Introduction: "How'd He Do That?"
Memory, symbol, and patterns are three necessary components in understanding literature. Memory contributes to the reading of literature because it helps you connect what you've read earlier on in a series/novel to what you have read towards the ending. This can unveil the message the author intended to reveal. It can also connect from book to book by that particular author answering questions caused by the previous reading. Symbols are very important and help readers understand characters and potentially the plot of the story. Symbols can be found in very minor objects, colors, locations, etc. but can also make things more understandable to you as well because symbols can also reveal many things as well. Patterns can add on meaning to a certain part of the text. The more repetitive the text is, the more importance it holds. Being able to understand patterns and identify them makes it easier to comprehend difficult literature because patterns identify the important aspects of the whole text. If you can identify that, then you can immediately comprehend the message being sent by the author and understand his/her main points of the book. Symbolism has enhanced my appreciation for literature greatly, especially in the book, The Great Gatsby. The "green light" is a very popular and important symbol in the novel. The color green can symbolize hope. The green light is first introduced when Jay Gatsby stares across the lake toward a green light at the end of a dock. That dock so happened to be Daisy Buchanan's, someone Gatsby had cared about. This symbolizes Gatsby's hope to see Daisy and revisit their past love. Fitzgerald writes, "Gatsby believed in the green light."
Chapter 1: "Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)"
A guest consists of five things according to Foster:
1) a quester
2) a place to go
3) a stated reason to go there
4) challenges and trials
5) the real reason to go
These five aspects can be identified in a majority of journeys in literature such as The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
1) a quester- Dorothy
2) a place to go- Emerald City
3) a stated reason to go there- to discover a way back home
4) challenges and trials- they encountered flying monkeys, enchanted trees, and The Wicked Witch of The West.
5) The real reason to go- Dorothy wanted to be reassured that no matter the circumstance, she'd be able to return to her home and be with her family. Dorothy wanted to find herself and figure out what she truly wanted to do with her life.
Chapter 2: "Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion"
Sharing a meal with others shows how one character feels toward another. Foster states that the act of sharing a meal says, "I'm with you, I share this moment with you, I feel a bond of community with you." In the novel written by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, the characters meals were important to them. The meals consisted of the family, even if there was barely any food prepared, they still gathered to enjoy the meal together and enjoyed each others company. This contributes to Foster's thoughts on having meals together, this explains the closeness of the characters and the positive feelings toward one another. My mother has always taught me and said, when you eat, it's always better to share it with someone else.
Chapter 5: "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?"
Intertextuality is the relationships between different stories from texts and films. Authors and the creators of films use plots and ideas from other works to branch off onto their own pieces. A good example of intertextuality would be the story of Christ and C.S. Lewis', The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis has compared the Lion, Aslan, to Christ in his novel. The death of Aslan was for the better of his people and is a reminder of how Jesus died on the cross for everyone's sins. When Aslan came back to life, it connected to how Jesus rises from the dead. Edmund, someone Aslan trusted, betrayed him as did one of Jesus' most beloved angels, Lucifer. Therefor, Aslan suffered the consequences, as did Jesus. Another example would be the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the two stories there's Frodo and Harry who are chosen by fate or others to fufil an important duty. The stories have wizards who Frodo and Harry look up to for answers and guidance, and the stories both have dark lords who are after the "chosen ones."
Chapter 7: "...Or the Bible"
James Joyce includes many biblical allusions in the short story, Araby. The narrator speaks of a priest dying in the back of the drawing room at the beginning of the text. Joyce also mentions a wild garden which after a while made me think of the Garden of Eden. Joyce includes an apple tree which immediately makes me think of the story of Adam and Eve. The young boy obviously Adam, and the girl with no interest, Eve. The girl, who seems to not care about the boy, only speaks to him when she cannot attend Araby, which I'm assuming is a church related event. She asks him to get a gift for her. When the boy attends Araby, he comes across these "two great jars" he decides not to buy her anything. When reading more closely, it's clear that the "the two great jars" resemble guards, or guardian angels keeping the boy from buying her a gift at all, because she resembles Eve, she has sinned.
Chapter 8: "Hanseldee and Greteldum"
Fairy tales are told to children, most commonly little girls, so they have something to look forward to as they grow older. Fairy tales always include a princess that needs saving, an evil witch/character, a hero and always a happy ending. The connection of the fairy tale Snow White and the film Sydney White are fairly similar. Snow White is a princess and Sydney White is not but she is the daughter of an alumni from Kappa Phi Nu, which was considered royalty at the college she attended. Both Snow White's and Sydney White's mothers had past away. They both have enemies who are envious of their beauty and other impeccable qualities. When Snow white is put into danger, she disappears into the woods where she discovers a cottage belonging to seven dwarfs. This situation is very similar to Sydney White's when she is kicked out of her late mother's former sorority because she does not quite fit in. She stumbles upon a more than less popular fraternity that belonged to the "seven geeks." Snow White's enemy, her step-mother, became envious because a mirror who only told the truth no longer continued calling her the fairest in the land. The mirror had told the truth, as it always had, and said Snow White was the most beautiful of the land. As for Sydney White's enemy who was another sorority member of hers, she had checked a school website several times a day that stated who the "hottest" student at the university they attended. It had always been her, Rachel Witchburn until she saw Sydney slowly progressing up the list eventually beating Witchburn. In the end, both stories ended happily ever after with a "prince" to save Snow White and Sydney White. This, for me, deepens my appreciation because it gives me a better idea of what's going on, and helps you comprehend why certain things are happening in the text/film. You truly begin to understand the characters more and the reasoning behind their actions.
Chapter 9: "It's Greek to Me"
Siren Song:
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who has heard it
is dead, and the others can't remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don't enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don't enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
By Margaret Atwood
A Siren in Greek Mythology is a creature that is half bird and half woman. Sirens lure sailors to their death by singing a fatal but lovable and addicting song. This poem explains the deathly task that Sirens have been known to do but from the point of view of a Siren. The myth of Sirens always makes the Sirens helpless but in this poem, it's the Sirens who try to seem helpless and in distress. This impacts the poem greatly because it gives you another viewpoint of who and how these creatures actually are. The poem says that the song is actually a trick and sounds like a cry for help. Since every story needs a hero, it is these sailors that try to save the day and go after these creatures who sing the beautiful song. Instead, the sailors end up in their trap and end up rotting away on an island. Since the Sirens sing this song so frequently, it's understandable that they do not find it beautiful at all, when singing a song other's find beautiful is all they can do, it can become quite boring. To them, their song is easy. In the Siren's case, they always know how these situations end, making it less entertaining. Knowing the myth, this impacts the theme in a greater and more surprising way because Sirens come off more intelligent than they actually seem.
Chapter 11: "...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence"
There are two kinds of violence found in literature according to Foster: specific injury caused by the author making a character bring violence upon another character or themselves and narrative violence which cause characters general harm. The second kind of violence, authorial violence is violence authors bring in to advance the plot and to make it more interesting. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains both kinds of violence, when Jay Gatsby (Daisy), accidentally kills Myrtle. Little did he know, it had been Fitzgerald's plan all along making it something that couldn't have been prevented because it is a plan that only he and the author know. This is an example of the second kind of violence. When Wilson, Myrtle's husband, finds out that Gatsby "killed" his wife from Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, he goes to his home and shoots him while he lays in his pool. This is an example of the first kind of violence because a character inflicts violence onto another character.
Chapter 12: "Is That a Symbol?"
In the short story, Araby, the protagonist clearly has interest in Mangan's sister. It seems that the fence can symbolize many things. Fences are used to separate land to depict who's land is who's or to guard which side is theirs. Perhaps it is a barrier to separate the feelings that are felt by one person and feeling not felt at all by the other person. Like the fence guards land, perhaps the fence is guarding the narrators feelings. Also, like what I've stated in chapter 7, the fence could have been seen as protection for the young protagonist from getting his heart broken from someone who has no mutual feelings for him. It was their first conversation as well and the symbolism can look like the obstacles he faces. The fence clearly separates the two making it harder for him and having a "crush" on the girl is an obstacle because he doesn't know how to approach her and tell her his feelings, although she may already know from how the narrator acts.
Chapter 14: "Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too"
Many writers try to replicate a Christ figure into their stories. One that I've spoken about before is Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. Like many believers of Christ, when they say Jesus' name, they gain a sense of strength from him and all things positive and good. Aslan's name itself is powerful ass well. In the C. S. Lewis' novel, Lewis mentions that when all four of the Pevensie's said Aslan's name, they each felt like they gained something internally.
1) Aslan sacrifices himself for those loyal to him in Narnia
2) Aslan is good with children (the Pevensie's)
3) He spends time in the wilderness
4) Aslan died on the traitors tablet but since he did nothing wrong and did not betray anyone or anything, he came back to life
5) Aslan had many followers
6) Aslan forgives, even Edmund, who betrayed Aslan and was the reason he was killed on the traitors tablet
7) He was crucified on the traitors tablet and bound
8) Had confrontation with the White Witch (devil)
9) Aslan was a despondent which was supposed to mirror Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane
10) Aslan isn't portrayed with his arms outstretched but appeared fearless and welcoming
Chapter 15: "Flights of Fancy"
Flight can immediately make us think of freedom or escape. In the novel, Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, it's all about flight. She flies around town delivering packages to people in the area or outside of where she lives. The story was created in 1985 and based in Japan, around this time this story was supposed to show Kiki's transition into adulthood. Her parents allowed her to be on her own as well. She must be able to provide for herself now and get a job. Through flying, she is able to create a delivery service and provide for herself. Kiki has become more independent and gained more freedom through the act of flying. But she also faces many obstacles, since she doesn't start of flying knowing how to control herself. Like independence, you much overcome many challenges and hardships before you are free.
Chapter 18: "If She Comes Up It's Baptism"
The most significant literary work that includes a baptism scene would be the baptism of Jesus Christ. This scene in the Bible was told in "Matthew 3:13-17." Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him. After Jesus was baptized, he got out of the water and heaven was opened. "A voice from heaven [God], 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'" How Jesus felt after being baptized is not specifically stated but perceived that he felt relieved and blessed because following the baptism he overcame Satan's temptation, called his first disciples, and healed the sick.
Chapter 19: "Geography Matters..."
Foster defines geography as something that defines or develops a character. Any setting or detail that relates to the surroundings of the character or characters. The book or movie Holes took place in Texas at Camp Green Lake where young delinquents spent time instead of jail, digging holes as a punishment for their crimes. When the story is told of Stanley Yelnats' relative Elya Yelnats, it is based in Latvia where a witch curses him which is why Stanley's father and grandfather think that Stanley is going to Camp Green Lake. He was cursed. After a period of time at Camp Green Lake, Stanley ran away into the mountains, going after another member of Camp Green Lake. This camp and all of these setting develop Stanley into a more confident person and as someone who can stick up for themselves, the camp and stories educated him and "toughened" him up. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the richer characters lived in a lavish part of New York City. This gave characters the rightful qualities of being more elegant, arrogant, and snobbish because of their location. The setting already tells you how the qualities of the characters might already be like and help you understand the characters as you get deeper into the story and watch them develop into who they're supposed to be. Though living a lavish life in The Great Gatsby in the nicer parts of New York City, not many characters changed their ways. Jay Gatsby always threw expensive parties to impress Daisy Buchanan, someone in love with the finer things, which changed Gatsby and is why he lives where he does. Foster also explains geography as rivers, hills, valleys, buttes, steppes, glaciers, swamps, mountains, prairies, chasms, seas, island, people. Like the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty, he sat on a wall, had a great fall and couldn't be put back together. The wall develops characteristics of the egg as being clumsy and something easily broken. Geography is the character inhabiting spaces according to Foster. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it takes place in the south in the early 1930's which develops Scout and Jem into racist children since they are being influenced by their father and other surroundings. Which is also a geography feature according to Foster, people. If they were raised in the northern states, they would have been born less racist or even not at all.
Chapter 20: "...So Does Season"
SONNET 18:
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
By William Shakespeare
Seasons can be used to describe how someone feels towards any situation. But in this poem, a summer's day describes how Shakespeare feels towards a girl. Seasons can foreshadow in literature and can develop a character and the plot or situation. This poem uses season in a very traditional and meaningful way. Using the season summer explains perfectly how Shakespeare felt toward his love interest. The season "summer" symbolizes perfection and content, which works well with what he intended.
Chapter 26: "Is He Serious? And Other Ironies"
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet contains irony toward most of the play. Romeo and Juliet are so incredibly in love that they'd do anything to be with each other. Due to their family's conflicting pasts, Romeo and Juliet are unable to obtain a "normal" relationship. Juliet tries to fake her death by taking a drug to temporarily put her to sleep. The thing is, Juliet hadn't informed Romeo of her plan. Since Romeo has no idea of what's going on, he goes to Juliet's final resting place to see if what has been told is true. When he sees Juliet dead, Romeo kills himself since he cannot live without her. As he lay there dead, Juliet awakens. Juliet wakes up only to find her true love dead beside her. Juliet then kills herself. There's irony because everyone in the audience knows that Juliet took the "drug" to fall asleep except or Romeo. In the situation there was irony because it didn't turn out how both the main characters had wanted. They do spend "eternity" together but not how the audience would have wanted or expected. This effect the audience since they knew something Romeo did not.
Chapter 27: "A Test Case"
I followed the directions completely with out any issues. Afterwards I looked over the questions on page 265. I believe that Mansfield tried to make us see how Laura was so much more opened to do what she did than her sisters or her mother. Being high-class like Laura and her family, they don't really understand the death of the poor man or really care. When people have so much money, they leave things and people who aren't blood or those that don't benefit them any longer behind. They only except those of the same social status. It was difficult understanding the connection between the two stories. It came to me that Persephone didn't want to leave the beautiful place she had always known to live in a "lower-class" area, the underworld, like how Laura felt traveling to the poor man's cottage. Persephone was traveling to hell, as did Laura traveling to the dead man's cottage. Laura's family truly believed those of lower-class had lived in another underworld.
Memory, symbol, and patterns are three necessary components in understanding literature. Memory contributes to the reading of literature because it helps you connect what you've read earlier on in a series/novel to what you have read towards the ending. This can unveil the message the author intended to reveal. It can also connect from book to book by that particular author answering questions caused by the previous reading. Symbols are very important and help readers understand characters and potentially the plot of the story. Symbols can be found in very minor objects, colors, locations, etc. but can also make things more understandable to you as well because symbols can also reveal many things as well. Patterns can add on meaning to a certain part of the text. The more repetitive the text is, the more importance it holds. Being able to understand patterns and identify them makes it easier to comprehend difficult literature because patterns identify the important aspects of the whole text. If you can identify that, then you can immediately comprehend the message being sent by the author and understand his/her main points of the book. Symbolism has enhanced my appreciation for literature greatly, especially in the book, The Great Gatsby. The "green light" is a very popular and important symbol in the novel. The color green can symbolize hope. The green light is first introduced when Jay Gatsby stares across the lake toward a green light at the end of a dock. That dock so happened to be Daisy Buchanan's, someone Gatsby had cared about. This symbolizes Gatsby's hope to see Daisy and revisit their past love. Fitzgerald writes, "Gatsby believed in the green light."
Chapter 1: "Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)"
A guest consists of five things according to Foster:
1) a quester
2) a place to go
3) a stated reason to go there
4) challenges and trials
5) the real reason to go
These five aspects can be identified in a majority of journeys in literature such as The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
1) a quester- Dorothy
2) a place to go- Emerald City
3) a stated reason to go there- to discover a way back home
4) challenges and trials- they encountered flying monkeys, enchanted trees, and The Wicked Witch of The West.
5) The real reason to go- Dorothy wanted to be reassured that no matter the circumstance, she'd be able to return to her home and be with her family. Dorothy wanted to find herself and figure out what she truly wanted to do with her life.
Chapter 2: "Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion"
Sharing a meal with others shows how one character feels toward another. Foster states that the act of sharing a meal says, "I'm with you, I share this moment with you, I feel a bond of community with you." In the novel written by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, the characters meals were important to them. The meals consisted of the family, even if there was barely any food prepared, they still gathered to enjoy the meal together and enjoyed each others company. This contributes to Foster's thoughts on having meals together, this explains the closeness of the characters and the positive feelings toward one another. My mother has always taught me and said, when you eat, it's always better to share it with someone else.
Chapter 5: "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?"
Intertextuality is the relationships between different stories from texts and films. Authors and the creators of films use plots and ideas from other works to branch off onto their own pieces. A good example of intertextuality would be the story of Christ and C.S. Lewis', The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis has compared the Lion, Aslan, to Christ in his novel. The death of Aslan was for the better of his people and is a reminder of how Jesus died on the cross for everyone's sins. When Aslan came back to life, it connected to how Jesus rises from the dead. Edmund, someone Aslan trusted, betrayed him as did one of Jesus' most beloved angels, Lucifer. Therefor, Aslan suffered the consequences, as did Jesus. Another example would be the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. In the two stories there's Frodo and Harry who are chosen by fate or others to fufil an important duty. The stories have wizards who Frodo and Harry look up to for answers and guidance, and the stories both have dark lords who are after the "chosen ones."
Chapter 7: "...Or the Bible"
James Joyce includes many biblical allusions in the short story, Araby. The narrator speaks of a priest dying in the back of the drawing room at the beginning of the text. Joyce also mentions a wild garden which after a while made me think of the Garden of Eden. Joyce includes an apple tree which immediately makes me think of the story of Adam and Eve. The young boy obviously Adam, and the girl with no interest, Eve. The girl, who seems to not care about the boy, only speaks to him when she cannot attend Araby, which I'm assuming is a church related event. She asks him to get a gift for her. When the boy attends Araby, he comes across these "two great jars" he decides not to buy her anything. When reading more closely, it's clear that the "the two great jars" resemble guards, or guardian angels keeping the boy from buying her a gift at all, because she resembles Eve, she has sinned.
Chapter 8: "Hanseldee and Greteldum"
Fairy tales are told to children, most commonly little girls, so they have something to look forward to as they grow older. Fairy tales always include a princess that needs saving, an evil witch/character, a hero and always a happy ending. The connection of the fairy tale Snow White and the film Sydney White are fairly similar. Snow White is a princess and Sydney White is not but she is the daughter of an alumni from Kappa Phi Nu, which was considered royalty at the college she attended. Both Snow White's and Sydney White's mothers had past away. They both have enemies who are envious of their beauty and other impeccable qualities. When Snow white is put into danger, she disappears into the woods where she discovers a cottage belonging to seven dwarfs. This situation is very similar to Sydney White's when she is kicked out of her late mother's former sorority because she does not quite fit in. She stumbles upon a more than less popular fraternity that belonged to the "seven geeks." Snow White's enemy, her step-mother, became envious because a mirror who only told the truth no longer continued calling her the fairest in the land. The mirror had told the truth, as it always had, and said Snow White was the most beautiful of the land. As for Sydney White's enemy who was another sorority member of hers, she had checked a school website several times a day that stated who the "hottest" student at the university they attended. It had always been her, Rachel Witchburn until she saw Sydney slowly progressing up the list eventually beating Witchburn. In the end, both stories ended happily ever after with a "prince" to save Snow White and Sydney White. This, for me, deepens my appreciation because it gives me a better idea of what's going on, and helps you comprehend why certain things are happening in the text/film. You truly begin to understand the characters more and the reasoning behind their actions.
Chapter 9: "It's Greek to Me"
Siren Song:
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who has heard it
is dead, and the others can't remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don't enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don't enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
By Margaret Atwood
A Siren in Greek Mythology is a creature that is half bird and half woman. Sirens lure sailors to their death by singing a fatal but lovable and addicting song. This poem explains the deathly task that Sirens have been known to do but from the point of view of a Siren. The myth of Sirens always makes the Sirens helpless but in this poem, it's the Sirens who try to seem helpless and in distress. This impacts the poem greatly because it gives you another viewpoint of who and how these creatures actually are. The poem says that the song is actually a trick and sounds like a cry for help. Since every story needs a hero, it is these sailors that try to save the day and go after these creatures who sing the beautiful song. Instead, the sailors end up in their trap and end up rotting away on an island. Since the Sirens sing this song so frequently, it's understandable that they do not find it beautiful at all, when singing a song other's find beautiful is all they can do, it can become quite boring. To them, their song is easy. In the Siren's case, they always know how these situations end, making it less entertaining. Knowing the myth, this impacts the theme in a greater and more surprising way because Sirens come off more intelligent than they actually seem.
Chapter 11: "...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence"
There are two kinds of violence found in literature according to Foster: specific injury caused by the author making a character bring violence upon another character or themselves and narrative violence which cause characters general harm. The second kind of violence, authorial violence is violence authors bring in to advance the plot and to make it more interesting. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains both kinds of violence, when Jay Gatsby (Daisy), accidentally kills Myrtle. Little did he know, it had been Fitzgerald's plan all along making it something that couldn't have been prevented because it is a plan that only he and the author know. This is an example of the second kind of violence. When Wilson, Myrtle's husband, finds out that Gatsby "killed" his wife from Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, he goes to his home and shoots him while he lays in his pool. This is an example of the first kind of violence because a character inflicts violence onto another character.
Chapter 12: "Is That a Symbol?"
In the short story, Araby, the protagonist clearly has interest in Mangan's sister. It seems that the fence can symbolize many things. Fences are used to separate land to depict who's land is who's or to guard which side is theirs. Perhaps it is a barrier to separate the feelings that are felt by one person and feeling not felt at all by the other person. Like the fence guards land, perhaps the fence is guarding the narrators feelings. Also, like what I've stated in chapter 7, the fence could have been seen as protection for the young protagonist from getting his heart broken from someone who has no mutual feelings for him. It was their first conversation as well and the symbolism can look like the obstacles he faces. The fence clearly separates the two making it harder for him and having a "crush" on the girl is an obstacle because he doesn't know how to approach her and tell her his feelings, although she may already know from how the narrator acts.
Chapter 14: "Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too"
Many writers try to replicate a Christ figure into their stories. One that I've spoken about before is Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. Like many believers of Christ, when they say Jesus' name, they gain a sense of strength from him and all things positive and good. Aslan's name itself is powerful ass well. In the C. S. Lewis' novel, Lewis mentions that when all four of the Pevensie's said Aslan's name, they each felt like they gained something internally.
1) Aslan sacrifices himself for those loyal to him in Narnia
2) Aslan is good with children (the Pevensie's)
3) He spends time in the wilderness
4) Aslan died on the traitors tablet but since he did nothing wrong and did not betray anyone or anything, he came back to life
5) Aslan had many followers
6) Aslan forgives, even Edmund, who betrayed Aslan and was the reason he was killed on the traitors tablet
7) He was crucified on the traitors tablet and bound
8) Had confrontation with the White Witch (devil)
9) Aslan was a despondent which was supposed to mirror Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane
10) Aslan isn't portrayed with his arms outstretched but appeared fearless and welcoming
Chapter 15: "Flights of Fancy"
Flight can immediately make us think of freedom or escape. In the novel, Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, it's all about flight. She flies around town delivering packages to people in the area or outside of where she lives. The story was created in 1985 and based in Japan, around this time this story was supposed to show Kiki's transition into adulthood. Her parents allowed her to be on her own as well. She must be able to provide for herself now and get a job. Through flying, she is able to create a delivery service and provide for herself. Kiki has become more independent and gained more freedom through the act of flying. But she also faces many obstacles, since she doesn't start of flying knowing how to control herself. Like independence, you much overcome many challenges and hardships before you are free.
Chapter 18: "If She Comes Up It's Baptism"
The most significant literary work that includes a baptism scene would be the baptism of Jesus Christ. This scene in the Bible was told in "Matthew 3:13-17." Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him. After Jesus was baptized, he got out of the water and heaven was opened. "A voice from heaven [God], 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'" How Jesus felt after being baptized is not specifically stated but perceived that he felt relieved and blessed because following the baptism he overcame Satan's temptation, called his first disciples, and healed the sick.
Chapter 19: "Geography Matters..."
Foster defines geography as something that defines or develops a character. Any setting or detail that relates to the surroundings of the character or characters. The book or movie Holes took place in Texas at Camp Green Lake where young delinquents spent time instead of jail, digging holes as a punishment for their crimes. When the story is told of Stanley Yelnats' relative Elya Yelnats, it is based in Latvia where a witch curses him which is why Stanley's father and grandfather think that Stanley is going to Camp Green Lake. He was cursed. After a period of time at Camp Green Lake, Stanley ran away into the mountains, going after another member of Camp Green Lake. This camp and all of these setting develop Stanley into a more confident person and as someone who can stick up for themselves, the camp and stories educated him and "toughened" him up. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the richer characters lived in a lavish part of New York City. This gave characters the rightful qualities of being more elegant, arrogant, and snobbish because of their location. The setting already tells you how the qualities of the characters might already be like and help you understand the characters as you get deeper into the story and watch them develop into who they're supposed to be. Though living a lavish life in The Great Gatsby in the nicer parts of New York City, not many characters changed their ways. Jay Gatsby always threw expensive parties to impress Daisy Buchanan, someone in love with the finer things, which changed Gatsby and is why he lives where he does. Foster also explains geography as rivers, hills, valleys, buttes, steppes, glaciers, swamps, mountains, prairies, chasms, seas, island, people. Like the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty, he sat on a wall, had a great fall and couldn't be put back together. The wall develops characteristics of the egg as being clumsy and something easily broken. Geography is the character inhabiting spaces according to Foster. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it takes place in the south in the early 1930's which develops Scout and Jem into racist children since they are being influenced by their father and other surroundings. Which is also a geography feature according to Foster, people. If they were raised in the northern states, they would have been born less racist or even not at all.
Chapter 20: "...So Does Season"
SONNET 18:
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
By William Shakespeare
Seasons can be used to describe how someone feels towards any situation. But in this poem, a summer's day describes how Shakespeare feels towards a girl. Seasons can foreshadow in literature and can develop a character and the plot or situation. This poem uses season in a very traditional and meaningful way. Using the season summer explains perfectly how Shakespeare felt toward his love interest. The season "summer" symbolizes perfection and content, which works well with what he intended.
Chapter 26: "Is He Serious? And Other Ironies"
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet contains irony toward most of the play. Romeo and Juliet are so incredibly in love that they'd do anything to be with each other. Due to their family's conflicting pasts, Romeo and Juliet are unable to obtain a "normal" relationship. Juliet tries to fake her death by taking a drug to temporarily put her to sleep. The thing is, Juliet hadn't informed Romeo of her plan. Since Romeo has no idea of what's going on, he goes to Juliet's final resting place to see if what has been told is true. When he sees Juliet dead, Romeo kills himself since he cannot live without her. As he lay there dead, Juliet awakens. Juliet wakes up only to find her true love dead beside her. Juliet then kills herself. There's irony because everyone in the audience knows that Juliet took the "drug" to fall asleep except or Romeo. In the situation there was irony because it didn't turn out how both the main characters had wanted. They do spend "eternity" together but not how the audience would have wanted or expected. This effect the audience since they knew something Romeo did not.
Chapter 27: "A Test Case"
I followed the directions completely with out any issues. Afterwards I looked over the questions on page 265. I believe that Mansfield tried to make us see how Laura was so much more opened to do what she did than her sisters or her mother. Being high-class like Laura and her family, they don't really understand the death of the poor man or really care. When people have so much money, they leave things and people who aren't blood or those that don't benefit them any longer behind. They only except those of the same social status. It was difficult understanding the connection between the two stories. It came to me that Persephone didn't want to leave the beautiful place she had always known to live in a "lower-class" area, the underworld, like how Laura felt traveling to the poor man's cottage. Persephone was traveling to hell, as did Laura traveling to the dead man's cottage. Laura's family truly believed those of lower-class had lived in another underworld.