What foster is trying to tell us in this chapter is that most book have some kind of political reference. Its related to something political but not too much because the book will be messed up. It can engage on real world problems and how some humans suffer. This also includes how some political stands and leaderships are wrong. The example i used from freshman year is Animal farm. The animals wanted to get back at the farmer and all planned to attack him. They soon became the rulers of that farm. After Old Major died, Napoleon and Snowball made an attempt to rule over the farm. Both of their ways were very controlling so their type of leadership would be considered as dictatorship. They were the rulers over every animal and commanded each
Foster's intended audience were college students or older people who returned to for an English major. As a matter of fact, two of the most interesting chapters are ... Or the Bible and A Test Case because they captured the eye of the reader seeing as one can detect the allusions to the bible in their previous reading and sympathize
As a reader has one ever thought about what Fosters key idea is for this chapter “Don’t Read with Your Eyes” well here it is from How To Read Literature Like A Professor Foster emphasizes on “The formula I generally offer is this: don’t read with your eyes. What I really mean is don’t read only from your own fixed position in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and some. Instead try to find a reading perspective that allows for sympathy with the historical moment of the story, that understands the text as having been written against its own social, historical, cultural, and personal background” (234). Foster uses the example of the teacher whose brother is a drug addict from one’s perspective he might be considered a bad person and gross.
Tyranny has been prevalent throughout history with leaders such as Kim Jong-Il, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler. All of these dictators shared a group of traits. The most recognizable characteristic of a tyrannical rule is fear of the ruler. Dictators often maintain a higher class than the people they rule, leaving the citizens poor. More often than not, tyrants are not voted into power.
Thomas Foster, a professor at the University of Michigan, taught literature and writing. He was born in West Cornfield, Ohio, and living in such a small town caused him to become very associated with books. In 2003, Foster published a book, How to Read Literature like a Professor, written in second person. The book is written as a guide for readers to know the parts of nonfiction books. It teaches young readers how to include important elements into their stories.
The lesson Foster makes in this chapter is that the majority of books are in some way political, using their stories to teach the reader about the problems of society. In the chapter, Foster writes, “Many of the things in [the] world are political. Who holds power and how they got it and what they do with it” (Foster 70). In All of our Demise, there are seven, mafia-adjacent families who vie for control of a natural resource they call high magick. The authors write, "...
A perfect example of absolute tyranny would be the Nazis. Their cruel and oppressive behavior towards the Jews and those who didn’t fit into their mold of the “perfect human” ended up as a mass genocide that cost the lives of millions. According to the famous document, the English colonists’ wrote a set of “Facts” (266) to be submitted to the world, showing the human race the repeated offenses the English government had shown to the colonists’. King George III and Parliament made life exceedingly trying for them. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote numerous ways to government had usurped their rights as citizens.
This is the downfall of leaders in many works of literature, including Harrison Bergeron and The Lord of the Flies. If given power, individuals obsessed with achieving their ideals will revert to an aggressive and uncompromising leadership style unless there is some form of a rival to keep them in check. Harrison Bergeron’s titular character experienced oppression first-hand and sought to exert complete power over a society that tried to make him powerless. Determined for change, Harrison stormed a TV station, the “ballerinas, technicians, musicians, and announcers [inside] cowered on their knees before him, expecting to die” (Vonnegut 4). A fear of individual recognition kept his society running, yet in his desire to remove this fear Harrison establishes his own and becomes a veritable enemy to peace.
In the thirteenth chapter of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster asserts that “nearly all writing is political” (118). To begin the chapter, Foster states that he hates political writings which are solely one minded, programmatic and root for a single cause. These novels, poems and plays ー which are more reports on the authors ideal culture ー “don’t travel well, don’t age well, and generally aren’t much good in their own time and place” (116). Political works which are more in depth, have several differing viewpoints and even are disguised with stories are, in Foster’s eyes, much more interesting. Furthermore, writers are people who commonly take great interests in the world around them.
Who would have ever thought that a simple dictator could have so much in common with a pig from a book. It’s quite silly actually to think about it almost makes it seem like it 's a common thing for a dictator to make decisions like these. Though the things that Putin and Napoleon did are very weird both of them did it which makes it seem like it actually isn’t that weird especially for two dictators to do. No matter how common it is for dictators to pull stunts like the examples that have been given it is wrong nonetheless. As this essay is being written it is questioned, why is it that most dictators do terrible things and why isn’t their a dictator doing something good for a
Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro were dictators famous for their communist ideology and violent reigns while totalitarian dictators. Defined by Dictionary.com, Totalitarianism is “absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution” and a dictator is “a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.” Dictators are usually stern, but passionate in front of the public. Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro both came to rise in environments that were challenging politically, economically, socially or all of the above. They offered another light that people were desperate to see.
Animal Farm- Lies and Deceit The book Animal Farm by George Orwell portrays the theme of how someone can lie and deceive others to get what they want just like how the two pigs Napoleon and Squealer used lies and deceit to gain power over Animal Farm. Napoleon lied to other animals, Squealer lied to other animals and they both deceived the other animals, but the sad part is that neither of them lied for the better of the other animals. They both lied to get what they want- power over the animals and the farm.
Human Selfishness Shown Through George Orwell’s Novel, Animal Farm There is no way to hide the selfishness trait in humans, no matter how many charities they donate to, how many children they help, there will always be that selfishness in them. Although no one will ever admit it, humans since before we know it, have always been like this, and will never change this feature for the time to come. George Orwell, an english novelist, who realized this at an early time, did a very efficient job at showing this to the rest of the world through his novel Animal Farm. In the novel, George Orwell uses theme and allegory to share his views on society by displaying that the aim for equality in society is unachievable because people are inherently selfish
A tyrant, in Ancient Greece, was a man who forcefully took control of and governed over a city state illegally. It was impossible for a man to take that much power without the help and support of many followers and none of the tyrants was ever able to stay longer than the majority of the people
Abuse of Power From the beginning of time until now, civilization has always felt the need to be organized under a leader. The craving of power lives in most people. Sometimes men striving for power can work their way up to a dictatorship, absolute control, by using propaganda, fear, and many other methods. In the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Napoleon portrays similar qualities in power as Hitler.
A great example of this would be Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who were both political leaders of their countries, Germany and Russia and wanted greatness for their countries and arguably for themselves as well. Both countries did become recognisable super powers. However, it did not last long as the negative effects on the citizens within unfortunately outweighed the the shortlived greatness of both countries. These dictators had similar idealistics and the punishment was heavy for those who opposed their opinions or ideas, it sometimes ended in death or exilement to concentration camps. Each dictator had a strong belief that their vision for their country was the best one.