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How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature?
Memory, symbol, and pattern impact the reading of literature as they allow the reader to evaluate the literature beyond the simple understanding. Memory enables the reader to connect the literary piece to several other works and memories, which prompts the reader to dig deeper into the meaning of the literature and its words. Symbols give an additional level of depth into literature so that the reader can not only understand a deeper meaning of the literature but also recognize possible foreshadowing and other clues that can hint the path of the literary piece.
Patterns are also important in literature as they allow the reader to connect patterns of one literary piece to another to give them a better comprehension of either piece.
How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature?
The recognition of patterns in literature is important because they give the reader a basis of understanding as patterns constantly repeat throughout literature.
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This is because, for example, when one fully understands a piece of literature that has the same patterns as a more complicated book, they have an idea of what the complicated piece means and is trying to convey.
How much literature have you read in your high school years? What kind of reader are you, what do you like to read? This should be a personal reflection paragraph.
Over the course of my high school years, I have read over 12 books.
I am an occasional reader, but when I do read I get very connected to plots of the books and am interested to see how the story turns out. I generally like to read a mix of fiction and non-fiction literature. I also really enjoy fictional series books such as the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series. I enjoyed these series as they had very interesting plots with many twists and turns, but are still easy to read and understand. I enjoy reading non-fiction literature as I am interested in learning new things about real things in the real world. Although sometimes these books are not as interesting as fictional literature they provide a great amount of information.
Apply the five aspects of the quest to LotF in the form used on pages 3-5 of Foster’s Book.
The five aspects of quest in How To Read Literature Like a Professor consists of the quester (the protagonist), a place to go (the stated quest), a stated reason to go there, the challenges and trials, and the real reason to go there (the actual quest). In Lord of the Flies, the quester is Ralph who is the main protagonist throughout the novel and is the fundamental form of mental thinking and maturity. The place to go in this novel is not a specific location but any area of the island that is safe. The location of safety is apparent throughout the novel as the boys search for rescue. The stated reason for the journey it to return to civilization or specifically back to England, their homeland. The challenges and trials that they boys face on their journey include the plane crash on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere, the fear of an unknown world in the boys, the survival on the island (including fresh water, food, and shelter), maintaining a civilized behavior, and maintaining faith in rescue. The real reason for the journey is a result of the boy’s actions as they matured by sacrificing reasons for each other and in turn resulting in a loss of innocence to the cruelty of the adult world.
What does communion mean in LotF? Are the meal scenes failed meals or productive meals? Explain why and what they mean in the novel.
In Lord of the Flies, communion refers to the boys on the island transforming into wild savages from neat and orderly English-man. The communion is also a way to show loyalty in the novel. The meal scenes are productive meals because, for example, when Jack hosts a feast, he means for the feast to be more than the purpose of just providing food, but also as a recruitment tactic. He is trying to show the boys that his community will be much more fun, well-fed, and well secured as Jack states “‘I gave you food...’ ‘and my hunters will protect you from the beast. Who will join my tribe?'” (Golding, 150). This feast/meal also signifies a change in momentum as Jack shifts from being a major contributor in the group to the leader of the group. The shift is obvious because Ralph shows up to Jack’s feast as though he is dependent upon Jack for survival on the island and because a majority of the boys are already at the feast before Ralph arrives which signifies the growing popularity of Jack.
Discuss three Biblical allusions in LotF. How do they add to your understanding of the novel as a whole?
One important biblical allusion in Lord of the Flies is to the Garden of Eden. In the Bible, the garden is described as a place of wonder, but in reality, it is a place that is vulnerable to evil, deception, and death it is rather the devil’s playground than a paradise. This is seen in Lord of the Flies when the narrator first introduces the setting as a beautiful land filled with “acres of fruit trees” and “everywhere...the scent of ripeness” (Golding, 56). Initially, the boys believed that the island would be a place of freedom and enjoyment for them, but as they start to lose their innocence the island is corrupted by evil and the sins of the boys, which in turn reveal the true self of the boys. Just as Foster states “every story about the loss of innocence is really about someone’s private reenactment of the fall from grace,” the boys connect to Adam and Eve and their fall from grace in the Garden of Eden as they also transition from a state of innocence to guilty disobedience when they ate the forbidden fruit (Foster, 44).
Another important biblical allusion in Lord of the Flies is to Beelzebub who is the “prince of demons” from the bible. The connection is seen through the title of the novel (Lord of the Flies), the name given by the boys to the dead pig’s head, which becomes representative of the evil creature that they fear throughout the story, as Beelzebub translates to “Lord of the Flies” and is another name for the devil and often serves as an alias for Satan in the Bible. As the boys believe there is a monster-like creature that is roaming the island, they develop a sense of overwhelming fear towards this creature. Their imaginations throughout the story escalate this terror, even though the beast is not a physical one, but rather a mental one. It is the sinful and cruel nature within the boys that creates this creature and in turn symbolizes the devil.
In addition to the title of the book, Golding makes another important biblical allusion to Satan by referring to the beast as a “snake.” This is seen when the boys are talking about the beast and call it a “snake-thing, ever so big” (Golding, 35). This allusion not only represents Golding using the beast as a reference to Satan, but specifically to show that best represents Satan when he takes the form of a snake in the Garden of Eden in order to lure Adam and Eve into eating the Forbidden fruit and thus leading to their fall from grace just like the boys on the island.
Overall the biblical allusions allow me to understand the deeper meaning of the book and the action of the boys. In addition to that, it helped reinforce symbols and themes throughout the novel such as the main theme that mankind has a sinful nature which is seen through the loss of innocence in the boys.
Give three examples of weather in LotF and discuss.
One example of weather in Lord of the Flies is the hot weather/Heat Haze. Initially, when Ralph dives into the natural pool of water at the beginning of the book, he discovers that the water is “warmer than his blood and he might have been swimming in a huge bath” (Golding, 12). Later in the book, the boys are found “trembling beneath the heat haze” that was produced by the heat from the sand, thus again depicting the intense heat of the island (Golding, 18). The boys are also tanned very quickly in their time on the island, which displays that the sun is intense. Continuing the motif of heat, in chapter 9, “a steady current of heated air rose all day from the mountain and was thrust to ten thousand feet revolving masses of gas piled up the static until the air was ready to explode” (Golding, 145). Throughout the novel, the readers can see the oppressiveness of the heat on the boys and is also a reminder of how their personalities are also “heating up” (growing more and more violent).
The second example of weather in Lord of the Flies is the cloudy/gloomy weather. This is seen in the novel when the author states “over the island the build-up of clouds continued...By early evening the sun had gone and a brassy glare had taken the place of clear daylight...Colors drained from water and trees and pink surfaces of rock, and the white and brown clouds brooded. Nothing prospered but the flies who blackened their lord and made the spilt guts look like a heap of glistening coal” (Golding, 145). This type of weather displays the foreshadowing of some bad event that is about to take place. As the colors are also being drained from nature it sets up a depressing mood. This also refers to death because as a person dies, the color is drained from their face, thus continuing the foreshadowing. The gloomy and cloudy weather throughout this book exhibits that something bad will happen soon and, in a way, makes the reader more eager to find out what is the ill event that is about to happen.
The third example of weather in Lord of the Flies is the rain. Throughout the novel, it only rains a couple of times. As the boys kill Simon by thinking he is the beast, “ the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall” (Golding, 153). The storm and rain that appears and continues after the death of Simon set the tone of what had just happened. Also, the rain rids the island of Simon and the paratrooper by washing them away, thus erasing the evidence that a beast was ever on the island. This, in a sense, is a cleansing of the land and symbolizes a baptism. This symbolism also connects with the theme of civilization and savagery because even though the rain washes away all physical evidence of the beast, it still leaves the beast within the boys behind and emphasizes their descent to savagery.
What does Foster mean when he says characters are not people? Explain and give an example from LotF.
In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster talks about how there are different character types. In doing so, he explains that characters are not people, but “they are representations, in greater or lesser detail, of human beings” (Foster, 85). By saying this, the author is trying to say is that characters are not real people as they are only a product of what the author wants them to be. They can do actions of real people but only when the author wants them to, which is still only on paper, rather than in real life. Also, characters in a story do not have emotions like real people because the author is expressing emotions through them, rather than having their own emotions, to make it seem as though they are real people to the reader but still have the feelings that the author wants them to feel. In real life, people have their own story in which everyone has equal importance, but in literature, the importance of characters varies. In a story, the reader will know more information about the protagonist as they are the leading character and are important for the course of the story, whereas the details about a lesser important will not be known as much to the reader. This is seen in Lord of the Flies as Piggy is seen as a less important character throughout the story that the author uses to get certain points across. For example, when Piggy dies, “his head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig's after it has been killed” (Golding, 181). This makes the reader understand the gruesome death that Piggy endured due to the savagery of the boys and that the last bit of civilized nature has also died with Piggy. Also, Piggy exemplifies Foster’s claim because Piggy is a very intelligent person and if he were a real person he would have thought logically and not have followed Ralph when he thought it was a bad idea, but instead the author makes him blindly follow Ralph in order to convey the aforementioned point even though it costs him his life.
List three symbols in LotF and discuss them in terms of this chapter.
The Conch Shell: At the beginning of the novel, Piggy and Ralph finds a conch shell on the beach. After finding the shell Piggy tells Ralph that they “can use [the conch] to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” (Golding, 16). Listening to Piggy’s advice they then use the conch shell to bring everyone together after being separated by the crash. By using the shell in this way, it is a symbol of civilization and order throughout the book. At the boys’ meetings, the conch helps them give everyone a fair voice as whoever holds the conch has the right to speak while everyone else is silent. As the boys grow more savage though, the conch starts to lose its significance and when Roger pushes the large rock onto Piggy, it also destroys the shell as well. This displays the loss of all civilized nature through almost all of the boys on the island.
The Signal Fire: The signal fire burns on the mountain as it is used by the boys to attract any passing ships or modes of transportation to help rescue the boys from the island. Throughout the beginning of the book, the fact that the boys are motivated to maintain the fire displays their determination to be rescued from the island and return to society. As the novel progresses though, the fire starts to get low or goes out at some points, which signifies that the boys are losing their interest in being rescued, but have rather accepted their savage lives on the island. This shows that the signal fire is a representation of the strength of civilized nature left throughout the boys on the island. In the end, though, it is ironically this fire that finally brings a hip to the island to rescue the boys.
The Lord of the Flies (Pig’s Head): The Lord of the Flies is the name given to the dead pig’s head that is placed on a stake in the forest as an offering to the beast. This pig’s head becomes an important image throughout the book as Simon confronts the head and it seems to speak to Simon, even though it is all in his head. The “beast” tells Simon that there is evil in every person’s heart and also promises to have “fun” with Simon. This makes the Lord of the Flies a physical representation of the imaginative beast that the boys dread. It is a symbol of evil and the figure that represents the devilish beast inside of each human. The name “Lord of the Flies” is a biblical allusion that is translated from Beelzebub that represents the devil and sometimes Satan himself.
Assume that Foster is correct and “It is all political.” Use his criteria to show how LotF is a political work (think social commentary).
Lord of the Flies can be seen as as a political work because the boys are attempting to create a working government and community on the uninhabited island. In the novel, the conch represents democracy as it allows everyone to have a fair say. At first, democracy is seen as almost like a game, but after Jack loses in the election for chief, political turmoil soon emerges between the boys. Ralphs represent democracy whereas Jack symbolizes autocratic dictatorship. Initially, the boys elect Ralph as their leader. He shares his responsibilities by utilizing the strengths of other boys. Such as Jack and his group to be in charge of hunting and Simon and Piggy to help him develop a better community and even get them rescued from the island. On the other hand, Jack with his autocratic dictatorship has no interest in creating a well-balanced society or being rescued. At first, Jack is only interested in hunting and playing games, but he later takes control and becomes a dictator that leads through the use of fear. By the end of the book, Jack makes himself a sort of a god/king. In How To Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster describes that for a literary work to be considered political, it “must engage with [its] own specific time period in ways that can be called political” (Foster, 122). This criteria matches Lord of the Flies because, during the time period that it was released (the 1950s), there was a clash between democracy and autocratic dictatorships in the world. This idea is represented in Lord of the Flies as the clash between Ralph, who represents democracy, and Jack, who represents autocratic dictatorships, Since this criteria is filled, Lord of the Flies can be considered a political work.
So, take a major character in your novel and apply Foster’s Christ criteria.
In Lord of the Flies, Simon is seen as a Christ-like figure throughout the story. From the beginning, Simon has a quiet yet wise personality that greatly differs from the other boys on the island. While the other boys focus on finding food, building shelter, and even having fun, Simon spends most of his time meditating and thinking. In How To Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster describes the criteria that may make a person a christ figure including “sacrificing yourself in some way for others” and “in some sort of wilderness, tempted there, accosted by the devil” (Foster, 129). Simon matches these criteria because, at the beginning of the story, he cares for the younger boys in the group by helping them find “the fruit they could not reach...and passed them back down” (Golding, 56). The compassion that Simon shows for other here displays that he sacrifices himself for others as he is helping the younger boys when no one else is willing to. The second piece of criteria also matches Simon as he is stuck in the wilderness of the island with the constant looming of the devil that is represented through the evil beast that the boys believe exists on the island. Although Simon was the only person who knew that there was no physical beast, he is still accosted by the devil that is the inner savagery and immorality of the boys. These characteristics of the boys are what ultimately kill Simon as the boys mistake him for the beast.
Discuss at least four different aspects of geography in LotF and what each means.
One aspect of geography in Lord of the Flies is the main island that the boys land on. They land on a completely uninhabited that is somewhere in the South Pacific ocean. In How To Read Literature Like A Professor, Foster states “when writers send characters south, it’s so they can run amok” (Foster, 179). This means that as authors move the setting farther south, they generally indicate a separation from rules and society. Especially since Golding is an English author, the south is seen as a whole different world outside of the confines of British society and England. Since the island where the boys landed is located so far south that no one knows where it is, Golding suggests that the novel’s setting is as far away from civilization and rules as possible.
The second aspect of geography in Lord of the Flies is the beach on the island where the boys landed. The beach is out in the open and is exposed to the sunlight, thus making the sand on the beach gleam. It represents safety and security as it a fresher, more civilized area of the island. Symbolically, the beach is seen as a part of the island that is as close to rescue and civilization as possible for the boys. They stay on the beach to spot any ships and rescue the beach becomes their only link to civilization.
The third aspect of geography in Lord of the Flies is the jungle. The jungle represents wildness and savagery throughout the book. It represents the wild, untamed side of humanity as it is humankind’s most base nature. This area of the island has thick trees and is tangled with “creepers,” which makes the boys fearful of the area and what might hide in it. This image of the jungle is seen in Lord of the Flies when the author states, “darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea...Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island” (Golding, 57).
The fourth aspect of geography in Lord of the Flies is the mountain. The mountain is a significant part of the novel as throughout the story it is the location where the boys create their signal fire. This is seen in the novel when Ralph says “there’s another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make fire' (Golding, 38). However, the mountain is also where the dead paratrooper lands after ejecting and the part of the island where the boys suspect that the beast lives. This makes the mountain a place of hope and rescue but also fear of the imaginative beast. Overall, the mountain is symbolic of truth, life, and reality. As the top of the mountain is the closest to God and the place of the signal fire, these positive aspects of the mountain lead to its symbolic meaning of truth. On the other hand, the association of the mountain to the beast leads to the symbolic meaning of reality. This makes the mountain a place of the island where truth and life combine with the concept of reality.
Discuss blindness in terms of LotF.
In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses both physical blindness and figurative blindness. Foster describes this style of writing when he states '...when literal blindness, sight, darkness, and light are introduced into a story, it is nearly always the case that figurative seeing and blindness are at work' and when he states, 'Clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical. Moreover, such references are usually quite pervasive in a work where insight and blindness are at issue' (Foster, 210 & 212) This is seen in Lord of the Flies through Piggy (physical blindness) and the beast (figurative blindness). Piggy has to use glasses to combat his poor eyesight, while the beast is blind to the boys as it is only imaginative. The sinful and savage nature of the boys brings the beast to life and as they continue to act in such a way, the beast continues to live. Although Simon later says to the group, “What I mean is...maybe it’s only us,” the existence of the beast in the minds of the boys and their blind belief in that the beast exists lead to the killing of Simon (Golding, 89). Piggy, on the other hand, uses glasses to physically see, which is a type of blindness found through several pieces of literature He is the stereotypical character that uses glasses but is intelligent.
What does Foster say about irony? How can you tell if something is ironic? Explain why this is important in literature and to you as a student of literature.
In How To Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster believes that “irony trumps everything,” because it “provides additional richness to the literary dish,” and “keeps us readers on our toes, inviting us, compelling us, to dig through layers of possible meaning and competing signification” (Foster, 261). To tell if something is ironic, the reader must listen to not only one voice but several others as irony is usually multivocal and if the reader is inclined toward “inovocal utterance,” the irony may not be noticed. Irony is important because it is one of the few literary devices that can add much to the story as it can create mood and theme. Also, irony can keep readers engaged with the text as it causes them to pay close attention to recognize the moments of irony that the author intends for. Additionally, Foster states then whenever irony is used, “every chapter in this book goes out the window,” because it “is a deflection from the expectation” (Foster, 256-257 & 261). Although Foster has introduced to the reader several tips throughout the book, when irony is used, all of those tips are essentially useless. This is because irony happens when the reader least expects it to so when the reader expects certain details to mean something, they may not because of irony.
How To Read Literature Like a Professor & Lord of the Flies?. (2021, Feb 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/how-to-read-literature-like-a-professor-lord-of-the-flies-essay
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