Prompt Four-One Story

Before reading and mostly questioning Thomas Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, with each story I read, I concluded that it functioned in one realm, in which the author intended it to be. Once reading Foster’s book, I soon realized that in truth, literature is only one story, with each story drawing parallel to each other. Foster argues that “there is only one story.” At first look, this theory was highly preposterous because how can an authorial intent from similar stories be the exact same? My answer was soon found after I read the bold print on page 27; they do not have to be. By studying social archetypes, the concept of intertextuality in books, novels, and myths is merely one in the same. Under the archetypal lens, Foster’s statement is entirely valid. People who support and believe in the archetypal lens claim that what happens in the world happens in patterns. His theory that all literature falls under the same story, certainly follows a pattern. A personal example with intertextuality in literature comes in recent readings of the past year. In The Iliad, the main character Achilles is entirely dualistic in what he is perceived as, a brutal warrior and what he actually is in relations with his mother, and the death of Patroclus, a softer, more human like personality. In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, his main character, Norman Bates, also maintains a dualistic personality when he is his nicer self when talking and associating with people he likes, and then when he feels the urge to kill someone, he becomes truly psycho. The authorial intent was subconsciously the same, and that is what is fascinating about Foster’s one story theory.

Prompt 1-Literacy

Literacy, by definition, simply is the ability to read and write. Education plays an overwhelming part in determining if someone is successfully literate or not, but plenty of people that are almost completely literate that have received minimal, if any education. However, literacy does not come without thresholds. The amount of books, novels, magazines, poems, or any types of literature one reads enhances their literacy, and the only way a reader enhances their ability to think about, comprehend, and predict what will happen in a novel, story, or any work of literature. Most importantly, a literate person practices the reading of literature, extensive or not. Many people are literate, so literate people live everyday lifestyles. Ones who hold a high level of literacy and understanding of literature itself have expanded critical thinking skills, and heavily literate people are proven to have more success in white collar jobs. While the denotation of the word literacy pertains to only reading and writing, the notion that people who do not have the ability to read or write, therefore illiterate, is flawed. People who cannot read and write have some form of functioning literacy because any living, breathing person has thoughts concerning everyday life. Even if it is somewhat subconscious, people must understand words that they tell themselves. What we as humans think can only come from words, regardless of whether we can read or write. Thinking comes from the knowledge and understanding of words, so a person who understands words and their cohesion should be considered literate.  

Prompt 5

Weather is a very critical detail in setting the scene for stories. Thomas Foster wrote, “Here’s what I think: weather is never just weather. It’s never just rain.” Weather is not simply a setting in literature but is also used for plot device, atmospheres, the misery factor, and the democratic element. Foster goes on to give many examples about ways weather influences a story. The example I enjoyed most was when Foster wrote, “Once you figure out rainbows, you can do rain and all the rest...Fog, for instance. It almost always signals some sort of confusion...In almost any case I can think of, authors use fog to suggest that people can’t see clearly, that matters under consideration are murky.” I specifically liked that he was able to show the different possibilities fog can mean in literature. Rain can purify a character; however, rain also brings mud which can cause a character to become more tainted than before. A personal example of weather’s impact on literature for me was in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion begins in the middle of a downpour which provokes an awkward and melancholy situation. Their love reawakens just as the sun comes out which provides the reader with a false sense of hope that they might actually make it. Then Gatsby’s climactic confrontation with Tom occurs on the hottest day of the summer. Rain can mean many different things: sadness, mystery, doubt, pain, romance, and also restorative because of spring. Weather is always a signal.

Prompt 2

In most circumstances I am not a rereader unless I zone out and have to reread a paragraph or two to comprehend the information. The reason for my lack of rereading is purely based on a lack of desire too. I understand that rereading can only be beneficial, but personally I feel that I do not have enough time to reread during the school year. I believe that in order to get the most out of a text and fully understand it one must reread sections if not the entire book. Thomas Foster wrote, “If you’re going to understand the story, you have to read through eyes that are not your own, eyes that, while not those of Aunt Kate and Julia, can take in the meaning they provided.” This quote shows that Foster believes that one must fully understand passages to get the full reading experience out of literature. Foster believes that when reading, every reader has blind spots. As a reader I often expect the author to quickly get to the point, and as a result my understanding of literature is limited. In most situations where I reread, passages become slightly clearer to me because I can focus on individual ideas and concepts instead of the entire passage as a whole. In order to truly read literature like a professor, Foster makes it clear that rereading is necessary because one’s knowledge of the text is the most important aspect of intellectual reading, and intellectual reading can best be achieved by rereading.

Prompt Five: Weather

When an author states the weather in his or her story, there are two reasons. The most obvious being that stating weather allows the reader to imagine the setting. The second is much more complicated but more essential to the author’s plot and the reader’s interpretation. An author does not simply write that the setting is rainy because the story occurs in the damp city of Seattle or the weather was foggy because it was early dawn. Thomas C. Foster contends that weather foreshadows events and symbolizes a theme. For example, rain may symbolize the cleansing of a character’s mind, body, and spirit. The fog foreshadows a character’s confusion possibly from a lapse in judgement. Foster also explains that the significance of the weather is each reader’s interpretation. Sometimes it may be raining in a story and not symbolize anything. Because the weather did have did not affect the plot, the reader has the opportunity to interpret the significance of this element.

In Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, weather is significant in the story’s plot and theme. For example, when the main character is aboard a ship, a dark and powerful storm occurs. Storms typically symbolize disaster, not happiness or comfort. This storm foreshadows an event that will drastically affect the story. In this case, the main character, Pi Patel is hurled off the boat. Patel then awakes in a life boat surrounded by the ocean water and a beautiful sky. This beautiful sky symbolizes the hope and possibility that he will survive. Although Pi Patel's life was in shambles his life would change just like the weather.

Prompt Six: Ambiguity

When children first learn to read they begin by reading books or short stories with pictures and brief descriptions. For example, Dr. Seuss books are commonly read to teach children the skill to read and not the skill to understand the author’s purpose, theme, language, and syntax. As these young readers begin to read more complex literature ambiguity comes into play. When an author writes the introduction of their story they begin by setting the scene, introducing the characters, and plot. The introduction does not cause much ambiguity for the readers but when the reader continues the story, confusion begins. The confusion occurs during the middle to end when the reader is attempting to understand the writer’s purpose in writing this text and the story’s theme. Thomas C. Foster also explains that ambiguity occurs when readers search for intertextuality. He explains that we as readers cannot read all pieces of literature. We as readers may never understand why the grandmother in the story was carrying a purple basket because a grandmother in another author’s work did so.

          I believe that ambiguity is a roadblock to understanding and also appreciating a text. Sometimes it may be frustrating to not understand why the author wrote a certain event or character but rereading the event or the description of the character enrichens the reading experience. Sometimes the reader’s interpretation may not be definite to the author’s idea, but Foster explains that is not always necessary. Reading an author’s work should be enjoyable and informative regardless if the reader’s interpretation is identical to the author’s.

Prompt 4- One Big Story

      When I first read that all text belongs to one big story I thought this to be bogus. This cannot be true. It seems as if most stories are original, and if they are not they are likely plagiarized. However, Foster changed my opinion through his chapter, “Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?” He explains that stories are not written in a vacuum. Stories are products of prior works; bits and pieces from stories are added and altered to form a new story. Although I understood the meaning behind “there is only one story”, I was not fully convinced. In order to comprehend this strange and complicated concept I had to break the idea into an analogy I could grasp. I thought of the one big story this way: writing is like preparing a meal. While I stir, steam, simmer, and grill I add ingredients (the story details). Although the ingredients have been used before in other meals, I have altered them and blended them with other ingredients. This meal may borrow ingredients from other recipes, but it will have an original taste.
     Now that I understand and accept the one big story idea, I see that when texts weave and work together it adds richness to the reading experience. Looking at the intertextuality is not a mundane and forced task, it is enjoyable to see literature's connections. Foster says when O’Brien had his character fall through a whole, readers think of Alice in Wonderland. After readers have discovered this element they will be more aware to look for other Lewis Carroll references.
    Although the one big story may be one giant cluster of ideas, it is comforting. While reading a story I now know this is not just one tiny story, but it is a collection of all the stories past, present, and future.

 

Prompt #4

        Foster writes that all works are interconnected even if they may not seem to be. The patterns that you recognize, he states, are simply allusions to other work that the author has utilized to let the reader make subconscious connections. This ultimately makes a richer story that can turn timeless because of its borrowed elements from staple works created many years ago. I agree with this theory, although I did not at first. Foster convinced me with later chapters that everything works together with other pieces to create a modern rebirth of a classic piece. In the chapter titled "Biblical Allusions," I could see that even the Bible is a book that is pulled from to create symbolism in modern-day works. When authors use biblical references that then parallel modern stories with classic ones, the reader experiences the story in a whole new, deeper way. I believe that author's play on a reader's knowledge of culture and history to make internal connections, even if they aren't aware that they are combining two works.
        By meshing two stories, and even basing a story off of the standard literature template, an author can create creative, hidden allusions that are up to the reader to be discovered. This one story idea that all others are based off of creates a mold for stories to fit into and build upon. This furthers the reading experience by giving your audience the chance to investigate and recognize intertextuality all on their own. When they independently put two and two together, they have the feeling that they made the story their own, and they are proud that they have reached a richer meaning that their hard-work paid off to discover.

Prompt 1-Literacy

       Being literate does not simply mean possessing the powers to read and write. Literacy is the ability to see beyond the words and connect the ideas from those words to one’s life. A story is simply a story if it does not impact a reader. A literate person can see the story as just as story, but can also connect the work to other literature and their life experiences. However, literacy does not develop in one day. Even with years of reading and writing, like Thomas Foster, a literate person must practice. For example, after the test case in Chapter 27 Foster asked his readers to answer a range of questions about "The Garden Party". These questions ranged from author’s purpose and reader interpretation. Foster also told readers to “read carefully, give careful thought” and write down observations. Thomas Foster did not simply write these rules because he is a controlling, crazed professor; he knows if readers pay close attention to a work and use interpretative strategies it will enhance a reader’s experience.
        Although a person may pay close attention to a story, look at its themes and motifs, and intertextuality, a literate person is constantly second guessing their observations. However, this is not necessarily a disadvantage of literacy; it is actually the beauty of it. Foster once received a question from Steven that Foster himself had been wrestling with throughout his literature career: “How do I know I’m right.” The answer is a reader is never going to know if he/she is “right” because a reader’s only obligation is to the text. The reader does not know the author’s motivation behind the story. Therefore literacy’s gift is reader interpretation. No, the reader is never going to know if the sky is green and black because the author was writing during a tornado or if the dog ran away because the author hated dogs. A literate person simply has the obligation of reading a story and thinking about it in their own terms.

Prompt 1 - Literacy

     Literacy is the ability to speak, write, read, and understand. Literacy is applied when a person has to form independent ideas and feelings and is able to communicate them with others, but it does not come naturally. Literacy is acquired throughout a person’s life by learning to read and write. This allows a person to later be able to read intricate works and be able to write on their feelings and thoughts, essentially forming their own personal perspective. Literacy is a form of strength and power. People have to be able to communicate and understand to be powerful.

     During the 1800s, China kept women in the dark and would not allow them to be highly educated. This kept them inferior to men and did not allow them to form their own opinions, which is something that a literate person has the ability to do. The same goes for slaves that were kept in the shadows so that they were unable to escape from their owners. Literacy skills do not only assist in reading and writing. They play a large role in socialization, intellectuality, and being electronically capable. Those who are literate are able to acquire a decent job with high earnings, whereas those who are illiterate are associated with low paying jobs that do not have the greatest work environments. An illiterate person is unable to do very simple activities such as pay a cashier, write a sentence, and form their own intricate thoughts.

     To fully participate in today’s society, it is crucial for a person to have skills in science, math, and reading. These skills help people understand their surroundings and allow them to have their own voice instead of being spoken for. People would lose their individuality if they were not literate.

Rereading

Now we are analyzing one of Mrs. Mac's favorite actions: rereading. I must say, before I was one of her students, I never reread anything. (Harry Potter is the exception because everyone rereads Harry Potter more than once. Right?) Now, after being one of her students for 3 years, I have learned the act of rereading does have a time and place. Classes that contain difficult texts like The Iliad are perfect examples of a time and place for rereading. So, yes, rereading does help understand texts if they were not so easy to comprehend the first go around. But rereading is not a tool of one function: it  has many uses.

            Rereading certain parts of How to Read Literature Like a Professor made me realize Foster references The Iliad (and every other part of Greek history for that matter) more than any other text. Rereading allowed me to understand a part of the author's personality that I may not have noticed before.

            Rereading, as weird as this may sound, is another way of saying, "Don't read with your eyes." Foster emphasizes the importance of placing oneself in another person's shoes. Say you’ve finally finished reading The Iliad. You know what happens in the book, but do you really know what happens in the book? Or even why? If you are like me, you probably don't. I had to reread several parts of The Iliad over and over again. The first time I could barely distinguish who was who. The second time I focused on understanding the plot because it was often nearly impossible to follow. The third time allowed me to analyze the rhetoric and language the text employed. Every single time I reread a word, a line, or a page, I felt a new emotion, understood a character's motivation, or was appalled by an action. If Foster's book taught me anything, it was that every single line written in a book can, and often does, stand for something else. 

Literacy

            I feel like answering the first prompt is cliché, but it is one of the two prompts that I actually find interesting and would genuinely wish to respond to. I am not going to define literacy through a dictionary definition because my peers already have done so and I know all of you can read. The definition of literacy extends past reading and writing. It also exists on many metaphorical levels. Literacy is linked to self worth and the ability to identify symbolism in literature and the world.

            Even though this part of my answer does not directly interact with the text, it is still a matter of importance to me in regards to literacy. I believe literacy is a facet of self worth and power. Historically, populations have been suppressed by being kept uneducated and illiterate. The inability to read and write not only keeps subdued groups of people from communicating amongst themselves, but it also is a form of breaking their spirit. Reading and writing is an art that was once a privilege and a tool for the retention of power but is now a necessity and vital part of human life.

            A different form of literacy, the metaphorical kind, exists in the examination of literature. Each chapter of How to Read Literature Like a Professor is an example of this concept. Only "literate" individuals are able to make connections between events like intense rain driving plot action or how even the most unlikely people can be "Christlike figures." Take June Kashpaw from Love Medicine for example. Even though she is an "alcoholic, essentially a prostitute, and almost entirely selfish," she can still be interpreted as Christlike. Metaphorical literacy allows readers to delve into a text and experience much more than simply reading the words on a page. 

Prompt #1

        One of the largest lessons and mindsets I came out with after reading this book was that the act of reading a book is only the tip of the iceberg. When you envision enjoying a book, you hope to simply gain happiness, and maybe even insight from its message. However, a large lesson Foster taught me was that gazing upon and literally reading the words typed is different than absorbing the actual context that requires further and deeper thinking. Literacy can be interpreted as the basic knowledge of comprehending words and how they are connecting to convey a literal message. However, to me, the ability to read goes beyond seeing a 'Wet Paint' sign and knowing not to touch. Literacy is the skill that requires a reader to truly understand the book and the reasoning the author chose to ever put the pen to paper. It means that one can recognize all of the elements in a work and be able to wonder freely about its meaning and even make assertions about its purpose to the book as a whole.

        To know why the author does what he or she does is a key aspect and mysterious quest for each reader. Ironically, Foster talks about the real reason for any quest: self-knowledge. Any time you read a book, it is your quest to divulge into the meaning and purpose. Even if the reader does not know it, their stated purpose for the quest is to completely understand the book and its message to the fullest extent they can manage. One aspect of literacy, for example, is being able to identify patterns and draw connections between an old, staple work and perhaps the modern text currently being examined. As Foster says, there is no such thing as a truly original work of literature- everything borrows and contains elements from other sources. By recognizing one work's footprint in another's book, a reader can make subconscious connections, further dissecting the book they are reading. Pattern-recognizing is a key aspect to being literate.

        A literate person can read a text for what it is, literally and metaphorically. They know that a book contains a plethora of hidden meanings that are impatiently waiting to be discovered. Finally, they think. This is the most important aspect of literacy. Thinking can lead a book from good to impeccable. It can transform a simple piece into a complex work of art, only discoverable to those who yearn for a deeper meaning and know what it requires to find it.