Introduction: How’d He Do That?
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern.
A pattern, is used to compare with others, to see the similarity. Symbols, are used represent something with something else. Those two is seen a lot in literature, as metaphor, as in terms of context but also themes. Novels usually represent something else than what they are talking about. The patterns, symbols, is used to detect that something else in a literature. For example, the Golden Ratio haircut talked in “Turning Turning Slide”, won’t be just talking about haircut, but more on a bigger scale.
Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)
List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5.
quester
Chapter 2 -- Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction.
In the book “Metamorphosis” by Kafka, in the past episodes the protagonists is a good young man who earns money for his whole family. Their dinner scene, described with details, a table with his father, mother and sister is a dedicative scene of one family. But in the last scenes, the protagonist is rejected from his family as he turns into a huge insect, his dinner is thrown on the floor in his room alone, which are some rotten vegetables and meat, old milk and cheese.
Chapter 3: --Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed.
Vampires, which originally are mythical monsters in fictional novels, is nowadays seen in many form of literature as one of a major mystery. In most cases, they are immortal, fly in the nights, transform or manipulates vampire bats. As in “Twilight”, Vampires depict an existence much stronger than human. In my opinion, Vampires are some invisible unreal presence at night, some way similar to devils, symbolizing the typical nightmare one dreams.
Chapter 4 -- If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet
"Foster uses John Donne’s flea symbol and Yeats’ fondness for gyres as examples of not-so-obvious symbolism. Find a poet or author who uses an odd word/phrase that might be overlooked for its symbolic meaning. Discuss your findings, including your interpretation with rationale of the symbol presented, and relevant author background that helped you deduce the symbol you found.
[even with insects]
BY KOBAYASHI ISSA
TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS
Even with insects―
some can sing,
some can’t.
This very short poem is very obvious of its’ meaning, but also very broad. The last two lines are very simple; there is that two type everywhere, the difference. But the insect part, is very significant, at the same time, very flexible. It can describe some group of something, or a range over time, it can be children, it can be people. I assume it describes some kind of a plural group, but that answer can differ by its’ number of readers. Maybe the author used “insects”, for this kind of poems created in Japan require some seasonal, natural terms, but his real thoughts are not assumable.
Chapter 5 --Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?
Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works.
In dictionaries, intertextuality is defined as relations between literary texts. I say myself, similarities of a composition, which is also the similarity of their central theme. For example, in both of “Catcher in the Rye” and “Kafka on the Shore”, a young character starts their quest on the first page, signifying their youthful future worries. Or in “Sorairo Magatama”, the existence of light and dark, the Gods, their religion, is based on the old Japanese tale of Kojiki, explaining their fantasy like world. Another example is the novel “Laughing Harlequin”, which by its character name brings up the whole comedy parts in the suspense novel.
Chapter 6 -- When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare...
Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme.
In the series novel “No.6”, many times Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in the beginning of chapters, or in character’s speeches. In this SF novel, the protagonist from a rich city meets the slam street boy, and in the end challenges the authority. As themes, the author brings up supernatural powers as spirits and gods, or an super-authority in a small society, youth, which reflects a lot “Macbeth” in means of a dictator-king’s stupidity, and its tragedy.
Chapter 7 -- ...Or the Bible
Read “Araby” (available here). Discuss Biblical allusions that Foster does not mention. Look at the example of the “two great jars.” Be creative and imaginative in these connections.
One of the scene Mr. Foster didn’t mention is the “O, love! O, love!”. This scene, the narrator in the room that a priest dies, takes his palm together and murmur love. For me, this scene seemed to be like a prayer. In Christianity, love is given by God, by people, and told to give to others. Where here, in this scene, in one way the boy is trembling to the first touch of love, but also it can be where he asks for love, loving someone.
Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen appreciation?
“Tom&Soya of the Town” is a series of kiddie novel. The story is mostly by the two junior high boys’ adventures, in modern cities of Japan. Reflecting the “Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, the boys venture through mysteries, challenges, against adults for their purpose. It’s irony and appreciation at the same time, with themes as kids’ adventure in modern cities, the reproduction of adventure novels where it’s much different than the old days.
Chapter 9 -- It’s Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. Note that there are extensive links to classical mythology on my Classics page.
Hundred Eyes
Once was the eyes of all-seeing
all over Argus Panoplies the giant
he could see everything.
All Monsters, All Thiefs,
but only the Messenger God,
slept all 100 eyes.
Worthless Eyes, said goddess Hera.
Now the Hundred Eyes
Shines on a peacock tail,
with beauty and grace,
but no sight.
Chapter 10 -- It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot.
As weather, the description of the sky in the novel “Comet in Moominland” signifies distinctive natural disasters as catastrophe. In each scene, the sky gets more and more red, hot, brighter with the approaching comet. Or sometimes the world itself is black everywhere, with ash. I assume that the comet here can signify a natural catastrophe of all kind, but also a symbol of war and missiles, since the author, Tove Jansson cared and worried about wartime.
Interlude -- Does He Mean That
Chapter 11 --...More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different.
In the novel “The Notebook”, many unordinary types of violence appears. One of them is given by self, another given by other. The first one is done between the main protagonists, the twins, who exercise themselves to become stronger against powers. The other one is given by policeman, to force the prisoner confess their crime, no matter if they are innocent or not. As a conclusion, I can say that those violence are of totally different kind, but causing one another, because a tolerance to violence is only needed when it’s needed.
Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism of the fence in “Araby.” (Mangan’s sister stands behind it.)
First to say, here I’m not really sure of the “fence” because the novel does not use that term. But assuming that that’s the scene where I and Mangan’s sister first talk, it’s significance is a borderline. In one way, Mangan’s sister (girl) is the other side for the young boy. The lost of innocence, growing up to adolescence. Although the boy is still unable to reach to it, he touches and sees the first time, those love and girls thing, toward adult.
Chapter 13 -- It’s All Political
Assume that Foster is right and “it is all political.” Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you as a freshman is political.
The food inc education, in my freshman year Environmental Science, mattered all about our food production. I guess this was political. We were taught the reality of food we buy in shops, their problems and the sequence, we thought about it and made opinions to debate. This work would rather be on both of the hated and loved side of political works, since where we knew about reality was still not one-sided, but as we debated we stood each on our side.
Chapter 14 -- Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur.
The main protagonist of “Sorairo Magatama”, Saya is a ordinary girl grown in village, who suddenly is implicated in a god and death affair. She has a particular birthmark on her palm, which means she is the special one for gods. She is very forgiving, kind, standing on both of the light and dark side. Finally, she is the one who brings peace and order to the world.
Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy
Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.
In the final book of the series Merlin: “The Wings of Merlin” by T.A.Barron, its’ final end is where human on the island of Fincayra takes back their wings they had before. In joy, people fly around the island with their white wings, and one by one lands on their old home, or flies away to a new land, differing their future, so does the protagonist and his lover. Here, flight is symbolizing the freedom to choose their own land, future.
Chapter 16 -- It’s All About Sex...
Chapter 17 -- ...Except the Sex
OK ..the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that “scenes in which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense that literal depictions” (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and effort than it is described, and, if the author is doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex is suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects the theme or develops characterization.
In the book “The Notebook”, sex is appearing many times, often as violence, or a self-centered desire. One impressing scene is in the ends, after the assault and attack. As all houses are emptied and violated, the twins finds their neighboring girl Harelip dead in her house. The girl was naked, dirty, dead, and smiling. Beside her, is despairing mother who begs death. This scene signifies a lot of Harelip, where she was a girl who was a thief, hated, who could not recognize her mother, but begged love.
Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism
Think of a “baptism scene” from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss.
The main character in the novel “The Lock Artist” is wordless. He is an aphasiac, excellent drawer, and a lock artist. But he hasn’t always been that way. Once in his childhood, his baptism, was in a strongbox, where he locked himself up without knowing the box would be thrown into the river. His loss of father trying to save him, his techniques, his lifestyle, all came from the baptism.
Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters...
Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under “geography.”
Geography, by Foster, can influence a lot in a novel. Theme, character, plot, symbol. The specificity of a land in a novel, means a lot. If that’s a name, it can symbolize or mean something politically. Or in plot, an adventure oversea is totally different than overland. As characters, mankind are born and raised from their land. Land, which creates alkyds of scenes, situations, are the base of a novel.
Chapter 20 -- ...So Does Season
Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem with your analysis.)
[the snow is melting]
BY KOBAYASHI ISSA
TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS
The snow is melting
and the village is flooded
with children.
Traditional japanese poems called Haiku, always requires a seasonal term in it. Here is the term snow, which represents winter. The unusual part I find here is that although the season is winter, the main theme is spring, where snow melts, and the image of spring river and children floods, symbolizing new life.
Interlude -- One Story
Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar.
Archetype for literature is hard to define. Everyday new novels are written, and everyday new styles are born. There is no set this has to be for a novel. So if I would choose a set theme of all literature, I’d say “character”. Plots, themes, adventures, scenes, there is lots of important factors in literature, but only character, can be very crucial to all kinds of novels.
Chapter 21 -- Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter’s scar. If you aren’t familiar with Harry Potter, select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization.
Harry Potter’s scar is a symbol of greatness, fame, rumors, and ignorance. Of course being the only surviver of a death spell is great, but since it was not done by himself, and because he was only an infant, Harry Potter feels confused and mixed about his achievement. So even though he feels irony to them, his surroundings value him great.
Chapter 22 -- He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know
Chapter 23 -- It’s Never Just Heart Disease...
Chapter 24 -- ...And Rarely Just Illness
Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary work. Consider how these deaths reflect the “principles governing the use of disease in literature” (215-217). Discuss the effectiveness of the death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism.
Two characters who suffered of death disease that I can recall, are first the teenage boy Naoto from “4TEEN”, and the villagers of Raven camp in “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness”. Both of these diseases were deadly, but their reactions were different. When 6000 years ago, people reacted to the disease as some kind of unknown evil spirit, Naoto’s disease was clearly explainable by modern medical knowledges. However, both of the characters were unable to avoid death. By this, I assume that even though technology changes a lot in 6000 years, “disease” can always signify deadly evil spirit.
Chapter 25 -- Don’t Read with Your Eyes
After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel, play or epic written before the twentieth century. Contrast how it could be viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with how it might be viewed by a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumptions that the author makes, assumptions that would not make it in this century.
One distinctive genre I can come up about literature before 20th century, is adventure novels. One specific example would be “Two Years of Vacancy” in 1888. In one of the scenes in this novel, the boys choose their leader, the president, but only the black boy Moko is excluded from the election. Although in the contemporary age those racism were ordinal, but it would not work nowadays.
Chapter 26 -- Is He Serious? And Other Ironies
Select an ironic literary work and explain the multivocal nature of the irony in the work.
The most ironical novel I know is “Animal Farm”. Where in a fantastical world that animals can replace human, the irony there signifies the similarity between us and them. Also the symbolism of greedy pigs against greedy landowners of that age, is very distinctive and critical.
Chapter 27 -- A Test Case
Read “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, the short story starting on page 245. Complete the exercise on pages 265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing with the three examples. How did you do? What does the essay that follows comparing Laura with Persephone add to your appreciation of Mansfield’s story?
Envoi
Choose a motif not discussed in this book (as the horse reference on page 280) and note its appearance in three or four different works. What does this idea seem to signify?
Animals. They are very common in literature, sometimes as friends, sometimes as enemies, sometimes as symbiotic relationship. As a metaphor, general wild animals just symbolize the nature, as in “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness”, or some specified type of animals such as pigs in “Animal Farm” can signify greediness, Aslan in “The Chronicles of Narnia” as God. Animals in bibles are very meaningful, as they are in real earth.
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by understanding symbol or pattern.
A pattern, is used to compare with others, to see the similarity. Symbols, are used represent something with something else. Those two is seen a lot in literature, as metaphor, as in terms of context but also themes. Novels usually represent something else than what they are talking about. The patterns, symbols, is used to detect that something else in a literature. For example, the Golden Ratio haircut talked in “Turning Turning Slide”, won’t be just talking about haircut, but more on a bigger scale.
Chapter 1 -- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)
List the five aspects of the QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed) in the form used on pages 3-5.
quester
- The expelled student Holden travels toward his home, taking a long time.
- Holden’s final destination is his home, but in road he stops around randomly, to let his parents know about his expel slower.
- Because Holden was expelled, he’s sent home with all his luggages.
- With not much money he has, Holden hangs around in many places he’ve never been before, as a grown-up. Many of his challenges fails mostly because of his young age.
- The whole trip is about his experiences and challenges outside school, as a teenage expelled and labeled troublesome.
Chapter 2 -- Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction.
In the book “Metamorphosis” by Kafka, in the past episodes the protagonists is a good young man who earns money for his whole family. Their dinner scene, described with details, a table with his father, mother and sister is a dedicative scene of one family. But in the last scenes, the protagonist is rejected from his family as he turns into a huge insect, his dinner is thrown on the floor in his room alone, which are some rotten vegetables and meat, old milk and cheese.
Chapter 3: --Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed.
Vampires, which originally are mythical monsters in fictional novels, is nowadays seen in many form of literature as one of a major mystery. In most cases, they are immortal, fly in the nights, transform or manipulates vampire bats. As in “Twilight”, Vampires depict an existence much stronger than human. In my opinion, Vampires are some invisible unreal presence at night, some way similar to devils, symbolizing the typical nightmare one dreams.
Chapter 4 -- If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet
"Foster uses John Donne’s flea symbol and Yeats’ fondness for gyres as examples of not-so-obvious symbolism. Find a poet or author who uses an odd word/phrase that might be overlooked for its symbolic meaning. Discuss your findings, including your interpretation with rationale of the symbol presented, and relevant author background that helped you deduce the symbol you found.
[even with insects]
BY KOBAYASHI ISSA
TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS
Even with insects―
some can sing,
some can’t.
This very short poem is very obvious of its’ meaning, but also very broad. The last two lines are very simple; there is that two type everywhere, the difference. But the insect part, is very significant, at the same time, very flexible. It can describe some group of something, or a range over time, it can be children, it can be people. I assume it describes some kind of a plural group, but that answer can differ by its’ number of readers. Maybe the author used “insects”, for this kind of poems created in Japan require some seasonal, natural terms, but his real thoughts are not assumable.
Chapter 5 --Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?
Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works.
In dictionaries, intertextuality is defined as relations between literary texts. I say myself, similarities of a composition, which is also the similarity of their central theme. For example, in both of “Catcher in the Rye” and “Kafka on the Shore”, a young character starts their quest on the first page, signifying their youthful future worries. Or in “Sorairo Magatama”, the existence of light and dark, the Gods, their religion, is based on the old Japanese tale of Kojiki, explaining their fantasy like world. Another example is the novel “Laughing Harlequin”, which by its character name brings up the whole comedy parts in the suspense novel.
Chapter 6 -- When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare...
Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme.
In the series novel “No.6”, many times Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in the beginning of chapters, or in character’s speeches. In this SF novel, the protagonist from a rich city meets the slam street boy, and in the end challenges the authority. As themes, the author brings up supernatural powers as spirits and gods, or an super-authority in a small society, youth, which reflects a lot “Macbeth” in means of a dictator-king’s stupidity, and its tragedy.
Chapter 7 -- ...Or the Bible
Read “Araby” (available here). Discuss Biblical allusions that Foster does not mention. Look at the example of the “two great jars.” Be creative and imaginative in these connections.
One of the scene Mr. Foster didn’t mention is the “O, love! O, love!”. This scene, the narrator in the room that a priest dies, takes his palm together and murmur love. For me, this scene seemed to be like a prayer. In Christianity, love is given by God, by people, and told to give to others. Where here, in this scene, in one way the boy is trembling to the first touch of love, but also it can be where he asks for love, loving someone.
Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen appreciation?
“Tom&Soya of the Town” is a series of kiddie novel. The story is mostly by the two junior high boys’ adventures, in modern cities of Japan. Reflecting the “Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, the boys venture through mysteries, challenges, against adults for their purpose. It’s irony and appreciation at the same time, with themes as kids’ adventure in modern cities, the reproduction of adventure novels where it’s much different than the old days.
Chapter 9 -- It’s Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. Note that there are extensive links to classical mythology on my Classics page.
Hundred Eyes
Once was the eyes of all-seeing
all over Argus Panoplies the giant
he could see everything.
All Monsters, All Thiefs,
but only the Messenger God,
slept all 100 eyes.
Worthless Eyes, said goddess Hera.
Now the Hundred Eyes
Shines on a peacock tail,
with beauty and grace,
but no sight.
Chapter 10 -- It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot.
As weather, the description of the sky in the novel “Comet in Moominland” signifies distinctive natural disasters as catastrophe. In each scene, the sky gets more and more red, hot, brighter with the approaching comet. Or sometimes the world itself is black everywhere, with ash. I assume that the comet here can signify a natural catastrophe of all kind, but also a symbol of war and missiles, since the author, Tove Jansson cared and worried about wartime.
Interlude -- Does He Mean That
Chapter 11 --...More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different.
In the novel “The Notebook”, many unordinary types of violence appears. One of them is given by self, another given by other. The first one is done between the main protagonists, the twins, who exercise themselves to become stronger against powers. The other one is given by policeman, to force the prisoner confess their crime, no matter if they are innocent or not. As a conclusion, I can say that those violence are of totally different kind, but causing one another, because a tolerance to violence is only needed when it’s needed.
Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism of the fence in “Araby.” (Mangan’s sister stands behind it.)
First to say, here I’m not really sure of the “fence” because the novel does not use that term. But assuming that that’s the scene where I and Mangan’s sister first talk, it’s significance is a borderline. In one way, Mangan’s sister (girl) is the other side for the young boy. The lost of innocence, growing up to adolescence. Although the boy is still unable to reach to it, he touches and sees the first time, those love and girls thing, toward adult.
Chapter 13 -- It’s All Political
Assume that Foster is right and “it is all political.” Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you as a freshman is political.
The food inc education, in my freshman year Environmental Science, mattered all about our food production. I guess this was political. We were taught the reality of food we buy in shops, their problems and the sequence, we thought about it and made opinions to debate. This work would rather be on both of the hated and loved side of political works, since where we knew about reality was still not one-sided, but as we debated we stood each on our side.
Chapter 14 -- Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur.
The main protagonist of “Sorairo Magatama”, Saya is a ordinary girl grown in village, who suddenly is implicated in a god and death affair. She has a particular birthmark on her palm, which means she is the special one for gods. She is very forgiving, kind, standing on both of the light and dark side. Finally, she is the one who brings peace and order to the world.
Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy
Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.
In the final book of the series Merlin: “The Wings of Merlin” by T.A.Barron, its’ final end is where human on the island of Fincayra takes back their wings they had before. In joy, people fly around the island with their white wings, and one by one lands on their old home, or flies away to a new land, differing their future, so does the protagonist and his lover. Here, flight is symbolizing the freedom to choose their own land, future.
Chapter 16 -- It’s All About Sex...
Chapter 17 -- ...Except the Sex
OK ..the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that “scenes in which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense that literal depictions” (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and effort than it is described, and, if the author is doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex is suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects the theme or develops characterization.
In the book “The Notebook”, sex is appearing many times, often as violence, or a self-centered desire. One impressing scene is in the ends, after the assault and attack. As all houses are emptied and violated, the twins finds their neighboring girl Harelip dead in her house. The girl was naked, dirty, dead, and smiling. Beside her, is despairing mother who begs death. This scene signifies a lot of Harelip, where she was a girl who was a thief, hated, who could not recognize her mother, but begged love.
Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism
Think of a “baptism scene” from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss.
The main character in the novel “The Lock Artist” is wordless. He is an aphasiac, excellent drawer, and a lock artist. But he hasn’t always been that way. Once in his childhood, his baptism, was in a strongbox, where he locked himself up without knowing the box would be thrown into the river. His loss of father trying to save him, his techniques, his lifestyle, all came from the baptism.
Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters...
Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under “geography.”
Geography, by Foster, can influence a lot in a novel. Theme, character, plot, symbol. The specificity of a land in a novel, means a lot. If that’s a name, it can symbolize or mean something politically. Or in plot, an adventure oversea is totally different than overland. As characters, mankind are born and raised from their land. Land, which creates alkyds of scenes, situations, are the base of a novel.
Chapter 20 -- ...So Does Season
Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem with your analysis.)
[the snow is melting]
BY KOBAYASHI ISSA
TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS
The snow is melting
and the village is flooded
with children.
Traditional japanese poems called Haiku, always requires a seasonal term in it. Here is the term snow, which represents winter. The unusual part I find here is that although the season is winter, the main theme is spring, where snow melts, and the image of spring river and children floods, symbolizing new life.
Interlude -- One Story
Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar.
Archetype for literature is hard to define. Everyday new novels are written, and everyday new styles are born. There is no set this has to be for a novel. So if I would choose a set theme of all literature, I’d say “character”. Plots, themes, adventures, scenes, there is lots of important factors in literature, but only character, can be very crucial to all kinds of novels.
Chapter 21 -- Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter’s scar. If you aren’t familiar with Harry Potter, select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization.
Harry Potter’s scar is a symbol of greatness, fame, rumors, and ignorance. Of course being the only surviver of a death spell is great, but since it was not done by himself, and because he was only an infant, Harry Potter feels confused and mixed about his achievement. So even though he feels irony to them, his surroundings value him great.
Chapter 22 -- He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know
Chapter 23 -- It’s Never Just Heart Disease...
Chapter 24 -- ...And Rarely Just Illness
Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary work. Consider how these deaths reflect the “principles governing the use of disease in literature” (215-217). Discuss the effectiveness of the death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism.
Two characters who suffered of death disease that I can recall, are first the teenage boy Naoto from “4TEEN”, and the villagers of Raven camp in “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness”. Both of these diseases were deadly, but their reactions were different. When 6000 years ago, people reacted to the disease as some kind of unknown evil spirit, Naoto’s disease was clearly explainable by modern medical knowledges. However, both of the characters were unable to avoid death. By this, I assume that even though technology changes a lot in 6000 years, “disease” can always signify deadly evil spirit.
Chapter 25 -- Don’t Read with Your Eyes
After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel, play or epic written before the twentieth century. Contrast how it could be viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with how it might be viewed by a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumptions that the author makes, assumptions that would not make it in this century.
One distinctive genre I can come up about literature before 20th century, is adventure novels. One specific example would be “Two Years of Vacancy” in 1888. In one of the scenes in this novel, the boys choose their leader, the president, but only the black boy Moko is excluded from the election. Although in the contemporary age those racism were ordinal, but it would not work nowadays.
Chapter 26 -- Is He Serious? And Other Ironies
Select an ironic literary work and explain the multivocal nature of the irony in the work.
The most ironical novel I know is “Animal Farm”. Where in a fantastical world that animals can replace human, the irony there signifies the similarity between us and them. Also the symbolism of greedy pigs against greedy landowners of that age, is very distinctive and critical.
Chapter 27 -- A Test Case
Read “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, the short story starting on page 245. Complete the exercise on pages 265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing with the three examples. How did you do? What does the essay that follows comparing Laura with Persephone add to your appreciation of Mansfield’s story?
- In this novel, the most outstanding impression is the contrast of poverty and rich. On the rich side, on top of the slope, is the Sheridans. Their day is beautiful, with a garden party, some romantic handsome men, with wonderful sandwiches, with humorous servants. On the poor side, is the family under the slope. Lower education, smokey houses, sudden tragedy. The protagonist in the story which is one of the daughter of Sheridans, set this contrast right in front of her eyes, is shocked and can not express the severeness of life in that society.
- As said before, the difference of their days are totally different. One has a beautiful perfect day for a garden party. The other is in a sudden tragedy, losing the mainstay of the family. Another symbolism is the slope. Although they are neighbors, the two family is separated by a slope, where on the top lives the rich, on the ground lives the poor. Also, the description of their home scene differs. One is lighted, the other ashy. So does language. One is perfect clean, calling each other misses and misters, when the other have an accent, and rather dirty.
- Comparing my responses to others, I see steps there. I’m on the first one, analyzing the setting to see the theme. The history major and the graduate, is on the second one. Deeper analyzation of plots, word use, to detail there explanation. And on the third step, is Mr. Foster. Where he takes the analyzation, and creates another metaphor to tell the essay. Here, I see much more what I can improve.
Envoi
Choose a motif not discussed in this book (as the horse reference on page 280) and note its appearance in three or four different works. What does this idea seem to signify?
Animals. They are very common in literature, sometimes as friends, sometimes as enemies, sometimes as symbiotic relationship. As a metaphor, general wild animals just symbolize the nature, as in “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness”, or some specified type of animals such as pigs in “Animal Farm” can signify greediness, Aslan in “The Chronicles of Narnia” as God. Animals in bibles are very meaningful, as they are in real earth.