Middlesex and How to Read Literature Like a Professor fall on opposite ends of the spectrum of literature. One is an epic of classic proportions, while the other is a dry guide on what is, apparently, the proper way to read literature. As unlike as the two are, Middlesex, through the symbol of the crocus, and the theme of journeying, follows Foster’s formula in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. One of the most prominent symbols in Middlesex, although mentioned only eighteen times, is the crocus. The flower is established as a euphemism for Cal’s ambiguous sex, given how he felt it “stirring” (Eugenides 320) when he hit puberty, and it became intertwined with Cal’s intersexuality. For example, the crocus was a “stimulant” (Eugenides 387) for the Obscure Object, and was the center of Dr. Luce’s studying of Cal. This makes the surface meaning of the symbol quite clear; the crocus represents Cal’s status as an intersex man. If a “reader’s imagination” (Foster …show more content…
With chapters titled “Minotaur” and “Hermaphroditus”, and Cal describing himself as “Homeric” (Eugenides 4) a parallel between Middlesex and ancient stories is drawn. Almost every Greek classic involves some kind of journey or quest that the protagonist undergoes. This coincides with Foster’s argument theme is created by calling upon a “prior story” (Foster 56) because a theme of journeying is made apparent by Eugenides’s references. Without any allusions journeying would still be a prevalent theme, but it would carry significantly less weight. As it turns out, Foster was largely correct in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Novels do tend to follow certain rules, and Middlesex is no exception. The crocus proves the infinite interpretations of symbols, and Eugenides creates them exactly how Foster says authors do. Sure, Foster’s book may be a bit boring, but it is nothing if not accurate, at least in this
In John Steinbacks “The Chrysanthemums,” the shift of the setting from the ranch to the road plays an important role in the development of the main character, Elisa. Therefore, in the first setting, Elisa is in her garden attending to her the chrysanthemums, which she loves and cares for. Immediately, we’re placed in a rural setting, where women happen to live in isolation and man is manly. Elisa sneaks quick glances towards the men by the tractor shed, who is talking to her husband, waiting for them to leave, so she can throw aside her gloves and work her fingers into the soil of the garden. However, Elisa shows her fearless side by quickly digging in the garden, with her eagerness to grow her chrysanthemums, right after the men leave.
He starts with the example of Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ intentionally to make mention of the Faustian bargain as a pattern, and to emphasize the distinction between the professor and student. Then, he connects these distinctions with one of the main points, conventions. He also digresses and then successfully comes back to the main point to explain how is ‘the grammar of the essay’ works. Using these apparatuses in his own writing enables reader to both learn the definitions of these conventions and study how they are applied in a literary text. Stating this conventions as arbitrary, Foster focuses on their usage and
In Thomas C. Foster’s How To Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, readers have the ability to identify certain elements from chapters “Nice To Eat You; Acts of Vampires”, “Is That a Symbol?”and “Marked For Greatness”, which Laura Hillenbrand puts to action in her book Unbroken. In Laura Hillenbrand’s novel Unbroken, the characters in the story show and play out the chapter 3 “Nice to Eat You; Acts of Vampires” from Thomas C. Foster’s How To Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids. In the novel Unbroken there is a general named Watanabe who was the leader of discipline at Omori POW camp in Japan. Watanabe was known for his brutality within the camp because his purposeful standing around waiting for someone to make one tiny mistake, so he could beat them until they were unconscious.
Finally, the real reason is to find her self-knowledge or how she can rely on herself. Foster shows that this novel satisfies the five literary elements and the setup of “someone going somewhere and doing something, especially if the going and the doing wasn’t his idea in the first place” (Foster 6). Throughout first chapter, Foster claimed that a quest consist five elements, but he soon says “Always’ and ‘never’ are not words that have much meaning in literary study” (Foster
The concept of “The Hero’s Journey” plays a major role in nearly every piece of fiction humanity has created since its inception, from epic poems to blockbuster movies. In many ways, works of fiction and some pieces of nonfiction could not exist and would not make sense without the concept of a Hero’s Journey; it allows the reader to comprehend and follow the progression of characters over the course of the story. While Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road may not display most of the archetypal qualities found in classic Hero’s Journeys such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, it most clearly exemplifies the qualities of a Hero’s Journey through the Boy’s character in relation to the mentor, tests and enemies, and the
Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One, and Homer, author of The Odyssey, both come from different backgrounds but both share a common storyline within their writings: the pattern of “the hero’s journey”. Both Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and Homer’s The Odyssey tell the story of two men escaping their homelands to undergo life-threatening adventures. However, the characters, Wade Watts and Odysseus, differ personally. Although Odysseus from The Odyssey, Homer’s epic, and Wade Watts from Ready Player One, Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel, both leave their childhood homes to undergo life-threatening quests, Odysseus shows little personal growth throughout the story, remaining as an arrogant, self-centered man, while Wade Watts progressively develops as a character, as he transforms from “a painfully shy, awkward kid” to the winner of James Halliday’s sought after Easter Egg.
Every Trip Is A Quest For many people who study literature almost all works of literature are related to eachother in some way or another. The most common relationship found between texts is some structure of a quest. In Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor a quest is described as “[consisting] of five things: A quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials, and a real reason to go there”(3).
By reading “How to Read Literature like a Professor” and “The Kite Runner”, the reader is aided in his or her ability to understand the true meanings behind the text. One is able to decipher how the act of coming together to eat can mean anything from a simple meal with family, to an uncomfortable situation that leads to anger or stress in an individual character. The reader is able to understand the use of rain or other weather in a novel to transform the mood and tone of scene, or understand the cleansing or destructive qualities that weather may have on the overall plot of the story. The use of illness can be transformed, as it can lead to the reader discovering veiled means behind tuberculosis, cholera, a simple cold, or even cancers such
The author uses the marigolds as a symbol but, their meaning varies between each character. To a young Lizabeth , the marigolds symbolise beauty in a place that it doesn't belong. These beautiful flowers anger a young Lizabeth because she thinks they didn’t belong in the old dusty town she grew up in. To an adult Lizabeth these flowers hold a different meaning, they now represent hope to her. These flowers hold a different meaning to Miss Lottie, to her they represented what was left of love, hope, and beauty in her life.
“The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Norton, 2001, pp. 225–530. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. “The Aeneid.”
How to Read Literature Like a professor chapter1 In the first chapter of How to Read Literature Like a professor author Thomas C. Foster discusses how almost every story has some type of quest, the title of chapter is “ Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)” he clearly alludes to the fact that the chapter is about the quest aspect of a story and its significance. As the chapter developed Foster began to cover the essentials of a quest and the purpose behind a quest, according to him there are five significant aspects of a quest “(a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there. He then expands of each of these things.
In Homer’s “The Odyssey” the traces and nuances of this pursuit can be found in the very structure and hierarchy of Ancient Greece. Through his storytelling, Homer paints a vivid picture of adventure and wonder, but even while Homer tries to deliver an
To get started, the azaleas in the novel represent Maudie Atkinson because of her loving, strong minded, and compassionate character. Azaleas stand out because they are able to grow even in harsh and unbearable conditions. They still turn out to be in a perfect beautiful condition, unlike many flowers who need a good environment to grow. Maudie is a perfect representation of an azalea because she lives in the prejudiced, judgmental town
Transforming and Romanticizing a Storyline The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka, attracted the attention of many of its readers due to the writing framework and shocking concepts. The story depicts a man named Gregor Samsa who has befallen the fate of a cockroach- literally. After being transformed into a large bug, Gregor goes through the struggles of misunderstanding, neglect, and loss of his family relationships.
However, there are deficient expressions of femininity. Through the use of the symbol of the red tulips In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood shows how flowers are given special attention as objects; these flowers can grow at a time. However, not a lot of women can. The overall passage in this passage is the handmaids are parallel to a red tulip. The author includes this chapter in her book to show everybody has their own purpose in society.