Essay about How to Read Literature Like a Professor

In Thomas Foster’s book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” readers learn how to look past the surface of a literary work to find a deeper or hidden meaning. Writers use devices, such as symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, irony and allusion to reveal these meanings. If these are overlooked, important aspects of the story can be lost. One literary device that Foster emphasizes in his book is allusion. Every story has elements of another story, and Foster devotes Chapters Four through Seven explaining the meaning of allusion in works by Shakespeare, the Bible, and fairy tales.

1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.

Literature is affected by memory, symbols, and patterns though the connections made between the reader and the novels. By understanding the symbols and patterns of a novel, the reader can better connect to the story being told. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is obsessed with looking at a green light. Realizing that the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s longing for Daisy, the reader can better acknowledge the greater theme of the story. Symbols and patterns provide better interpretation of a story to the reader.

The recognition of patterns makes it much easier to read complicated literature because recognizing patterns will help you relate two or more pieces of literature together, therefore making it easier to understand and analyze the literature you are focused on. Patterns in literature can help the reader understand plots, settings, themes, and other literary elements. I greatly appreciated the novel, Brave New World because of how different the society in the novel was from the one I live in. Using the Signposts from Notice and Note, I was able to see contrast and contradictions that enhanced my understanding of the book. I noticed how I was expecting Bernard, in Brave New World to be just like everybody else in the novel but instead he was a “normal person” that felt normal human emotions, such as the longing for love, that the other characters just did not feel. He also felt isolated and alone. Bernard thinks in a way we were not expecting. Patterns such as this helped me, the reader, to better understand literary elements.

Recognizing patterns makes reading complicated literature easier by being able to connect occurring experiences to ones that have happened earlier before. Once these things are recognized, literature takes on a new form. You identify every aspect of a piece of work without having to investigate it. A great example is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you didn’t recognize patterns throughout the book before recognizing patterns, you will not see the hidden symbols that add so much volume to the story being portrayed. Not recognizing them means you don’t know the meaning behind the mockingbird and how they represent Tom Robinson’s death. Mockingbirds are as harmless as they can be, representing Tom’s innocence. Lee was comparing a mockingbirds

First, it is important to understand the meaning behind the act of communion in literature. Thomas C Foster, a professor of English at the University of Michigan, states that, “Whenever people eat or drink together, its communion.” ( How to read literature like a professor, pg.8) The Novel, To

that when the audience is watching this sequence of Carl and Ellie growing old together and going through the ups and downs of life, the audience is able to subconsciously deduce that the images that they watching are either Carl’s memories being played out in front of them or it is the sped up and compressed representation of Carl’s life in a few minutes. But either way, what is important, and was definitely planned by the filmmakers, is that at this point the audience knows that Carl Fredrickson has, just like how every living human being on earth, his very own unique history, backstory and experiences: traits and characteristics that determine every individual person. Therefore, allowing the audience from just the montage sequence alone,

Carl eventually remembers his lost youthful dreams; as a result, he rushes to buy tickets to Paradise Falls, South America. Unfortunately, his efforts are in vain since Ellie soon passes away from old age. Due to Carl’s regret of not having pursued his dream sooner, he no longer has anything to live for. This makes him a stereotypical grumpy old man. However, when Carl is going to be evicted from his beloved home, he crosses a threshold by going on his longed-for adventure.

2) What function of literature, according to the four we learned, does this text fulfill? Explain your reasoning by selecting a moment from the text and describing how this scene demonstrates the function you chose.

He wanted to build a bridge, so he wouldn't have to use the rope. Jess went to Leslie's dad to get some wood that they were not using. Jess gave PT to Leslie's dad and he didn't want to give him up, and that Leslie would want her parents to keep him. He went after school and started to build when he heard a cry. It was just May Bell who was falling off the tree that had fallen. Jess helped her up and told her to go back home, but May Bell didn't want to. She wanted to see what he was up to and she thought maybe she can help him. The bridge was done after a couple of hard days working on it and he felt bad for yelling at May Bell so he wanted to show her. He told her it's a place for kings, queens, castles, warriors, and having a imagination. Jess couldn't think of the imagination that Leslie had but he tried his best. Jess will miss Leslie and think of her all the time, he loved Leslie and she loved

Select a novel and, focusing on ONE symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. Hope is fleeting. It is something that dangles in front of the face of those on the brink of despair, and as they reach out to grab it, it darts away like a frightened mouse. Yet human beings continuously chase this frailty with the thought that things will get better in time.

The viewers can see Carl change his actions in multiple occasions as a direct response from Russell’s responses and actions. It can also be added that Russell took the form of a child to fulfill Carl and Ellie’s desire to have children. Next, Kevin, the rare and wanted bird, represents a Higher Calling. Kevin

Chapter 5, “Patterns,” the author gives a warning to be on the lookout for patterns, archetypes, and recurrences. He reminds us that all literature contains bits and pieces of other works from other places. Foster dives into further detail by stating the fact that people don't necessarily copy other literature, the ideas become concreted in society's cultural dialogue. All literature is founded on its predecessors. The authors expect the readers to infer on things and they test our knowledge on culture, history, and literature. Intertextuality is the continuous interaction between different literary pieces. Foster gives us articles to look for to help us understand the similarities and they are; patterns, archetypes, symbols, and literary

Motifs can impact society in several different ways. Many motifs help enhance reading experiences by being a gateway for descriptive language. An example of this is how describing eyes, which is a motif in literature, often involves using descriptive language: “his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris’s, were red-rimmed and watery” (Lee 23). Motifs also are used without intention of them being motifs. Many people have at least one nickname; many of those people are known by their nickname, rather than their real name. A name is associated with a human being, a person that has emotion. That makes this motif significant. Motifs can be used in literature and art to make an impact as well. An artist can use a motif in his or her works to convey an idea;

After what appears to be a daily ritual, he sits on his front porch. One of the reasons for Carl’s discomfort and safety norms is made evident as the camera shows how what once was a Carl’s little cottage in a rural area, which he and his wife had restored together, now it is surrounded by high-rise construction.