ipl-logo

Symbolism Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor

827 Words4 Pages

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

Show More
Related
975 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
863 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

In the book , How to Read Literature Like a Professor written by Thomas C. Foster, he explains that there are five components to a quest, a quester, place to go, stated reason to go, the challenges and trials, and the real reason to go, which Foster explains is always self-knowledge. The initial purpose of the quest is not always completed; instead over time the protagonist runs into numerous challenges that test the very core of their being, reflecting their own thoughts on their life. While reading Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card, a sci-fi novel, Andrew Wiggin is the original speaker of the dead and Novinha a woman ravaged by her past and secrets, together they have to face the community of Lusitania. He searches to find an inhabitable

Read More
408 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
321 Words | 2 Pages

How To Read Literature Like A Professor In the book how to read literature like a professor every chapter is based on symbolism. The author uses creative ways of symbolism to create different scenarios. The author uses different stories and symbolism to make people look at things from a different perspective. Foster states in the first chapter that everything you do is a quest and that the point of having quests is to have self-knowledge, which is saying that everything you do in life no matter how big or how small can teach you something.

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

In the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, the author identifies and explains many different literary analysis concepts over the course of 27 chapters. In chapter twelve titled “Is That a Symbol”, Foster discusses the significance of symbols in literature and how they add depth and complexity to a story. The chapter solidifies the fact that symbols can be objects, characters, settings, or even actions that carry deeper meanings beyond their literal representation. Skipping Christmas by Josh Grisham is a Christmas novel that follows the story of the Kranks, Luther and Nora, a married couple who decide to skip the traditional festivities of Christmas and take a vacation on a cruise instead. In the novel, there are

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
680 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1076 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
381 Words | 2 Pages

“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.

Read More
921 Words | 4 Pages

Almost every child grows up with the age old moral principle, ‘violence is never the answer’. But is violence occasionally the answer in literature? Violence is one of the most personal and even intimate acts between human beings, but it can also be cultural and societal in it’s implications. In the novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, particularly chapter eleven, Thomas C. Foster discusses violence in writing. This can then be connected to acclaimed novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Symbolism Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor

Open Document