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How To Read Literature Like A Professor Essay

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How To Read Literature Like A Professor Essay
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster has shown me how to reach true understanding in my future reading of literature and has helped me to reach a new depth in works of literature I have already analyzed. Swimming, seasons, weather and diseases have all taken on more than simply a set scene. Abuse of power over youth or the uneducated is more noticeable. The use of irony is more noticeable. This book has armed me with the ability to recognize political meaning within literary works. Armed newly with this knowledge I reanalyze several novels from my high school career and I learn more about the author as well as the characters who the authors present me with. In The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, Lily Barton is eaten by Gus Trenor, an older man she believed was her friend. Lily was not literally eaten by Trenor. Gus Trenor is not a literal vampire. However, Lily places her trust in Gus Trenor to make an investment for her with the very little amount of money she has (chapter 7, book 1). When …show more content…
74). Rain as used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has deep symbolic meaning. When Huck Finn finds Jim after running away from his father’s hut, the two are caught in a torrential rain (chapter 9). This rain represents the washing away of both of their old lives. Although Huck is a rich young man, he cannot use his wealth or live comfortably because his wicked father wishes to have his money in order to drink. After the rain, Huck has bonded with Jim and wishes to protect him (chapter 9). Jim’s old life as a slave no longer matters to Huck. Huck begins to realize that Jim truly cares about him. Huck sees Jim as a person. The rain washes away all Huck has learned concerning the slaves. Huck begins to learn for himself after all his former ideas of life and slaves are washed away by this symbolic and literal
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