Chapter 22

In this Chapter Foster talks about blind people and how they generally have a better view of the world then the main character. It is the blind person that shows the main character the proper ways, or sheds true light on whatever subject. At first I thought of blind main characters like Daredevil and the guy from "The Book of Eli" but then I realized how it talked about a side character being blind. The first thing that came to my head was the play "Antigone". Tiresias is the blind guy in this play like mentioned in the chapter, but he is the only one that sees what is the truth and what will actually happen. Introducing a blind man into a play adds irony automatically because it is almost guaranteed that the blind person will be more aware then those that can actually see what is going on. One of the main purposes for making somebody blind is to highlight the ignorance around that man. If a blind man can see the world for what it actually is then why can't a person who has vision? Writers use the blind characters to help make their points clearer and to help point out flaws with regular humans that don't suffer such handicaps.

Chapter 21

For this chapter I refer to Harry Potter book/movie.

In this Chapter Foster reveals how characters that are marked with some unusual physical characteristic are marked for greatness. Some of the first things that came to my mind when responding to this chapter were Forest Gump and Nemo. Those, of course, are movies so I decided to actually choose a book that I had read: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry's mark on his forehead represents many things of his past, and what he will become in the future. Everyone knows Lord Voldemort came to the Potter house, murdered his family and tried to kill Harry but could not succeed. What was left of Voldemort's attemp was a zig-zag scar or Harry's forehead. This scar represents his tragic past, the power that is within him, and the dificult road he has ahead of him. You may ask how is this a mark of greatness? Well it is because of all the reasons for what the scar represents. The fact that one of the most powerful wizards known could not but leave a scar on an infant's forehead automatically sets Harry up for stardom. The reason why Voldemort couldn't hurt him though is even more important: the fact that Harry has so much magic potential in him that made him able to resists spells. This just shows that if he takes the proper path and listens to guidance he will inevitably be a great wizard. Finally the scar represents the path ahead of him because he knows Voldemort is still out there and able to get him. The scar is a mark of greatness in so many different ways, and really exemplifies the thoughts of the chapter almost perfectly.

Chapter 26

For this I read the "The Unknown Citizen"

This poem was definitely not my favorite I have ever read. I also did not find anything super ironic about it, but I'm taking a stab in hopes to become a better AP student. After reading this, I find it ironic that a poem would be written about an average old joe like the guy the narrator is describing. Then I go on to and remember the "Bureau of Statistics were in on every detail of this man's life. It is weird that they would want to know so much about a guy who is just like everyone else in the world. Then it goes to talk about he had five children, which Eugenists say is a normal amount of kids. I actually have never heard of a Eugenist, but to have one giving advise about this average guy being talked about seems like it would cost money to get his opinion. In general, to be researching every detail of this man's life is just ironic. He has done no heroics, nothing spectacular, nothing outgoing, yet he is still under the microscope. For him to be called the "unknown man" is the biggest irony of the poem because infact everything is known about him except his name. All things this man has done are known, but his name is left a mystery, which of course is a great example of irony

Chapter 19

I'll refer to The Scarlet Letter for this one.

In chapter 19 Foster describes the importance that geography has in literature. While I was reading this chapter I was thinking about what books I have read that stand true to what he is saying. The first book I thought of right off the top of my head was The Scarlet Letter. In this book all the settings help build not just the imagery, but the plot, mood, and charaterization of each indvidual. The dreary town in Massachusetts is describe in the very opening, and the buildings and everything around the town that set the book off in the right direction by making it seem so bland. The rose described outside the courthouse or jailhouse (or whatever it was) is part of the geography as well, which shows a sign of hope and beauty when all else looks bad. The Massachusetts setting is very important to remember in this story because in that time period those people were very stuck to their ways and none of this could have taken place anywhere else. It was the Northeast that was very superstitious, religious, and paranoid. It is important to remember geography is not just setting, but can be symbollic. In The Scarlet Letter alot takes place in a forest. This forest isn't imporant only because it is outside of the town and provides Hester protection, but this forest represents the evil of the blackman, the seldomness Hester faces, the self providingness that Hester has learned. Just like a forest she is on her own. This novel's geography is very vital in setting up the book how it is, and in like many stories it would not be the same without its geography.

Chapter 15

"It's really pretty straightforward: flight is freedom. It doesn't always work out that way, but the basic principle is pretty sound. Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus offers a comparative rarity, a fictional character who actually possesses wings. Carter's heroine, Fevvers, is a woman whose flying act has made her the toast of circuses a music halls across Europe. It also set her apart. She is not like other people, cannot comfortably fit into normal human life." (Page 128)



In this chapter Foster makes to major assertions. The first is that the ability to fly is the ability to be free. Then he goes on to say how Fevvers is indeed not free because society has trapped her to abuse her abilities for entertainment. I think there may be a deeper message in all of these. It's that she has the ability to be free, but society reigns her in and makes her do what they want. I think you could relate this to individual citizens and their government. Each individual has an opportunity to be free, but they must follow the rules of the government or suffer the consequences such as jail. It's an irony that Foster mentions, flight means freedom, but this freedom is usually limited. A perfect example of this is Peter Pan. He is an orphan that feels trapped in the orphanage but gains the ability to fly and thus gains freedom. This freedom is also abused sometimes like mentioned with Icarus. This represents the freedom people want, but abuse it or those that do not appreciate it. Why people are like that is unable to be answered. But for literary uses, flight or the ability to fly work very effectively in displaying the freedom that is involved with flight and the restrictions as well.

Chapter 16

"There's an ugly rumor circulating that english porfessors have dirty minds. It's not true, of course. We're no more dirty-minded than society at large, although that may not be of any great comfort. Well, let me assure you that english professors are not innately prurient. It's just that they can recognize the sexual intentions of writers, who may well have dirty minds." (Page 135)

In this chapter Foster suggests that sex is a big part of literature and is hiden within all sorts of works. This idea is a little farfetched to me, but maybe the next chapter will clarify. I can somewhat understand what Foster is saying about sex being encoded in literature at some times, but to say "it's all about sex" is just outrageous. I do get that it would be a little graphic and inappropriate to write certain things in books, or even show them in movies, so writers use other scenes to portray these actions. I don't read much literature but I definitely see it in movies or tv shows all to often. The last little section in the chapter about bowls and keys representing sex is pretty weird and I don't quite get how people could conclude that it does. Anyhow, maybe I'll follow this up with another blog after I read the next chapter entitled "unless it's not".

Chapter 13

"So is every literary work political? I can't go that far. Some of my more political colleagues may tell you yes, that every work is either part of the social problem or part of the solution. I do think, though, that most works must engage with their own specific period in ways that can be called political." (Page 115)

In this chapter Foster makes it clear that he believes politics influence a major portion of all literature, and I have to agree with that. He talks about how writers generally write about the world around them and much of the stuff going on around them is a part of politics. So whatever the writer is inspired by to write about more chances than not it will be influenced by politics. Sometimes the writer may be writing to simply state their views on a possible solution to fix something in society that they feel does not work. Others may write because they feel there are problems in society that are not well known or understood so writing a novel could help spread the word about the issue. Using works of literature can be a very effective way of persuading or influencing an audience without them even knowing it. When a reader is reading, they generally connect with the main character. If this main character were to be in poverty or whatever it may be, the reader would be more apt to feel sympathy towards that type of person, even if they're fictional, because they get to see every detail about that person's hardships. This is a manipulative way that writers use that can broaden their audiences political views to that of the writers. In the end, it is safe to say that writers are motivated by the world around them, and since the world around them is governed by politics there will likely be a politcal aspect to the literary work.

Chapter 12

For this chapter I read "Digging" by Seamus Heaney. (Mainly because I was already familiar with it because of Ms. Short's class)

The symbols are evident in the poem "Digging", well actually I suppose anything could be a symbol after reading this chapter, and any symbol could have any meaning, but there are a few that stand out in this poem. With a name like Seamus Heaney it is very safe to assume the writer is Irish if you have no prior knowledge of him. Also the details in the story fit that of the Irish life style. Having established that we're talking about an Irish family, the symbols can be narrowed down in their meaning now. First of what sticks out most is the "squat pen" mentioned in the second line. The pen represents the life style Seamus Heaney has chosen for himself. His ancestors have mastered the spade, however Seamus Heaney changes paths and seeks to master the pen, or writing. This pen doesn't only represent his style of life chosen, it represents the power of choice and the ability to chose what fits for each individual. The spade and pen may be different chosen life styles the father and son picked up, but there is similarity in this poem. Line 14 mentions how "we love" the feeling of potatoes in their hands. Both father and son enjoy something that one works to harvest, which makes me assume that both father and son can enjoy poems, or literature. This line, or simply just the potato, symbolizes the togetherness of bloodlines and how each generation may vary they always have some common ground they can go back to. Finally, the last line, one word in particular: Dig, sticks out and symbolizes the work that is being chosen. Heaney says "Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. I'll dig with it." Obviously he won't dig with it, but this serves as a metaphor that shows the symbolic meaning of the word dig and how it just symbolizes any profession any general whether it be writing or digging or anything. Any interpretation can be taking from any writing, and what I learned is that symbols are unique to the reader, and these are what struck me as symbols in the poem.

Chapter 10

For this one I will be referring to one of my all time favs: Holes by Louis Sachar.

Rain can mean destruction, flooding and fear, as mentioned in chapter 10. But rain can also be a very uplifting element of nature too. If you are familiar with the great novel Holes, then you already know what part I am about to mention. When Stanley and Zero finally find their way back to the camp with their treasure chest and are about to head home, a sudden downpour starts, which was very unsuspected at Camp Green Lake. All the boys there rejoice and celebrate this stroke of good fortune. This rain is very symbolic, as mentioned in chapter 10. The two boys, Stanley and Zero have been lost for many days, and the rain does serve as a cleanser, and refresher, almost as if everything is starting over again. The Yelnats family's streak of bad luck has ended since the curse broke, Hector (Zero) is finally where he belongs, and the Yelnats family is wealthy and is assumed to live happily ever after. But it is the rain that starts this trend of good fortune, and don't forget, Green Lake has been in a drought for a very long time. In fact, this rain is almost symbolic to spring because a new life is begining for the main characters. In this story there are no actually rainbows that come from the rain, but there are figurative rainbows such as the reuniting of Hector and his mother and the end of the Yelnats' bad luck. This all, of course, happens immediately following the downpoor of rain. Holes is a perfect example of how rain represents more than just weather, but in fact can change the whole mood and outcome of a story, sometimes for worse, but in this case for the better.

Chapter 9

For this chapter I read "Musée des Beaux Arts" by W. H. Auden and related it to the chapter.



In this poem, the connection to Greek myth is no secret. The stance is not so dramatic, but explains the almost habitual responses of those around who witness such an unusual occurance. Auden's makes a point in this poem that things that do not effect you do not require a need for your attention, which I somewhat disagree with. Or it could be interpretted as those that do not follow direction deserve no pity, which I do somewhat agree with. The onlookers could not have known that Icarus did not follow directions, leading me to conclude that they are heartless and selfish people. The purpose of the myth is to explain what science cannot, but in this case there are two things that could cause need for a myth: first of is why Icarus did not follow directions; second is why the people would be so unphased by this tragedy. As a reader we have no prior knowledge if the spectators had regularly seen occurances like this or not, thus leaving many questions unanswered. However science cannot answer either of these unanswered questions, thus leading to the creation of this myth. A myth is something that matters to some community, but I think this myth matters more to those not in the community because outsiders can see how little people at the site of Icarus' crash cared about his well being. Unless this is one of those misleading myths like Song of Solomon then I feel pretty sure all the things in here refer to Icarus, also because there was a picture to go along with the poem.

Chapter 4

For this chapter I read sonnet 3 from Shakespeare and I will try to apply it to the chapter.

For starters, when I first looked at sonnet 3, it is in the shape of a square, making the title of the chapter totally appropriate. After the initial reading, I went back and did some of the things mentioned in the chapter to recognize a sonnet. I went and counted the syllables in a few of the lines, and sure enough they each came out around ten syllables each. I had already noticed a rhyme pattern but when I went over it again it was evident it was ABAB CDCD EFEF EE. Or atleast thats what I think it is. After reading this chapter I was certainly no expert on sonnets, but I did notice there are five sentences in sonnet 3. The chapter described sentences as breaking a sonnet into sections, so it can be assumed Shakespeare is breaking his sonnet into sections. The first sentence can be thought of as an initial assertion he is making, the next 2 sentences are sort of like inquiries, while the final 2 sentences are consequences and conclusions. Like the chapter says, a sonnet obviously will not be an epic tale, but and can have an effective or meaningful message in just the 14 lines. In this sonnet Shakepeare isn't really giving a message as much as just stating that if you want your genes to live on you must reproduce, or else "thine image dies with thee". It is an effective poem but I am not sure why he wrote it, unless he was worried about his own image not living on if he were to not have children. This sonnet, like I imagine any other, can easily be used and applied to this chapter, and that is why I chose it and took a swing at trying to apply what I learned from reading chapter 4 to it.