Reading Assignment 3

Chapter 10 - It's More than Just Rain or Snow

In this chapter Foster talks a whole lot about Rain and how it can be interpreted differently, it can be used for sadness and misery. You know, the whole gloom and doom bit. It can also be restorative. Spring time, April showers, May flowers, baby animals, and fresh grass. He also covered the mystery of fog, and the cold bitterness of snow. He even covered rainbows. Yay! But he didn't exactly express the effect of sunshine, and the sunrise. This is weather too, is it not? At the very end of one of my favorite books, Leoat's Garden, the day is very sunny, warm, but not hot, with a slight breeze. At this point in the book things are looking hopeful, not perfect, but hopeful. Uncle George is still acting like an a - (ehem) butt. And Nora still has issues, but she's starting to see them now. Corban has realized there's more to life then money and success. Yes, the sun is shining, and life goes on. Despite that sadness and grief that has transpired over the past months. Another one of my favorites is Gone with the Wind. Shortly after arriving home to Tara from Atlanta, to find no food, sick sisters, a dead mother, and a deranged father, Scarlett summons up her inner strength as the sun rises, declaring that she will never be hungry again! How's that for drama? But all is hopeful because Scarlett is home, and is sure to put things to rights once again. Hurrah!

Reading Assignment 2

In Chapter Five of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, the author reveals a new concept: Intertextuality, or, in my own words, the ever growing and changing relationship that exists between all works of literature, that creates a foundation for new works of literature to be built upon. This concept is apparent in many works of literature which allude to The Bible, often with Christ figures, and also fairy tales, using Prince Charmings, Damsels in Distress, and Evil Step Relations.

Chapter Six, Seven, and Eight reflect upon the various stories that book often allude to. Shakespearean tales, especially Romeo and Juliet are often Referenced. Biblical allusions find themselves in all kinds of books, and fairy tales are an easy reference for any kind of audience to grasp, not to mention fun, to use as building blocks. One book that I find has fairy tale reference is one of my personal favorites: Gone with the Wind. Our main character, Scarlett, can easily be turned into both a damsel in distress, as well as a princess. And our fetching Rhett, well he's obviously a Prince Charming, Knight in Shining Armor, Rescuer type. And indeed he does rescue Scarlett, from the horrible dragon known as the Union Army in a well known tower that we'll call Atlanta, Georgia. Or, perhaps, Rhett saves her from widowhood, the rules of society, and all other forms of propriety, and whisks her away to his Kingdom of wealth, finery, and... (gasp) scandal. And as much fun as that allusion is, I prefer to think of Scarlett as a Cinderella type. Although much braver, and with a lot more spunk. I haven't figured out exactly what her shoe is, but she's got a godmother, although not one of human form. In fact, its her own charm and quick thinking. Said wittiness was the reason behind her quick snatching of Mr. Frank Kennedy, entering her into the ball of Atlanta, rescuing her from the horrible taxation facing her back at Tara. Besides, I think Southern Belles of the era just had that Princess attitude, don't you?

How to Read Literature Like a Professor Reading Response Chapter 1 - 4

Chapter 1 - Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)

Foster explains how a simple trip to fetch milk or bread from the market can be a metaphorical adventure of epic proportions, turning a simple errand into a quest to destroy the Ring of Power, or to discover the force. Which, although it seems far-fetched, does make sense to at least a small extent. Everything in life is a learning experience. I recently went to Wal-Mart for a very simple thing: food. At the end of my journey I had realized several things about myself. 1) Modern fashion scares the living daylights out of me. Why do we wear this junk? 2) I tend to talk to various goods when I don't feel they are placed in a convenient enough location for me. And 3) I'm really not the scariest person in the world, or even in Batesville. Kind of shocking. Although I must say, my favorite example of a quest, as portrayed by Foster, is that of Star Wars.

Quester: A classic youngling, adventurous, curious, and completely over his head with the whole force thing: Mr. Luke Skywalker.

A place to go: Well we're actually just going to drop of old Ben here at Ancorhead, so he can get a transport to wherever he's going. Become a Jedi? Pssh. Like that'll happen.

A stated reason to go there: Well Ben's been asked by this princess person to safely transport blue prints to Alderaan through a message in Uncle's R2 unit. Who knew?

Challenges and Trials: Well lets see: Storm troopers kill his Aunt and Uncle, Han Solo is being... well Han Solo. Chewy's in the Way. Darth Vadar wants to kill everybody. The Emperor builds a second Death Star, and the darned bounty hunter hired by Jabba wont go away! How's that for trials?

The Real Reason to Go: To discover the ways of the force, reunite the family, continue on the jedi tradition, and ultimately save the universe. Not too bad for a mushroom farmer, huh?

Good job, Luke old buddy.

Chapter 2 - Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion

In this chapter, Foster covers the importance of communion, or the act of eating with another/others. And how these meals really take place because of an ulterior motive of either a main character, or the author. In one of my favorite books of all time, Leota's Garden, there are a lot of meals eaten as a group event. Anne and Leota eat together to show that despite nearly a lifetime of separation, they love and hope to build a closer relationship. Sam treats Anne to take out as his way of saying "I love you! Give me a chance!" Of course, Anne is a smart girl and rejects Sam's attempted advancements. Poor Sam. Foster also covers how these meals can easily go awry. As the thanksgiving meal Anne put together as an attempt to reconcile her broken family... however, Anne's mother, Nora, secretly throws away the leftovers when she does the dishes. Ohhhhh the evil! These meals can also be a device used by the author to invite the reader into the story, possibly by describing delicious, scrumptious, mouth-watering, and over-all yummy food. In Redwall the author also uses said descriptions to give an air of joy and festivity to the Abby.

Chapter 3 - Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires

First I'd like to point out the extreme enjoyment I received from the word doppelgängers. What a fun word! The use of vampires as metaphoric social monsters makes extreme sense to me. Also the idea that anybody and anything that drains energy and lifeblood out of someone is a vampire or ghost or whatever also makes a lot of sense. My mom has a book called Spiritual Vampires... about people who drain you spiritual and emotionally. These people show up in real life as well as literature. In Leota's Garden, Anne's mother Nora goes above and beyond the qualifications necessary to be qualified as vampire. Geesh. I personally think we face vampires in disguise everyday. Vampires in disguise include (but are not limited to) manipulators, over-protectors, and credit card debt. They are EVERYWHERE!!!

Chapter 4 - If It's Square, It's a Sonnet

...And if it's poetry, its likely to be confusing. I loved the poem Foster used as a reference, and I'm so very glad he broke it down for me, I would've taken forever to figure all that out, despite the fact that it's really quite simple. Poetry is such a beautiful art. And I'd really like some help with mine. Yep.

The Status of Teachers

One of the main reasons that teachers are so low on the social ladder, is because they're aren't viewed as accomplished. The improvement of the education necessary to become a teacher will lead to the improvement of teacher status. According to Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust program, a considerable amount of research has revealed that "college teacher education programs do not, on average, produce graduates who are any more effective than teachers who have had only a few weeks of pre-service training." The fact that college training for teachers is at equal value of that of a program meant to quickly prepare someone to be able to basic duties. In previous years, teaching was held to so high a degree, that people seeking a career in teaching could go to a school designed specifically for them, where they could learned with like minded individuals... A teaching school. My grandmother graduated from one of these, UCA to be exact, which along with Lyon College, and a couple of others, started out as colleges for the career of teaching. Currently, a teaching certificate is just another thing you can add on to your major as a back up plan. You might ask if a college created for a specific purpose such as teaching is actually more adequate for the job then a program within a multi-major college. Although many multi-major colleges, are specialists in more then one career field, it may be more beneficial to spend a large amount of time on the improvement of schooling for teachers rather then splitting efforts among many projects. In order for the teaching to be considered an actual career, and for the status of teachers to be respected, the education of teachers must be enhanced. But there are those who say

The Great Gatsby: Last Page Review - Rough Draft

Scott Fitzgerald's melancholy lamentations portray his captious view of the human race in their struggle for improvement, or advancement in society. In the passage he is "brooding" over the past, during the bone-chilling winter during "obscurity" of night. His diction paints his surroundings as gloomy, and so lonely that its almost overwhelming. The houses begin "to melt away" and everything around him is "shadowy," making it the perfect place to allow hopelessness to consume the soul. He describes the discovery of the New World, long island a "fresh, green breast," a beautiful part of the female nation as he saw it. She is "fresh", and "green", untainted and unsoiled, pure and nonsexual. A great contrast to the sexuality of the 1920's. In contrast the future that Gatsby struggles so hard to reach is "orgastic," a sexual beast: A sinful creature that should be avoided at all costs. Fitzgerald's extended metaphor continues, as he creates a river of time, one that the human race struggles against "ceaselessly" and to no purpose. Humans become "boats against the current," as time drags them back into the past of simple joys, pure pleasures, and happiness in relationship. The bliss we seek in alcohol, and new fads has "eluded" the human race, and faded into the darkness, just as "the inessential houses began to melt away" into the night. Still, as Fitzgerald has so profoundly noted, "we beat on... borne back ceaselessly into the past."

'My Wood' Response

I agree with the author of My Wood, although I do feel that he does seem to exaggerate the impact of consumerism. Sure, consummerism is a growing problem, but I don't feel that people who buy a lot of... well stuff, will be thrown into the pits of hell. Yes, consummerism does need to be addressed, but lets not be so judgemental.

Slaves To Our Stuff

In many places around the world, but mainly, or course, America, consumerism is at an all time high (even with the recession, we still be more then most other countries in the world) and it has begun to take a tole on society. Ivan Illich says that "in a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy." I personally agree with him. If we are not addicted to shopping, and buying, and owning....stuff, then we are constantly comparing our stuff to the stuff of others. Their shoes, their coats, their hair and how they've died it, their fake nails, and their backpacks. We fail in comparison to "they" and shoot out hatred and jealousy from every pore, aiming our discontent toward the "they"s that have more then us. Our stuff has consumed us, and has motivated us, to the point that we have become brainwashed, slaves to the stuff that rules society.