Q&A: How Do Memory, Symbol, and Pattern Affect the Reading of Literature?

Analysis: Compare chapter 20 :How to Read Literature Like a Professor-“…So Does Season” to part four (chapter 1) of The Fountainhead.

Memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature greatly by the way we interpret the piece. These three things contribute to the way a character is portrayed or the way weather, setting, and objects impact an overall outlook on the plot completely. In the book The Chronicles of Narnia (2010) I was able to recognize symbolism including many Christian parallels from the Bible; such as when Alsan died but came back to life. This connects in the Bible to when Jesus died on the cross but then came back as an astonishing figure.

Memory is the quality that allows the readers to personally connect with a work of art. Relatable works tend to have more of an emotional impact on the reader. Symbols are used to connect the tangible to something intangible. Through this connection, readers will associate the aspects of the thing being symbolized to the symbol. For example, if a character is used to symbolize the devil in a work of art, the audience will associate the aspects of the devil to the character. Patterns allow readers to parallel one work of art to another work of art.

The recognition of patterns makes it much easier to read complicated literature because recognizing patterns will help you relate two or more pieces of literature together, therefore making it easier to understand and analyze the literature you are focused on. Patterns in literature can help the reader understand plots, settings, themes, and other literary elements. I greatly appreciated the novel, Brave New World because of how different the society in the novel was from the one I live in. Using the Signposts from Notice and Note, I was able to see contrast and contradictions that enhanced my understanding of the book. I noticed how I was expecting Bernard, in Brave New World to be just like everybody else in the novel but instead he was a “normal person” that felt normal human emotions, such as the longing for love, that the other characters just did not feel. He also felt isolated and alone. Bernard thinks in a way we were not expecting. Patterns such as this helped me, the reader, to better understand literary elements.

Recognizing patterns makes reading complicated literature easier by being able to connect occurring experiences to ones that have happened earlier before. Once these things are recognized, literature takes on a new form. You identify every aspect of a piece of work without having to investigate it. A great example is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you didn’t recognize patterns throughout the book before recognizing patterns, you will not see the hidden symbols that add so much volume to the story being portrayed. Not recognizing them means you don’t know the meaning behind the mockingbird and how they represent Tom Robinson’s death. Mockingbirds are as harmless as they can be, representing Tom’s innocence. Lee was comparing a mockingbirds

Literature is affected by memory, symbols, and patterns though the connections made between the reader and the novels. By understanding the symbols and patterns of a novel, the reader can better connect to the story being told. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is obsessed with looking at a green light. Realizing that the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s longing for Daisy, the reader can better acknowledge the greater theme of the story. Symbols and patterns provide better interpretation of a story to the reader.

Being able to understand memory, symbol, and pattern in a literary work help to appreciate it and makes it more enjoyable. If someone couldn't understand or recognize these then they could miss some of the bigger points of a story because they could be focused on other things in the story other than what they should be. If you can recognize patterns and other things then you know what to look for and what is important, rather than just hoping to notice it. There have been a lot of novels in which my appreciation for it has risen because I was able to recognize a symbol or pattern. One my favorite ones, however, would probably have to be in Fahrenheit 451 with the destruction of the city and and everything else being compared to a phoenix. Mankind

As a reader, recognizing patterns makes it easier to break down a seemingly convoluted text, and transform it into a familiar story. Patterns often allow the reader to predict outcomes, and thus the reader becomes more actively involved in the reading, as opposed to getting hung up on insignificant details. While reading The Alchemist, patterns helped me to focus on the main idea of the work; Santiago’s journey as the protagonist. I had already read many novels in which a journey ended in the same place where it had started,

Symbols are important in each story to define the theme. Close observation of the symbols within each story proves to one their

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that a reader can turn again and again, gaining new insights and knowledge into life each time. Sometimes an author uses a motif- a frequently repeated incident or idea -to get a certain theme across to the reader. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee uses motifs to clarify her messages or insights about life. Three specific motifs that Lee uses throughout the whole story are the mockingbird, courage, and walking in someone else's shoes.

Memory affects the reading of literature because it allows you make connections and will assist in recognize patterns in the novel. Patterns, in turn, can reveal hidden meanings in the text, for instance, if something is mentioned repeatedly through out the novel that is a large clue that it is of extreme importance to completely comprehending the piece of literature. Symbols reveal to you what text can 't and guide you to a more complex and complete understanding of the underlying point the author is trying to make.

Chapter 5, “Patterns,” the author gives a warning to be on the lookout for patterns, archetypes, and recurrences. He reminds us that all literature contains bits and pieces of other works from other places. Foster dives into further detail by stating the fact that people don't necessarily copy other literature, the ideas become concreted in society's cultural dialogue. All literature is founded on its predecessors. The authors expect the readers to infer on things and they test our knowledge on culture, history, and literature. Intertextuality is the continuous interaction between different literary pieces. Foster gives us articles to look for to help us understand the similarities and they are; patterns, archetypes, symbols, and literary

Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the author’s intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.

Trace three of the following threads through the novel. In two paragraphs for each explain the various literary effects of each of the threads and how each is related to the theme. Use quotations from the novel to support each analysis.

in order to input recognition of these concepts into the readers’ minds for better understanding