Miso Park Symbolism

Many novels have used symbolism to express certain feelings and emotions in discreet ways. What is symbolism? "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships" (Dictionary.com). Numerous authors use the same denotations to illustrate different thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain uses various symbols, such as the river and the land to expose freedom and trouble in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

In Sven Birkerts writing, “The Owl Has Flown,” Birkerts puts forth something to think about for any modern day reader. Birkerts believes that over the years the methodology of reading has changed as the technology has advanced. In the older days, people had small amounts of texts to choose from, but read them more thoroughly, and gained in depth knowledge about each book. In this day and age, the scope of reading has broadened but at the same time become shallower. He believes that we now read large amounts of materials, divulging ourselves into all sorts of different subject matter, but that we merely skim across its surface gaining no knowledge. In his opinion we have gone from vertical to horizontal depth. He deems an increase in the

This statement really resonates with me. I am fully unable to understand many things if I only read them one time. The first time I read over to get the "gist" of the text. On my second reading, I skim the text a bit more quickly and pull out sentences that don't make much sense to me and I analyze them more in depth. This helps me a whole heck of a lot to better understand what I am reading.

What goes through your mind when you read? Do you read deliberately, looking for certain aspects, or do you read as a blank slate? When reading, professors expect a deliberateness that will help you to uncover meanings that are not readily apparent. Thomas C. Foster in his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” expands on this concept. He endeavors to instruct his readers in the way he believes they should read, in order to get the most out of each book. He concedes that, “When lay readers encounter a fictive text, they focus, as they should, on the story and the characters” but to truly read like a professor you must also divert a portion of your attention on

In “How to Mark a Book”, Mortimer J. Adler delves into the importance of active reading. His purpose is to encourage an audience of readers to not be afraid to write in a book because “…the soul of a book can be separated from its body” (Adler 17). Meaning, a book is more than its physical being and deserves to be cherished for what is written inside of it.

Schools often require reading materials containing unfamiliar subjects to students. Recognizing that there is significance for critical understanding of the text itself as well as the act of reading, this explains why many students today struggle with reading material that is not relevant to their lifestyle. Freire portrays that by the statement, "reading the world precedes reading the word, and reading the word implies continually reading the world" (Freire 286). A person should read their world, and then interpret it. They can then use their existential experience of the world to connect to what they are reading in print, and better understand it.

-As readers we come across many details in literature that hole significance, however the common reader usually misses the deeper

Whenever I read books, articles, etc. that I know I will be tested on or need to remember I make side notes and highlight. While reading I determine what I believe is most important. I pick out key terms, names, dates, and numbers. I might make side notes and summarize some things. I also like to highlight words or phrases I may be unsure of that I later look up the meaning so I have a better understanding of the text. After reading the essay, How to Mark A Book, by Mortimer J. Adler, my reading process isn't going to change much. I agree with Adler’s assertion that books are as much a part of your head or your heart. I believe this because people can learn a lot from things that they read. For example, you can learn about nature, different

Many authors use symbolism to help their readers grasp the concepts they are trying to convey. They take concrete items or ideas to represent something abstract.

Throughout the chapter Tomas Foster, the author of the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor consistently mentioned that symbolism was relative and it is different for each reader. There is no debate on whether something is a symbol or not because in most cases it is. Foster mentions that the meaning of the symbol differs between readers because each person has a different perspective on the story. He also presents the idea that if a symbol can be reduced to have meaning that it actually isn’t symbolism being used, but allegory. Foster presents that a symbol has multiple possible meanings and that it changes between literary work and even between reader. He states that if a person wants to figure out the meaning of a symbol they have to look deeper, use their previous knowledge, and question what is happening in order to crack the code on the meaning of the symbol. These are new ideas because most casual readers usually believe that symbols have one specific meaning in each novel. By having Foster say that there are a limitless amount of interpretations for a simple it blows the door wide open. Symbols are used throughout novels of all genres, and sometimes even ironically. Foster’s belief in the importance of intertextuality shines through throughout

Many children who are in their teens have difficulty with reading books; whether that being with the wording of the book or the content of it. The novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, written by Thomas C. Foster, is a book aimed toward teens to help them better understand books that may usually be challenging for them. This book is written in second person since Foster uses the word “you” a lot in the novel. The main thing Foster thinks you will be after reading his book is a better reader overall. All of the chapters in the book have a reason for being where they are, and he also gives the reader examples from other books. He gives the reader insights into what authors did in their books that you may have never noticed before. This

A book is like a door, without stepping through the door, you will never know what's on the other side. It is a mystery that can only be unveiled if you open it and look through it. Dana Gioia wants us to take that mystery and open it up, as many young adults have lost interest in the action of reading itself.

Indeed, reading starts with an initial idea spawned by the author, but it is the reader’s responsibility to interpret, ponder, and absorb this idea in a beautiful and meaningful way. For example, a quote from one book could be lackluster to one reader and have little to no effect on them; however that same quote can move another reader to tears.

One more example of symbolism is bread. When Max is hiding in the storeroom, his friend gives him a piece to keep him full. It was very hard for Max’s friend to get him the bread, because if he was seen, they both would’ve been beaten. Also when the Nazis are marching through Molching, Hans sees a prisoner who is starving and decided to give him a piece of bread, knowing that he would be beaten by the Nazi officer. The lesson behind it is the sacrifice that Max’s friend and Hans giving bread to someone in need, knowing the

Read: When the assignment is to Read some material, this reading is an important introduction