help the reader fully understand the book as a whole, and the author's intent behind certain aspects of the story. Memory of previous works of literature is a key to understanding many things throughout a newer book you are reading. Being able to connect characters from a story you are reading to characters from a more well known work of literature will allow u to have a greater understanding of the character and the things they do. A reader after fully understanding these three components of literature may take something from a book that before, he wouldn’t have recognized. This will make the reading experience much more of a joy than it was before. One instance where these things have enhanced my reading experience is while I was reading 1984 by George Orwell. In the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop, Julia and Winston had privacy and were able to sleep together. In this room there was a glass paperweight with a piece of metal or something in the middle. This paperweight symbolizes what Winston wants his relationship with Julia to be. He plans that they will eventually be free of Ingsoc, and live their own lives. They will be like the piece of metal in the glass paperweight, and the glass itself symbolizes the barrier between them and Ingsoc. When Winston and Julia are captured in the room, the glass paperweight gets smashed. This symbolizes the fact that their chances of that dream relationship are over. In being captured, they will be brainwashed into loving the Party and not each other. Understanding this symbol helped me notice the depth of the relationship between Julia and Winston. They were sleeping together in order to further distance themselves from the party, like the piece of metal in the glass paperweight. By understanding this, my reading experience was much more exciting and meaningful.
Once you learn how to pick up on memory, symbols, and patterns in a literary work, not only does the reading become easier, but your understanding of what you’re reading finds new depth. It makes literary works relatable to one another. Symbol makes the work important, memorable, and refocuses the moral or point of the plot with smaller but significant details. Pattern creates an easier flow of reading. Memory makes connections to past experiences or other elements we've seen in other works. These elements helped me when I read Nicholas Sparks’ novel Nights in Rodanthe. The complete scene of the horses on the beach showed beauty at its best, mystery, and the fragility of time, which all represent Paul and Adrienne’s relationship. The horses reappearing again at the end of the novel represent Adrienne’s love still being there for Paul after he died, and hope for her that she will be alright, though without Paul, the rest of her life. Once I could make these connections the meaning of the novel became deeper, and my understanding for the reasons Paul died became clearer.
Memory, symbols, and patterns begin to develop in the mind of the reader as early as birth. These three principles are used in literature to help enhance and understand the meaning of what the author is portraying. Memory allows the readers to make parallels between novels that have impacted them. Symbols allow the audience to see simple objects as something with a much greater meaning. Patterns help readers investigate the under lying message behind all the figurative and descriptive language. Patterns digger deeper then what is displayed on the pages that are read. These three literature elements go hand in hand when developing a novel. A symbol that was important to me while reading 1984 was the Red-Armed Lady. She was a minor character, but she played a major role in the time that Winston spent in the prole world. When he looked at her she symbolized change. He often viewed her as someone that would give birth to future generations that would challenge the Party and Big Brother. He always saw her from the window of the apartment he shared with Julia. After he was captured and sent to room 101 and faces his biggest fear he drops all thoughts of rebellion and no longer thinks of the Red-Armed Prole.
Literature can be fun to read, but once you understand it, then you can actually "enter" the story yourself. Memory allows you to remember what you have read and apply it later in the story and in other novels. Symbols allow you to take more away from a story rather than just a good read. They can sometimes teach lessons and relate to things in everyday life. Pattern lets the author help a reader grasp what they are trying to get through. By repeating a specific point, a reader would notice this and either think that it was an important lesson or theme, or something that will be required to understand the later happenings of the story. When I read The Lord of the Rings, I was glad that I had read The DragonLance Chronicles beforehand. In both of these series of novels, the characters shared similar races. Elves, humans, dwarfs, and several others. The difference was the enemies. In The Lord of the Rings, the enemies are orcs, but in The DragonLance Chronicles, the enemies are evil sorcerers that were creating evil Draconians out of good dragon eggs and evil dragons. I was able to use a pattern between the series of novels. In both, the humans, elves, dwarfs, dragons, etc. join together to face their foes, whether they be humans, orcs, or dragons. I was able to use this pattern to figure out who was siding with who against who. I am still finding stories with these races that have similar alliances.
Lauren - I'm glad that you presented the idea that even a minor character can be important to a novel. More importantly the lack of one can be significant as well as you mentioned when Winston is sent to room 101.
Mrs. Lacey would you please email me rskylar004@gmail.com as soon as possible. I would like to ask you a question.
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