A Cheesy Way to Describe Myself

Assignment 7 - The Garden Party

After reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, The Garden Party, I set out to answer Foster's test questions. Here is what I came up with after thinking about the questions:

What does the story signify?

The story signifies the struggle between the classes in which both think the other as different and weird. Also expressed is the isolation in which the different classes try to put themselves.

Most of the sample opinions provided by foster picked up on this point as did I.

How does the story signify this?

Geography - The Sheridan's house is separated from the common houses by a giant hill. The upper class sit on top while the lower classes reside below. What better way to symbolize a divide among people than an actual divide in the geography of the setting.

This also was expressed by the opinions provided by Foster


Freedom through Flight - At the beginning of the story Laura "flew away" to meet with the work-men sent to assemble the marque. This moment is the first in which Laura acknowledges her sympathy for the lower class men. As Diane noticed I also picked up on the birds in the nest. Each of the family is at one point referenced in an avian manner and the house on the hill could symbolize a nest. Therefore Laura's actual freedom flight would come at the end as opposed to the beginning when she seems to achieve mental freedom.

Although I noticed several of the same techniques as Diane I did not approach her level of deep thinking.


Foster's paragraphs following the short story create a much greater appreciation for Katherine Mansfield short story. The idea that the author was able to create so much symbolism in a short story is mind-boggling.

Top Ten Reads for 2012

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Originally published in 2007, Water for Elephants was recommended to me by numerous people including my mother and Ms. Huff. Both knew my fascination with history and thought I would enjoy the story set in the 1930's. At 350 pages, the book will not be my longest read ever nor will it be difficult as Gruen writes in a modern style.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Published in 2003, Martel weaves a story in which Pi Patel finds himself aboard a life boat with among other animals an orangutan, and a tiger. This setup creates, according to my mom, a very thought provoking story as the character must survive months in this situation. According to those who have read the book, the style is easy to read and at 326 pages it is not long winded either. 

Ordinary People - Judith Guest 

One of the bestsellers of the late 20th century, Guest's novel was referenced in Thomas Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor and tweaked my interest. Published in 1976, the book follows the trials of a family after the loss of a son in a boating accident. Ordinary People is 262 pages and should not be a difficult read.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

I have read this book once before, however I was not ready for the masterpiece as I read it in 2005 (the publication year) and was only 11 years old. At the time I found Zusak's 576 page novel challenging to read. However I do not believe I will have the same troubles reading The Book Thief today as I have developed greatly as a reader.

Going After Cacciato - Tim O'Brien

After reading The Things They Carried, another Tim O'Brien novel about the Vietnam War, I became interested in reading another of O'Brien's works. Going After Cacciato was referenced several times in Foster's analysis of literature and tweaked my interest. Having already read a book by the same author, I know O'Brien's style is fairly easy to read and the 352 pages should keep the novel short-winded.

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

This winter I watched Into the Wild, a movie chronicling the life of Christopher McCandless. Recently I learned the story of McCandless was popularized by Krakauer's book. I immediately wanted to read the book. I do not believe the style of the 207 page book will require heavy reading as the sentences seem easy to interpret.

The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

My love of history as well as my aunt led me to this classic novel of the American Civil War. More specifically centered around the Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels brings classic American figures to life. After reading several sentences, Shaara's writing seems to be descriptive and easy to read and with 355 pages, the novel is average sized.

Letters From The Earth - Mark Twain

Wanting to read a novel by Twain, I found the perfect book in this 317 page collection of stories published posthumously. I have never read anything work of Twain's but after reading a few samples, the style seems easy enough to understand fluently.

The Professor and the Madman - Simon Winchester

Telling the tale of the Oxford English Dictionary, Winchester's novel was recommended to me by my mother and seems to be a extremely interesting answer to the classic childhood question: "Who invented the dictionary?" At 230 pages the story of murder, insanity, and the origin of the OED will be an easy read.

Thunderstruck - Erik Larson

Enthralled by The Devil in the White City, Larson's newest work greatly interests me with its similar style and topic. Larson's style is easy to decipher and the 480 pages should not create an extremely long read.

Assignment 6 - Marked for Greatness

By now anyone who has read Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor can grasp the recurring theme, that most elements of a story have a purpose if not a deeper meaning. This holds true when considering physical imperfections, more specifically Harry Potter and his famous scar. Forever living on as the "Boy Who Lived" Harry survived his encounter with Lord Voldemort with only a scar to bear.

Delving into the deeper meaning of Harry's scar requires a shift of thought. Most commonly known as a representation of the past, the lightning scar should, instead, be thought of as a window into Harry's future. The mark not only represents Harry's previous encounter with Voldemort but more importantly symbolizes the connection between Harry and the dark wizard. This faithful connections must be destroyed before the events of the final chapters. J.K. Rowling creates one imperfection in one of the character's appearances to represent this entire process: Harry's famous scar. The scar becomes the past form of Harry's future. The scar becomes a time-machine. The scar becomes a portal into the future for Harry and even his arch-nemesis.

Assignment 6 - Archetype

Archetype - The basic pattern from which all stories follow.

Once again visiting the idea of one true story, Foster introduces the concept of the archetype. Perry Moore's Hero, a coming of age story, holds true to Foster's idea that all stories have a set pattern or archetype. Although this archetype is used and abused by many authors, Moore creates a story that only proves Foster's concept true. Thom Creed, the main character, is teenager struggling to find himself. Unlike most coming of age books, however, Thom is dealing with very different issues. Not only is his father a disgraced super hero, but he is beginning to develop his own superpowers. To top off the problems, Thom is gay in an increasingly anti-homosexual community.

Creating a not so typical coming of age story seems to be increasingly difficult. By doing just that, Perry Moore helps to prove Foster's ideas about literature and the one true story. Hero is changed in a recognizable enough way to create a decent story that also follows the pattern of all the countless bad coming of age novels.

Assignment 5 - Except Sex

Nearly everyone has seen the Austin Powers trilogy. After reading Foster's opinion of the less descriptive sex scenes, an infamous seen from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me came to mind. During the scene, Austin and Ivana Humpalot play a simple game of chess. However, seconds into the game the two begin to play in a less than traditional manner. Rubbing, moaning, licking, and guttural noises commence. The game of chess contributes to the characterization of Powers and the time period. The sixties, where Austin originates, were a tumultuous period of clashes between the new front of free love and the bastion of old conservatism. By using a simple game to describe the sexual acts that are about to occur, the film creates a feeling that sex was everywhere during the 1960's and could appear anywhere. As for Powers, the scene creates a feeling of the sexual prowess of the International Man of Mystery. The men and women, as Ivana too participated in the sexual game, of the free love era are described without words. Using the game, as opposed to a sex scene, creates the double effect of describing not only an entire time period but a the people who resided in the era.

Assignment 4 - It's All Political

Foster's idea that all writing is political (whether consciously or unconsciously created) provoked my thoughts. Upon further reflection I realized his opinion was quite true. When thinking back to one of my favorite books, Tamar by Mal Peet, I made several quick political connections. Throughout the novel, the implications of war are explored continuously. For example, a major character is forced to take drugs to avoid sleep to perform his job. The effects of this forced drug use indirectly (or directly depending on personal opinion) rip a family apart forty years later. The first time I read the novel I thought of the facts merely as an unfortunate event. However, after Foster's enlightening chapter, I realized what Peet's intentions could have been. What if Peet had wanted to bring to light the lasting effects of normal wartime activities such as drug use? While it may not all be political, the majority of it can certainly be thought of that way.