- Keep a dialectical journal as you read (Due the first day of class)
- Post two conversation starters/discussion questions about the novel on the AP 12 Blog by Aug.31st (Friday)
- Respond to two of your peers’ conversation questions by Aug.20th (Sunday) in at least five sentences
Pick up a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor from the library- if you want to purchase it, the cost is $13 on Amazon and then you have it for life to underline, annotate and highlight!
52 Comments
Katelyn
7/31/2019 08:33:49 am
Is there a societal lens that we use to see certain aspects of society (negative or positive), and how does it affect your own personal views on literature that you read at an elementary, high school, and college level?
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Sydney O
8/19/2019 09:02:49 pm
I think that there is a societal lens that is used to see certain aspects of society. For example, how body comparisons differ from male to female, or how differently certain nationalities are treated. Society has created or clouded these lenses. As a child, my views mirrored what my parents and family thought. As a young adult, I have created my own views and gained my own personal knowledge through various readings and current events.
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Salyna Norindr
8/29/2019 11:20:47 am
Yes there is a societal lens we use. It depends on the situation we are in for us to determine whether if it is negative or positive. Not everyone has the same views and as we grow older, we have more knowledge and our views and decisions become more mature. When I was younger I agreed with what everyone else had to say about certain things. Now that I am more grown and mature, I look and literature differently and include my own thoughts.
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Katelyn
7/31/2019 09:04:59 am
Literature is used to create a voice. Discuss why an author would choose to use Christianity symbols such as a Christ figure, water, or stories from the Bible. What affect does it creat amongst their readers?
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Tahra J.
8/9/2019 09:55:44 am
I think the author would include Christianity symbols into their story because many readers can connect to it in one way or the other. Making the reader feel connected with the story. The readers will have some sort of background knowledge to relate to the text. It affects the readers by seeing and understanding a deeper meaning behind the story. It also makes it easier to read if the reader can understand were the reference is coming from and how it impacts the story.
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Casey J.
8/8/2019 10:27:45 am
On page 142, Foster states that "...we can soar into interpretation and speculation." If flying stands for freedom, is he saying that we are free to interpret anything and everything the way we want and see it in our own way rather than seeing the symbol as a general idea that others have placed on it previously?
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Amber C
8/9/2019 05:39:13 pm
Foster saying that we can soar into interpretation and speculation can mean a few different things. On some levels he is telling us that we are free to interpret symbols in the way we feel is appropriate based on our knowledge and experience. However, symbols often have a "general idea" that the author has placed with them that they are trying to have the reader connect to the story. Most times readers should "soar into interpretation and speculation" but sometimes the general ideas that have placed on it previously. But since flying stands for freedom readers are free to decide if they wish to use their imagination to interpret the symbol or see it is as a general idea that other have placed on it.
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Casey J.
8/8/2019 10:31:08 am
If vampires stand for more than just a bloodsucking monster, discuss what other forms of vampires we might see today and explain why you believe they would be a "vampire."
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Katelyn J.
8/9/2019 06:48:21 am
Vampires are everywhere in literature. It is hard to find a teen fiction book without one in it. But besides being the stereotypical good looking creatures what do vampires have to offer to a novel? Vampires can be symbols of exploitation, selfishness, etc. When taking these factors into account anyone (characters) that takes advantage of another or uses others for personal gain could be considered a “vampire.” Examples being an adult taking advantage of a minor or a boss underpaying their employees for own personal gain.
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Tahra J.
8/8/2019 01:32:48 pm
There is a journey in every novel we read. What is Foster’s overall point about journeys or trips in literature? Why do authors want us to obtain the knowledge from the trip?
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Marlie J.
8/13/2019 08:35:01 am
I think Foster is trying to say that everything is a quest. We gain knowledge every time we open a book. This knowledge may or may not be importantly in the future, but it does not matter because it does not hurt to have knowledge. Authors want us to obtain this because they either have learned from it or they think it is an important thing to know about. The more you know about something the more it may benefit you in the long run.
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Sydney O
8/19/2019 08:31:56 pm
I agree that there is a journey in every novel we read; the journey is where our mind allows us to go while reading. If you don't connect with the book you are reading, you won't get the best possible experience of the journey. In one way or another, books offer us life lessons. When you allow yourself to experience the journey, you have gained knowledge along with a life lesson. Open a book and see where your mind allows you to go through the journey.
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Tahra J
8/8/2019 01:35:23 pm
All literature seems to connect in one way or the other. What are some ways that writers allude to the Bible? Why is the Bible so often alluded to in literature?
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Amber C
8/9/2019 05:11:44 pm
All literature is connected in some way or another because authors take bits and pieces of a past stories, like stereotypical characters, and include them in their novel with a new twist. Writers allude to the Bible the most and do this by including symbols. These symbols can include communion, water, and Christ figures. These symbols often have a large impact on the novel and the path the characters follow in the story line. For example communion can be used to have a negative or positive outcome for characters. Communion is generally a gathering of individuals who trust and care for each other, however, when enemies dine together a negative outcome will shortly follow. Authors often allude to the Bible because it is known around the world, even to individuals who are not Christian. The main idea, themes, and symbols of the Bible are known and often general knowledge to many people.
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Amber C
8/8/2019 06:44:38 pm
How has Foster's novel changed the way you analyze literature for various symbols, specifically in the “classic” you read this summer?
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Marlie J.
8/13/2019 08:44:44 am
Fosters novel has changed the way I analyzed my classic by teaching me how to dig deeper than the surface. There are so many layers of meaning to something, rather than just the first sight. I learned to enjoy the book more once I was able to figure out all of the possible meanings behind something, which helped the book move along and I was able to comprehend more. Throughout my classic I was now able to ask myself questions and think about possible solutions towards a conflict that may be going on. When adults would tell me to “read between the lines,” it never really clicked, but now I understand the concept.
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Phillip Ellenson
8/15/2019 08:05:06 pm
Foster's novel has helped me dig deeper into my "classic" by giving some tips and techniques on how to go deeper. When someone looks for a Christ figure in a novel, they end up analyzing all of the characters and they get to know them. The person also looks for those characters who are on a quest, the one of which will be the main character and probably your most important one. And finally, if one just read with their eyes, they would only get a cute story of a hero saving a damsel. So as one reads, they look for meanings behind most of the details that are in the literature in order to make sense of the whole read. So too must I use these techniques to make sense of these tougher reads that are ahead of me.
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Amber C
8/8/2019 06:50:57 pm
According to Foster, readers "want strangeness in our stories, but we want familiarity, too." Discuss if readers subconsciously search for familiarity in new novels and how it can affect the way we read literature.
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Katelyn J.
8/9/2019 05:59:14 am
Whenever someone reads anything they subconsciously cross reference it with anything they have read, seen, heard, etc. This cross reference allows readers to connect ideas and create a deeper understanding of what they are reading. Readers are able to see the idea portrayed multiple ways while it still being the same concept. The affect is monumental in allowing readers to analysis and predict certain patterns among literature. Examples of this predictability would be certain characters such as the damsel in distress or the old witch. This predictability also can be how the storyline plays out an example being someone close to the hero dies, disappears, etc. Readers do subconsciously cross seek familiarity in the hope to create a pattern, which allows the reader to have multiple viewpoints on the concept of the scene.
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August B
8/30/2019 04:32:03 pm
I believe that readers do subconsciously search for things within reading. I think what makes something stick out in a novel is when it is either so familiar to us we can relate in a deeper way, or if it something so bizarre that we can not find any way to relate. By subconsciously doing so it can either make the reader like or dislike the book, but it all depends on how the reader views the situation. Personally, I enjoy being able to relate to certain things in books, but seem to stray away from things that I have no idea what is going on because I am unable to relate.
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Phillip Ellenson
8/13/2019 09:41:56 am
Illnesses and behavior have been talked about hand in hand throughout the book. What are some other symbols or physical looks describe the character's behavior?
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Marlie J.
8/13/2019 11:15:50 am
Foster has the readers think about two categories of violence in literature. Talk about what violence in literature means and explain the two categories with examples.
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Tahra J.
8/13/2019 11:42:57 am
Violence in Literature is the specific injury that authors cause characters to visit on one another or themselves. The narrative violence that will cause characters harm in general. The first category would be the visual range of behavior. Some examples would be shootings, stabbings, bombings, etc. The second is authorial violence. This is the death and suffering authors introduce. They may do this through their work in the interest of plot advancement, for which the characters are responsible.
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Marlie J.
8/13/2019 11:19:30 am
In Foster’s writing, readers learn that every story or poem is a vacation, and every writer has to ask, “where is this one taking place?” Where is your classic choice taking place? What is it like?
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Casey J.
8/21/2019 09:13:44 am
My novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, takes place in two different places, London and Paris. They both have all of the old and what we would now call antique styles. The people there fit in with the time of the French Revolution and I can see the different ways they act or dress from today. It's a time traveling vacation, but I think every classic has an element of time travel in it. Since it takes place in two cities, I also see the ways the people from Paris dress and how those from London dress, and I can see the difference in the way people from London talk to each other and how people from Paris talk to each other. My novel was like two vacations into one because of the different places.
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Phillip Ellenson
8/15/2019 08:12:17 pm
Foster talks about how gruesome some characters and novels can get and that professors have to keep going while those who "only want to read like one" can walk away at any time they choose (234). What does he mean by that? Do you agree with him?
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Sydney O
8/19/2019 08:15:40 pm
Foster states "The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge." Do American children have an easier time fulfilling their quests than the children in third-world countries?
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Casey J.
8/21/2019 09:17:19 am
I think in some cases yes, American children have a much bigger advantage over the third world children. But I also believe that sometimes American children don't have the self-knowledge that we think we do. We are heavily influenced by society and social media that some of us aren't sure of ourselves and who we want to be. I'm not saying all social media is bad, but I'm just saying on the self-knowledge spectrum, the third world children see things a lot differently than we do and they might have an advantage in self-knowledge.
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Tereza H
8/30/2019 08:17:41 pm
If the real reason for a quest is self-knowledge, I think children in third-world countries have the advantage. Here in the U.S. we have so much stuff, it crowds our world and takes up space in our homes and our minds. How many times has your mom told you to get rid of something and you just couldn't? As a society we are so materialistic, we become blind when we try to find what really matters. We should be grateful for what we have, but in a way it is also a curse. Kids in third-world countries may not have the luxuries that we take for granted, but without all that added stuff, they can more easily see what is truly important and therefore be more able to find the self-knowledge they seek.
Lincoln N
8/30/2019 07:06:05 pm
I believe that children in America would have an easier time fulfilling the quest then those from a third- world country. The children in America often have fewer responsibilities and problems to worry about. The also tend to have a better home life than those living in a third-world country. With all the advantages that an American child has it allows for more free time and less stress on their young life. Having more free time and reduced stress allows for an easier time fulfilling their quests.
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Sydney O
8/20/2019 06:27:17 am
On page 85, Foster states "we're all capable of growth, development, and change." After reading this novel, did you feel any kind of growth, development, or change in how you read literature?
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Phillip Ellenson
8/26/2019 05:51:27 am
When I first finished the book, I did not notice any changes in how I read literature. However, when we went to Cross Country Camp a few days later, we watched "The Emperor's New Groove". With the first scene being one of rain falling upon our llama friend, I realized that I couldn't read literature the same again. Throughout the whole movie and the week after, I tried using techniques from "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" to really understand why certain elements like rain was in the story. With this all in mind, I believe English will be that much easier to complete this upcoming school year.
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Salyna Norindr
8/29/2019 11:38:19 am
After I read this novel I noticed some growth. Before I used to just read and never really looked for deeper meanings to certain things like, symbols, weather, etc. Now when I read other novels, I look for all of these little things and it all starts to make sense. This novel has really helped develop my reading skills. It makes reading a lot more interesting and I know it will help me analyze texts better.
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August B
8/30/2019 10:44:21 am
After completing the book, I had definitely realized the difference in the way I read. Throughout the book I had told myself that this would not help me or change the way I read, but I had later realized that statement was false. Even while reading a small section in another book I have noticed the things that Foster had pointed out. I believe that this book has already made reading more interesting for me.
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Joe Dignan
8/30/2019 02:55:20 pm
After I finished the novel I did not see any initial change. However once I started reading my second book I noticed changes in how I read. I would start to try to find symobolism in things withoout even trying. For example while i was reading my second book two characters were having a meal together. As I was reading that they were having a meal without even thinking about it I started to question how this meal would affect them.
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Salyna Norindr
8/29/2019 12:10:08 pm
On page 46, Foster talks about how some writers are taking old work and slightly trying to reconfigure it. Do you think these writers are trying to find new meanings to things that were never noticed?
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Britney S
8/29/2019 04:39:34 pm
In a sense yes, I do believe that those writers are trying to unravel the meanings that were brushed over by readers. But I do see this as a way to practice story telling, because knowing a story is one thing, but knowing how to tell in another way is also a good thing. Also, the writers reconfigure those stories so that they can convey the message or tone in their own story. For example, as Foster said the story of Hansel and Gretel would be used to convey "a sense of lost and lost generations." The author uses this familiarity to build the tension of following those breadcrumbs into something more sinister. The message the author could convey is that having the youth follow those treats could just be the author attacking society for planting an idea that following the "sweet" path that is laid out for you will always lead to a great end, which in turn doesn't always happen.
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Salyna Norindr
8/29/2019 12:16:07 pm
Foster talks about symbols and water is one of them. Water is supposed to purify and cleanse you and bring new life, but there are times when water can also bring you death. What other ways can water symbolize?
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Britney S
8/29/2019 04:17:39 pm
In some ways water can symbolize fluidity, in a sense that things are constantly moving and changing all around us. A calm swim in the ocean could instantly change into a wild hurricane and end drastically for the character. The fluidity can be a symbol of their own emotional state, or possibly to contrasts everyone else's state of being. Another thing is that it could be a sign of hope, or blessings. Think of the oasis in the desert or the wishing well, its something that gives the character the ability to move forward and to keep going.
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Britney S
8/29/2019 04:45:46 pm
Foster mentions all the stories we read are from only one story, that we are all apart of this one big story. Explain what exactly he means by this and how this one story can create a multitude of others.
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Britney S
8/29/2019 05:15:56 pm
Foster mentions how "characters are a product of writers' imaginations and readers' imaginations." Explain how our expectations can form the story the reader is reading from and what limitations this can create.
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Tereza H
8/30/2019 09:11:56 pm
First and foremost, a character is a product of the writer's imagination. When readers sit down with a book, the imagination gets turned over to the reader. We are subconsciously influenced by our whole lives, and this affects how we see characters. Because everyone leads different lives, the writer might think of a character differently than a reader. For example, a writer makes their protagonist well-liked and good at sports. A reader who has had success in sports and has lots of friends might imagine themselves as the character. Another reader might have been awful at sports and has less friends might feel as though they can't relate to the protagonist. A third reader may have a friend who is good at sports and might cheer on the protagonist. Each of these readers will have a different expectation of how the book plays out. Because authors can't lean over our shoulders when we read and explain it all to us, we don't always exactly know how the character is supposed to be portrayed. This can prevent us from seeing certain allusions or symbols embedded in the story.
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Tereza H
8/29/2019 06:42:05 pm
When Foster talks about how writers weave in political statements into their works, he mentions that "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is a strong example. What are some other novels that have political statements weaved into them? What are the authors trying to say?
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Tereza H
8/29/2019 07:04:46 pm
Foster mentions that "a wholly original work, one that owed nothing to previous writing, would so lack familiarity as to be quite unnerving to readers" (187). Discuss whether you agree with that or not using personal experience.
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August B
8/30/2019 10:56:34 am
In Foster's book, he had said "don't read with your eyes," and not to "read from your own fixed position." Before reading this have you found yourself reading from your own outlook on things without taking in account other perspectives?
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Joe Dignan
8/30/2019 03:17:19 pm
Before i read this book sometimes I would find myself reading from my own outlook. I would try to read things from the characters point of view but I would find myself going through my own outlook on things. i think the most important thing is that we try to read it through the eyes the author intended the novel to be read through. Such as when reading a book wrote in the 1800's we should know that the authors words meant different things. in order to understand the novel we would have to read through that time eras point of view.
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August B
8/30/2019 11:06:10 am
In the seventh chapter of the book Foster talks about the use of other stories in the works of other novels. When authors do this, what are they trying to achieve?
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Joe Dignan
8/30/2019 02:14:30 pm
On page 11 Foster talks about how meals can bring enemies together and how a failed meal stands as a bad sign. What makes food and meals so significant that they can completely change a person so drastically?
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Lincoln N
8/30/2019 07:17:03 pm
A meal has the power to completely change a person because the symbolizes peace and relaxation. Meals symbolize peace in the way that when everyone gets together to eat they know no harm will be done to one another. The meal has brought them together to replenish not to destroy. A meal can also symbolize relaxation in the way that after enjoying a full meal you get a sense of completion and want to relax and enjoy what you have. Which allows for a friend and an enemy to be able to come together because the meal will put them at ease.
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Joe Dignan
8/30/2019 02:35:28 pm
In chapter 20 foster explains all about the seasons and how they can all mean different things. Why are the seasons so important when quite often they end up just getting forgotten and ignored?
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Lincoln N
8/30/2019 07:25:39 pm
For what reason might an author give a character a scar, deformation, or other physical marking in their text?
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Lincoln N
8/30/2019 07:36:53 pm
Why is it important to understand the social and political background of the author of the time of his writing. How would this understandment make you a better reader?
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