Without much thought, authors use brilliant techniques in order to portray the images and stories that they wish to tell. The novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C Foster, helps readers discover the hidden truths among literature and the brilliant techniques that the authors use as well as learn how to add innovative concepts into their writing in order to portray exactly what they are trying to say. It is evident that in A Thousand Splendid Suns the author, Khaled Hosseini, unconsciously uses some of the brilliant concepts that Foster addresses in his book. Khaled Hosseini, the accomplished author, habitually uses the concepts by Thomas C Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, therefore making Hosseini an iconic author. Some may see the interaction between Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns as no more than a cup of tea, but after reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it is evident that it is much more powerful. In chapter 2 of his book, “Nice to Eat With You”, Foster addresses that in literature, a meal scene is not always just a meal scene. For …show more content…
instance, Mariam and Laila are both married to Rasheed and begin as rivals, however their anger towards each other diminishes after a few cups of tea. The cups of tea not only represent the two coming together, but strengthens their relationship with one another. After their communion and eating together, Laila and Mariam felt that they “were not enemies any longer”(Hosseini 224). In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini perfectly portrays the two women and their growth of relationship through the importance of sharing meal. Hosseini’s brilliance was easily represented when he used one meal in order to fully develop the relationship between two characters. Foster states in Chapter 7, titled “…or The Bible”, in How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, that not everyone has to be a biblical scholar in order to determine biblical allusions.
Another one of his main points, in Chapter 7, is that many modern works of literature are inspired by biblical stories. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam’s death can be seen as an allusion to Jesus’s death. They both endured extreme torture and mistreatment before their death. Furthermore, Mariam’s mother, Nana, killed herself which is similar to the way Judas died. Nana was “dangling at the end of it” similarly to how Judas had hung himself (Hosseini 36). Hosseini does a tremendous job at taking ideas from the bible and putting them into his own works of literature. This allows the reader to fully understand the message he is trying to convey and even adds dimension to his
story. There are several references to Greek literature in A Thousand Splendid Suns. The most prominent reference being the character Jalil and his similarity to Oedipus. The two are alike in that they are both wealthy and get rid of someone who should be important to them. Jalil was too arrogant to keep Mariam because she reminded him of a scandal from his past. While Oedipus killed his father in order to marry his mother. Additionally, both men learned that getting rid of an important person will ruin their lives and lead to a downfall. Jalil experienced this when he regretted not making Maiam his daughter and instead, marrying her of to Rasheed. Oedipus experienced regret when he brought disaster to his family and city. In Chapter 9 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, entitled “It’s Greek to Me”, Foster states that when authors use myths and Greek ideas in their writing, it is often recognized by readers. This recognition of other works of literature enables the reader to have a “richer, deeper, and more meaningful” approach when reading the novel (Foster 68). In most works of literature, snow is more than just frozen rain, rather it can represent purity or suffocation. Chapter 10 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, titled “It’s More Than Just Snow or Rain”, addresses snows responsibility in literature. It can mean “warm, inhospitable, inviting,” and innocence (Foster 75). In A Thousand Splendid Suns, before Mariam joins Rasheed and becomes a part of an abusive relationship, the snow represents her purity. When Laila’s life begins to downfall because her parents died and she must live with Rasheed, she recognizes snow. After Mariam gave Laila a hard time, she retreated to her bedroom and watched the snow fall. In this case, the snow represents suffocation because Laila is stuck in a home with two people that she barely knows. By using this concept, brilliantly, Hosseini was able to symbolically represent a turning point in the character’s lives. As stated in Chapter 11 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, titled “More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence, in novels, characters may endure many forms of violence, which can shape them as a character or even represent the culture. Mariam and Laila endured a tremendous amount of violence in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Their husband Rasheed abused them, and it represented the oppression that all the Afghan women endure. The women knew that Rasheed would always “resolve with punches, slaps, [or] kicks” because it was normal for them to be abused (Hosseini 99). Hosseini used this specific kind of violence in order to show that men are dominant to women in their culture. This form of violence also shaped both the women and made them into stronger human beings, although it came at an extreme cost. The forms of abuse that are represented in A Thousand Splendid Suns emphasize the terrible treatment of women and allows Hosseini to freely display his ideas about the Afghan culture. Afghan women were mistreated in A Thousand Splendid Suns, however the mistreatment that they endured was symbolic. Rasheed told Laila to “wear a burqa...for your own protection” whenever they were out together (Hosseini 223). The necessity for her to wear the burqa further displays the difficulties that the women tolerated in their culture. Additionally, the movie The Titanic was extremely popular during the war and represents the desire of the people to focus on something other than the traumatizing war that was surrounding them. Chapter 12 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, titled “Is That a Symbol?”, focuses mainly on the point that a symbol can be interpreted in many ways, and it is up to the imagination of the reader to find a meaning. Hosseini uses symbols in his novel in order to allow the reader to think and interpret the text, therefore analyzing the way he writes and the message he is trying to convey, “Geography Matters…”, chapter 19 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, discusses the idea that location has an impact on the story. Foster states that usually when an author send a character South, it is so that they cause chaos and go wild. According to Foster, geography is also able to reveal the plot, symbols and important themes of the story through the use of economics, history and politics. This concept is evident in A Thousand Splendid Suns through Laila. When Laila lived in the South with Rasheed, her life was chaotic and disorderly. However, when Laila moved North with Tariq, her life improved and she became happier. Hosseini used geography not only to symbolize a character's life, but also to reveal the plot, because war could be seen from all directions in Afghanistan (Hosseini 312).
After reading the passage, “Clover”, by Billy Lombardo, a reader is able to describe a particular character’s interactions and analyze descriptions of this individual. In the passage, “Clover”, is a teacher, Graham. He, in his classroom, shares something that had occurred that morning. In this passage, the author, Billy Lombardo, describes interaction, responses, and unique characteristics and traits of the key character, Graham.
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C Foster is a how to do book that teaches children how to become better readers. The novel was written in second person. The purpose of this novel is to inform readers on details that they wouldn’t usually realize in literature. Students who read Thomas C Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor are suppose to gain knowledge of how to identify details of their story that have connections to other literature or have alternative meanings that the author is trying to get across to the reader. Thomas C Foster believes reading his novel can help develop you into a better reader. He believes this because the information that he includes can apply to your reading. When you realize the connections he talks about, it gives you a better understanding of the book you are reading.
The author, Melina Marchetta applies a variety of familiar and stereotypical events in the book. From cases such as the different characters, their characteristics and their reaction upon certain events that occur in the book. One great example of a stereotypical event in this book is the relationship between Josephine Alibrandi and Jacob Coote who is the school captain of a public school called Cook High. “He cracked two eggs on my glasses once” (32).
In conclusion, the brilliant novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster is a fantastic novel that helps grasp the basic ideas and structure that makes up a work of literature. Foster’s laid-back attitude made a major contribution to the great tone of the novel, and made it easier to understand. Many connections were included in the novel, along with some great quotes. After reading this novel, I have a better idea of what to look for when reading a novel.
Since the emergence of literature, thousands upon thousands of characters have graced our imaginations. From trouble maker Bart Simpson of the celebrated cartoon television series The Simpsons to Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen’s renowned novel Pride and Prejudice, the world has witnessed a plethora of characters in literature. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, and Billy Collins, distinguished American poet, as well as countless other authors, share the utilization of characters in their literary works. The manner in which these authors use the literary element of characters varies immensely.
The way that men are represented in A Thousand Splendid Suns begins with Hosseini’s characterization of Jalil, and his treatment of Mariam. Jalil’s concern with his image and reputation greatly outweighs his concern for Mariam’s well being when she is in Herat. Before he sends her away to an unfamiliar city with an unfamiliar man, when she tries to call him out, he gets defensive, “as if he were the one to whom something was being done.” (page
Hosseini's novel is quite intriguing as he profoundly explains the life of both Mariam and Laila with depth. Throughout the novel he is able to characterize the life a woman had in Afghanistan.This is exemplified through the the structure Hosseini uses, he separates the lives of Mariam and Laila into many distinct parts, the two individual stories of the protagonists are within parts one and two. As a result, parts three and four reside to the shared experiences of them both. By doing this he is able compare and contrast the lives of Mariam and Laila, which is an exceptional way of doing it. Throughout the novel, Hosseini is able to depict the themes of oppression to women, affects of love, and impacts on war. One of the themes is war in which
American Literature. 6th Edition. Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 2003. 783-791
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
In his novel, Hosseini writes with a deceivingly simple form of prose. Instead of assaulting the audience with his extravagant vocabulary, he entices them with the minds of his characters. Leaving the audience with feelings of empathy and repulsion, the work exhibits Hosseini’s adept abi...
Although a childrens story, Disney’s movies contain hidden context that usually goes over the heads of six-year olds . Through subtle details, The latest Disney animation, Frozen.
The first chapter of How to Read Novels like a Professor is called “ Pickup Lines and Open(ing) Seductions”. This chapter is about how imperative it is that the opening pages of the novel are persuasive. If the beginning of the novel does not entice the reader then they will not continue investing their time and energy into it. Even the very first line of a novel plays a major role in seducing the reader. The opening line is like a hook, it invites the reader in and gives them foresight on what is to come in the future. This chapter is also about how the first page of a novel can tell the reader everything they need to know to read it. The author does this by including the style, tone, mood, diction, point of view, narrative presence, narrative attitude, time frame, time
In literature, it is evident that each author has their own technique of writing. Although many authors are inspired by other writers, no two authors are alike. Each writer offers something to literature that is unique and their own. As a result, each author has their own view on what successful writings should do. Willa Cather explains in her essay, “The Novel Demeuble” her thoughts of what a successful novel consists of, and includes a few authors who represent both successful and non successful novels and in her novel, The Professors House helps meet the criteria she delineates.
Annie murphy Paul is trying to persuade her audience to believe that reading from a book is more help then to read It online. In “reading literature make us nicer” Annie murphy Paul builds several arguments on how reading from a textbook is so much more beneficial.
Literature is an essential part of society in the present day and enables the communication between multiple parties in a written form. Texts can provide a vast knowledge on subjects dependent on content whereas novels are often seen as being purely for leisure and enjoyment. However it can often be seen that prose