Analysis Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor By Thomas C. Foster

In Chapter 24 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster claims that in order to understand the meaning of a work, the reader must read and analyze the text from the perspective from which it was written. In the first section of Chapter 24 Foster states that readers, in order to fully enjoy a piece of text must not take the information presented the way it was intended. Similarly readers may miss key points of what the author is attempting to say if they analyze the text with only today's culture in mind. Furthermore characters in literature are often old enough to have some prior experiences in life to make changes in their decisions, and grow. Characters in literature tend to have some prior experiences because it allows them

1. In the chapter “The Test Case” in How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas Foster, Foster presents several different interpretations of the story “The Garden Party”. Foster then shows the readers interpretations of the short story that his college students have articulated. Foster’s interpretation, however, goes much deeper.

How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, gives the reader insight on how to look at a novel in a different perspective. This book truly changes the way the reader views a book. In Chapter 11 of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, the topic of death is introduced. Every death in a novel has a deeper meaning which helps mystify the plot. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, has 3 significant deaths that occur in the novel to develop the story.

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.

RS 1118 Film Response Questions Prof. Hanson Star Wars IV: A New Hope 1. How does the film follow Joseph Campbell’s pattern of myth? If you think the film does not follow one of the criteria below, please explain why. 1)

As Stated by the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, by Thomas Foster, authors use certain varieties of weather conditions in order to set a mood in the story that’s relevant to the scenario present. Foster explains this action as saying, “But an author doesn't have a quick shower of rain, or a flurry or snow, or a flood or a blizzard, for no reason at all (Foster, 59).” What the author is trying to remark is that authors don't put unnecessary weather unless it contributes to the plot or the mood, sometimes even using it as means of ivory. One example of weather being used in the movie clip from Toy Story is rain. The rain didn't start until Sid was just about the release a rocket outside with Buzz attached, which

In Thomas C. Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor, he describes the setup of the adventure of the protagonist, dividing it into five parts: Our quester, a place to go, a stated reason to there, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go. A protagonist must experience all of these things in order to accomplish their goals and learn their lessons. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens, the main character, must encounter these things in order to unlock the mystery of what really happened to her mother the night she was killed, in addition to learning about the passion of writing and telling stories, the dangers and foolishness of racism, and female power. Our quester, Lily, is a fourteen year old girl with a passion for writing.

In the short story Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell a Police Officer who is not from Burma is forced to go out and kill a wild elephant. Orwell whom is the main character is not from Burma and when he goes about his quest to hunt down and kill the elephant he goes about the actual killing of the elephant. The local people begin to dislike him because of the way he went about putting the animal down. This story is often interpreted as an interpretation of how orwell viewed the Indian Imperial police. This story Follows the quest motif to the letter; every aspect of this story seems to fit in with the motif.

​What is the Quest? The Quest consist of five things; “a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there” (Foster 3). The Quest does not have to be violent or action packed to show up in literature. It is when a person overcomes a battle or challenge in his or her life. This will show up in places one would not expect.

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.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that tells the story of love affairs, the american dream, and the battle between old money versus new money. The main problem of the novel is the fight for Daisy’s heart. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, and their love is fading away. Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, while later on Daisy is having an affair also with Jay Gatsby. The Buchanans come from old money, while Gatsby comes from new money.

Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.

“It may pay to remember this: there’s no such thing as a completely original work of literature”(Foster 26). How To Read Literature Like A Professor: For Kids is a great book by Thomas C. Foster that explains to young readers about how an instructor interprets literature differently than a student. He does this by showing examples from other books and famous literature. Some of the things he talks about are quests, weather and symbols, irony, and vampirism. These examples can be seen throughout The Most Dangerous Game; a book written by Richard Connell about a man who gets trapped on an island.

Fitzgerald makes it apparent throughout the novel that Gatsby does everything in hopes to compete against Tom and impress Daisy. For example, Gatsby throws lavish parties every weekend with the hope that Daisy will stumble in, and then they will be reunited and return to their old ways. Additionally, when Gatsby moves to the West Egg, he purposefully purchases an extravagant mansion near the Buchanan’s mansion where he can view their emerald light on his dock. Throughout the duration of The Great Gatsby, Gatsby noticeably envies Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, for seizing the life that Gatsby was not able to achieve. Gatsby longs to return to the passionate relationship they had five years prior and maybe even create a family similar to the family Daisy has with Tom.

Stories usually have hidden meaning put there by the author to entertain the thoughts of those patient enough to dig deeper into the meaning. Meanings in stories are expressed in various ways. An example is O. Henry’s story The Gift of the Magi. O.Henry in his story uses a few themes to describe the story and the characters. He does this to get the reader engaged in the story and want to read more.