Chapters 18-19

Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism
Think of a “baptism scene” from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience? Discuss.

In the Bible, John is baptizing people in the Jordan for repentance. Although, according to the gospel, Jesus is the only one without sin; he allows John to baptize him anyway. Afterwards, he begins his ministry career and his work as the savior of the world.

Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters...
Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under “geography.”

In the Bible, Jesus's people are being held captive by the Egyptians. They are held in a desolate area that is dry and sandy. They lived in close quarters and where not allowed the space they needed. The Red Sea held them captive so to speak in the land of Egypt. After they are rescued by Moses they are brought to the promised land that is spacious, lush and fertile. The promise land is geographically north of Egypt; this is significant because Jesus tells Moses, "So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that..." in Exodus 3:8.

Chapters 16-17

Chapter 16 -- It’s All About Sex...


Chapter 17 -- ...Except the Sex
OK ..the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter is that “scenes in which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at multiple levels and sometimes be more intense that literal depictions” (141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and effort than it is described, and, if the author is doing his job, it reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex is suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is suggested and how this implication affects the theme or develops characterization.

In the movie Gone with the Wind, Rhett Butler is mad that Scarlett can not see what is in front of her; instead shes pinning over Ashley Wilkes. He becomes drunk and forcefully kisses her then packs her up the steps to her bedroom presumably to have sex but the scene ends there. The relationship is suggested by what happens before he dramatically packs her off. He says that even though she is pinning over Ashley that she still manages to turn him on while she claims that he is jealous, Which he admits to at once. This develops characterization by showing a not so pleasant side of Rhett Butler.

Chapters 11-15

Chapter 11 --...More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different. 

The first type of violence is when an author causes a character to hurt him/her self or another character. An example of this type of violence would be when Lord Voldemort kills Harry Potters' parents, Lily and James. That attack was intentional and was physical.

The second type of violence is when something bad happens to a character but its no ones fault. An example of this would be in The Last Song when Ronnie's father dies of cancer. This type of violence is emotional, not physical like the first type.

Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and investigate the symbolism in something we have read this year (short story or novel).

Symbolism in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 

1)Harry's' scar symbolizes everything about him that is famous even though he did not know it until he attended Hogwarts.

2) Quidditch is not a only a sport in the wizard world but it also symbolizes that magic has a real world application by being hands on.

3) The Mirror of Erised is a magic mirror that shows people what they truly desire. In the book, the mirror symbolizes all the things that Harry did not know he was missing out on such as the importance of family. 

Chapter 13 -- It’s All Political
Assume that Foster is right and “it is all political.” Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you this year is political.

Animal Farm is a major literary work that uses a barnyard and some pigs to represent communism.

Chapter 14 -- Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur.

In the Iliad, written by Homer, Achilles was hurt by a wound in the foot that caused him to not escape which ultimately caused his death. He was also a wine drinker which are two of the things that make him a Christ like figure.

Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy

Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry is rescued from his abusive aunt and uncles house by his best friend, Ron Weasley, and his two brothers. They rescue Harry using their fathers' flying car. After retrieving his personnel belongings from his bedroom, Harry jumps out the window when his uncle suddenly grabs his foot. Harry eventually jerks it away and is driven off into the night escaping then for the rest of the summer.

Chapters 6-10

Chapter 6 -- When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare...
Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages 44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on theme.

In the Hunger Games books, Peeta and Katniss are referred to as star-crossed lovers just like Romeo and Juliet. The theme of the book concentrates on them surviving the hunger games just like Romeo and Juliet had to survive their parents. At the end, Juliet kills herself because she thinks Romeo is dead then after finding out about Juliets death, Romeo follows suit. At the end of the hunger games, Peeta and Katniss tried to kill themselves because only one person could be the winner.

Chapter 7
Discuss 3 Biblical allusions that appear in a film, short story, or novel other than "The Lame Shall Enter First." Be creative and imaginative in these connections.

1) In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Asland dies and comes back to life; this is an allusion to when Christ died on the cross and rose again the third day.

2) The stone table that Asland is killed on represents the stone tablets that Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai that contained the 10 commandments.

3) The White Witch is an allusion to Satan; she is considered evil and treacherous through out the series.

Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen appreciation?

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson is a modern day Cinderella story. Ella has two horrible step sisters that hold her back from meeting her prince charming just like in Cinderella. It deepens the meaning of the Cinderella story because it illustrates the difficulties that she faced while living with her horrible step-mother and step-sisters.

Chapter 9 -- It’s Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. 

Zeus

Lightening

Order

King of Gods

Posideon

Ocean

Horses

Natural Distasters

Athena

Reason

Battle

Wisdom

 

Chapter 10 -- It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot.

Interlude -- Does He Mean That

Some authors use weather as a symbol for deeper meaning. Such as when a person walks through the rain and is cleansed. Rain can also be used as an restorative because it makes things grow. Rain can also be used as a renewal of hope that their is better things to come because April showers bring May flowers. When rain stops and a rainbow appears it can used as a sign of hope. Fog usually signals some sort of confusion with the main character. Snow is also a very versatile piece of weather that the author can manipulate into meaning anything.