The book, How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, was written to help people of all ages better their understanding of works of literature by teaching them to relate multiple works of literature together, as well as being able to find common traits in literature ex. A meal isn’t normally just a meal. How To Read Literature Like a Professor is written in second person perspective, which means that the author is including you in the story, an example of this would be a dialogue between the author and yourself, or it says “you” a lot, ex. “You wake up and…”. After reading this novel the author, Thomas C. Foster, wants you to be a better overall reader and be able to identify certain parts in a book that are commonly found. …show more content…
Tolkien, is about a hobbit (A small mythical creature with very large feet) who goes on an unexpected journey with Thorin Oakenshield, a wizard (Gandalf), and 12 dwarves (Fili, Kili, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur) excluding Thorin. This novel was written in third person limited, meaning that the narrator is telling the story only being able to see the thoughts of one character. Throughout the novel they are constantly being pressured and must push on no matter what. Bilbo Baggins (the hobbit) goes on this journey with Thorin Oakenshield to reclaim the lost kingdom of the dwarves, or the Kingdom Under the Mountain, the mountain itself is named the Lonely Mountain. The band of dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf travel there to reclaim their lost treasure because there is a whole spew of wealth guarded by a greedy dragon, Smaug. At one point, they get taken by spiders because one of them accidentally brushes against a spider web and they get ambushed by giant spiders, then the wood elves save them. Another example of a rising action would be when they get taken in, prisoners of the wood …show more content…
In the book The Hobbit, this is shown during chapter one “The Unexpected Party” where Bilbo is first introduced to the band of thirteen dwarves. They all end up eating together and the all are really nice to each other. When they are done eating they start to put things away, but while singing a song that would suggest otherwise “Chip the glasses and crack the plates! Blunt the knives and bend the forks!...”. Meanwhile they were neatly putting things away, in a sort of organized chaos which shows their trust for each other, coordination, and respect over others property. Chapter one of How to Read Literature Like a Professor explains how “Every trip is a Quest(except when it’s not)”, and literally that is what it states. It, more specifically, states that the quester has a stated reason to go there, an actual reason to go there, and the challenges that follow. Throughout the story Bilbo’s reason that was really obvious(stated reason) was because he wanted to help the dwarves on their journey, the actual reason I believed that he want there was because he wanted to find his courage and be a stronger more independent hobbit. The company also faced many trials, for example, when they came to the Misty Mountains and camped out for the night. While camped, Bilbo was restless and saw a hole with
In How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, the ideas from chapter 7: “Hansel and Gretel” can be directly related to the novel. This chapter of the novel solely relates to the fairy tale aspects of literature, and how they have been repeatedly re used. In the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde, it seems to have a concept of a work that had been created earlier during the Victorian era. The author Thomas Foster says “Literature grows out of other Literature”.
Mercedes Blanchard Mrs. Mary Smith AP Literature 20 September 2017 After reading and discussing How to Read Literature like a Professor, some of the many literary techniques Foster emphasized was Characters and their meaning, symbolism, and deformity. These three techniques really inspired me and pointed out certain characteristics and “clues” of the story that I otherwise would not have discovered previously. As I continued to read the book, I was compelled and even bewildered at the thought that I have missed so many hidden meanings in iconic works of writing. I came to the conclusion that literature is really a giant mystery and we readers are really just detectives trying to solve it. To begin, Chapter 10 goes into depth on the types
Take them away to dark holes full of snakes, and never let them see the light again!” (Tolkien 64). The fight led to several goblins including the Great Goblin to their deaths. Everyone managed to escape except Bilbo, who falls and blacks out while getting a piggyback ride from
Bryce Rasbeary Mrs. Mary smith AP Literature 22 September 2017 “How to read literature like a professor” Analysis The author of the novel “How to read literature like a professor”, Thomas foster, talks extensively about the use of symbols in literature. He writes about the ranged use of symbols in most if not all of his chapters. In these chapters he speaks about how the symbols used in literature can be almost anything within the story. They can range from a character going into and emerging from water “reborn” or the use of sex scenes to illustrate points of freedom or a loss of innocence.
Thomas Foster’s book, How to Read literature Like a Professor, teaches many readers the importance of reading and understanding a book. He includes points in his book that are easy to connect to books that the readers have read, making it easy for readers to understand the meaning of each chapter. Thomas Foster’s book obviously connects to the book, Wonder, readers can identify a questor, the importance of a meal scene, and
From that point it seems that Bilbo is not going to follow the journey, but right after Bilbo is coerced into joining the adventure.
Ryan Abbott 6th Period 8/20/15 How to Read Literature Like a Professor and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are Connected a lot More than You Might Think There is only one word that ties everything together in a story: connections. That is how piece of literature is formed.
Ben Price Mrs. Mary Smith AP Literature 20 September 2017 How To Read Literature Like a Professor Essay In the story, How to Read Literature like a Professor, Foster uses many examples to show how deferent types of ligatures can be connected by a common theme, purpose, or other books. In the book he uses examples such as Greek and Roman Mythology, Shakespeare, Fairy tales, and the Bible to show how common their themes are in literature. Foster uses symbols to point out the similarities and connect these books to others. “He’s everywhere, in every literary form you can think of” (page 34) says Foster about the man himself, Mr. William Shakespeare.
The purpose of How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids by Thomas C. Foster is to gain a deeper understanding of fiction books by analyzing subtle literary devices hidden in the text and being able to discover these subtle secrets, readers can notice patterns, foreshadows, symbolism, and the author’s true purpose for the piece of literature. Foster’s lessons can be seen in The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The mansion with seven gables is cursed by Mathew Maule who was wrongfully accused of witchcraft by Colonel Pyncheon. This curse plagues future generations with poverty, bad luck, and violence within the house. As Phoebe Pyncheon goes to live with her cousins, Hepzibah and Clifford, she learns of dark secrets
With the dwarves behind him, it was time for the hobbit to make a decision that would change his destiny. Bilbo saw a gem lying on the floor, and he knew that it was the Arkenstone of Thrain. Bilbo was adjusting his fate and that of others too. If the hobbit had not taken the Arkenstone, he would have had no means to bargain with Bard. When the Men of Laketown surrounded the mountain, the dwarves and Bilbo were trapped inside with little food.
Bilbo Baggins the Burglar Thesis: In the book The Hobbit, the character Bilbo Baggins is a middle class hobbit who must challenged his introverted nature to help the dwarves reclaim their land. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, who lives in his hobbit hole. Hobbits are generally short and fat introverted people who don’t leave their house much. Bilbo Baggins was living like that, until one day, thirteen dwarves and his old wizard friend(Gandalf) enter his house and start eating and talking like it was their house.
The book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster, teaches readers how to pick up all the hints authors leave in their stories, and thus understand literature better (hence the title). Written in second person point of view, Foster explains how to spot the signs, and addresses questions he assumes most readers would ask about them. He provides well known examples and explanations to further his readers’ comprehension and does not hesitate to repeatedly clarify what he is saying to make sure they get the point. Foster believes this guide will help them better understand the novels that they read, wants them to ruminate the context and content, and hopes they consider his teachings while reading. Written by Kate Cary under
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.
The company faces many challenges while Gandalf aids them. Eventually, Bilbo becomes forced to take charge and lead the company to the mountain. The experiences Bilbo encounters throughout his journey define and shape him into the hero he becomes. The Hobbit follows the story of Bilbo by mirroring the heroic journey, showing Bilbo’s dramatic change from the Hobbit he once was.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit,his mother was a member of the Took family, who are considered a little rare. His house just a hole in the ground. Bilbo meets Gandalf(wizard)and he tells him that he is looking for someone to share an adventure with. Bilbo says no many times, even after Gandalf reveals his name and story to Bilbo and what he meant to the Took family. Bilbo invites him for a tea the next afternoon, after that the Wizard leaves a mark at Bilbo’s house and leaves the home.