So, we are almost finish with Foster and next week (September 30-October 4) we will begin working on our first major writing project--The Foster Application Paper.
Now, you will have to pick at least ONE piece of quality literature and at least FOUR of Foster's theories and apply them to the short story, novel, or maybe even poem, that you pick. Use this blog to brainstorm some literature choices you are thinking about as well as what theories you think you will argue...
After brainstorming for awhile, I have come up with some ideas for my Foster Paper. My first choice would be to use The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, for my literature. Reading through The Book Thief, there are many acts of violence. The most obvious being the death of Hans, Rosa, and Rudy. But there is also the death of Liesel's younger brother and the suffering Max has to go through. The seasons and snow are other theories used in The Book Thief: Liesel bringing snow to the basement for Max to see, and the changes of seasons throughout the years of the war. A good theory to use is baptism. When Rudy jumps into the freezing river during winter to get Liesel's book, it is as though both characters were reborn and their relationship changed after that. My favorite theory for The Book Thief - it is hard to pick - is geography. Liesel lives with Hans and Rosa in Nazi Germany on a poor street called Himmel. When translated, Himmel means Heaven. Ironic right?
ReplyDeleteThe Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it another great piece of literature to use. Some of the most obvious theories to use are weather, seasons, and geography. The story takes place during the beginning of summer and ends just as autumn comes around. Gatsby is hopeful to get Daisy back, making summer the perfect choice to have the book centered around. Once summer hits, everyone is excited and ready to conquer the world! Summer is sign for hope. When Gatsby meets Daisy again at Nick's house, it is pouring rain. This is to show how nervous Gatsby is and could also potentially be foreshadowing of the relationship in the future. As for geography, Fitzgerald has Daisy and Gatsby living across the bay from each other to represent their doom. Why live across a large body of water instead of right next door? They were never meant to be.
Another piece of literature to use could be, A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor. A great theory to use it violence because every character introduced in the beginning is murdered and there is a car accident involving a cat. By killing off all the main charters, it is clear that O' Connor is trying to make a point: a good man is hard to find. Had the grandmother not been so selfish, she probably could have saved her family, but she chose to try to save herself. Geography is also a good theory to use. The family is headed south on their road trip, and Foster tells us that "when writers send characters south, it's so they can run amok" (171). Heading south didn't pay off for the family to say the least. The theory of weather is important too. O'Connor mentioned a few times about a "cloudless sky" (13) which is very ironic. A family is shot in the woods and a grandmother is shot in a puddle on the side of a road, that is not exactly the kind of weather you'd expect during all of that. each theory can be taken ironically, so I cam keeping that in mind.
This is a very thorough response and you seem to have some ideas worthy of putting in a first draft when you make the final choice!
DeleteI think that it's great that you've planned out all of your thoughts for each book that you're considering writing about! You'll be well prepared when it comes time to write the paper!
DeleteYou really have this all planned out which is great and you've made some really good points for each of the books. I don't know how you'll choose which book because you have such great ideas for all of them!
DeleteAfter pondering many works of literature, I have narrowed my paper down to three - at least for now. I an inspired to apply the philosophies that foster stresses upon The Great Gatsby, or The Book Thief. Each work possesses vital details that essentially withhold a deeper meaning: seasons, geography, acts of violence, baptisms, and a plethora of more possibly applications. I would love to think of something unique and take an approach - foreign to the choices Mrs. Rutan has seen before - but it's difficult to narrow down pieces that I have read and apply his theories to the extensive list of possibilities.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could explore one of our huge Perrin books and pick a short story that I haven't mentioned in class to be find a unique piece of literature we haven't talked about yet?
DeleteI really like how you want to explore a piece of literature that we haven't already read! It would be a great way to use what we have learned from Foster so far.
DeleteI enjoy your enthusiasm on wanting to read an new piece of literature and make connections with that. It would be a very interesting story to read since most likely none of us in the class will have read or heard of the book.
DeleteSome key elements in The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger can be related to certain topics that Foster elaborates on in his book. As Foster explains in his first chapter, a majority of literature is based on the protagonist's quest to a certain innate, yet unknown, purpose; throughout TCITR, main character Holden Caulfield is on a quest to see his sister--and discover himself as a young adult--after he is kicked out of private school. We see the act of communion play in TCITR, as Holden goes on dates and sits at clubs and restaurants while observing or talking to strangers—only to later decide how “phony” they all are. Likewise, Holden’s peculiar lingo is based on both his pessimism and the geography of where he came from/where he is growing up. Because Holden is a student, he talks about the literature he has read; he makes references to Shakespeare, Beowulf, and the Bible. These topics of literature cover three of Foster’s ideas in his book.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Catcher in the Rye! And you made several connections that I never thought about.
DeleteI think it is great that you are using a book we haven't discussed in class. I also like how you talked about quests because usually people forget how important the quest can be to a piece of literature, or that there even is a quest at all.
DeleteYour Catcher in the Rye proposal is brilliant. You integrated so many of Foster's philosophies - showing that you possess the ability to "read literature like a professor" that he continues to stress throughout each chapter.
DeleteI didn't think about The Catcher in the Rye, but I think that would be a great choice. I thought it was an interesting read, and I would be interested to hear your analysis of Holden and his quest. He is certainly a peculiar character.
DeleteI didn't think about The Catcher in the Rye, but I think that would be a great choice. I thought it was an interesting read, and I would be interested to hear your analysis of Holden and his quest. He is certainly a peculiar character.
DeleteFor my Foster application paper, I’m considering using A Good Man is Hard to Find. In this short story, the quest, geography, communion and violence are all used. The story begins as a quest to take a vacation to Florida but turns into a quest to find an old house that the grandmother remembers visiting. From the beginning of this ‘quest’ they encounter obstacles, such as the car accident and meeting the Misfit. And the real reason for the quest? I’m not sure, but the readers do find out the true nature of the grandmother— selfish, as she scarifies her entire family in attempt to save her own life. The author, Flannery O’Connor’, also uses geography to set the tone in A Good Man is Hard to Find. When the family travels south, things definitely follow Foster’s theory and “run amok” (171) As the family gets closer to their death, the scenery is described with many terms that foreshadow their death, such as “red gutted ditch” (O’Connor,7) and “red depression” (O’Connor, 6). When the family has communion—their barbecue sandwiches— the tension between the grandmother and the children’s mother becomes obvious. The grandmother disapproves of how the children’s mother parents, especially her lack of discipline towards June Star’s behavior. There is uneasiness in this part of the story and this “failed meal stands as a bad sign” (Foster, 11). Obviously, there is a lot of violence in this story, too. Foster’s theory that violence in literature is “personal” (Foster, 88) doesn’t really seem to be true in A Good Man is Hard to Find. When the Misfit kills the family, there is a lot of understatement going on— the violence almost becomes easy to miss. The Misfit acts very detached and almost tired throughout the whole scene, which is interesting.
ReplyDeleteI thought that A Good Man is Hard to Find was a great pick for this paper too. There are so many opportunities throughout the text to apply Foster's theories. You have some great examples and I think you've thought it out pretty well!
DeleteYou do such a great job at explaining all of your theories and how you're going to push your ideas. It actually makes me want to change my piece of literature because of how strong your connections come across!
DeleteI know we didn't get to talk much about that meal in class, but discussing that in your paper would be a very interesting read because its was a very interesting scene in the story.
DeleteFoster’s book illustrates many interesting points that can be found all throughout literature. For my paper, I’ve narrowed it down to a few key pieces of literature. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley would be an interesting book to relate to Foster’s book. It includes two quests—one for Dr. Frankenstein and one for the monster. The monster also runs south and “runs amok” (Foster, 171). Since the monster is sewn together from many different people, he has scars, or marks of greatness. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak shows a creative use of baptism—when Rudy dives in to save Liesel’s book. When Max first appears, they eat soup which is an example of communion. Foster proves that the location of the story is also an important part of the book. Another prime example of Foster’s theories is A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor. Many of Foster’s points can be found every time you turn the page—communion, weather, a quest, geography. The list goes on and on. Since the examples that can be connected to Foster are so obvious, this is the clear piece of literature to choose. I’m hoping that a more unique piece of literature will strike me this week—something that we haven’t discussed thoroughly in class already.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of Frankenstein for this, but it's a great idea! You related a lot of good Foster theories to the book too. I also like that you mentioned the soup/communion in The Book Thief! It's a great example. You have a lot of good points for all three pieces of literature, but I understand not being able to commit to one yet.
DeleteI had pondered Frankenstein for a short time, but came across a few complications. You pointed out so many ideas that had skimmed my surface, but I never really considered. Your use of the intricate dissecting and deciphering of the piece has really been ingrained in your system. This will hugely benefit you.
DeleteI had thought about Frankenstein but also forgot about it--it's such a good idea though! There are so many things you could do with that book. I also agree with The Book Thief, it's a book we've recent;y read and discuss a lot in class, it would be a really good idea to use it!
DeleteI had completley forgotten about Frankenstein, but it definitely includes many elements Foster talks about. I had never thought about the monster's scars as marks of greatness, but it's a really interesting point. It looks like you have a lot of great ideas and any of the three books you talk about seem like a good choice!
DeleteI have to say Frankenstein is my "go-to" AP Literature book. What I mean is it is a book I know so well, but your discussion of scars is something I have never thought of! It is also a book I use often on the open ended essay...which will make more sense later this semester.
DeleteI have to say Frankenstein is my "go-to" AP Literature book. What I mean is it is a book I know so well, but your discussion of scars is something I have never thought of! It is also a book I use often on the open ended essay...which will make more sense later this semester.
DeleteAfter seminar in class and the countless flashbacks of previous books we've read, I've come up with a plethora of ideas for our Foster's paper. Some of the things I've considered are doing something on The Book Thief. For this book, a small view into some of my ideas through Foster's examples could be Weather, Violence, Seasons, Quest, and Baptism. There are a huge variety of things I could use from the book to apply to Foster, and many more. I have also considered using The Great Gatsby. With Gatsby you get many different techniques that could be used on an analytical level. Some ideas could be weather, seasons, communion, violence, marked for greatness, and quest. There are many possibilities these two books give that would be an excellent choice to use for my Foster's paper.
ReplyDeleteI like hearing you have had flashbacks and I would add Gatsby is a classic choice--you can't go wrong and there is a lot of great things to work with!
DeleteFor my Foster application paper, I'm very certain I want to do A Good Man Is Hard To Find. I can already think of a few connections off of the top of my head like violence, going down south, geography, weather, quest and communion. However if that falls through, which it probably will, I was also considering Lord of the Flies. In that the connections I found are violence, communion, baptism, and weather. Even though I'm almost positive I'm doing A Good Man is Hard to Find its always good to have options.
ReplyDeleteI had considered using Lord of the Flies, too, because of the biblical connections and violence in it. However, I couldn't think of any other ones, but your ideas sound great if you decide to use that.
DeleteAfter putting a lot of thought into what piece of literature I want to use for my Foster paper, I still haven’t made a decision. It took me a while to categorize novels I’ve read in the past – both in school and for fun – as “AP exam material”. What exactly does that entail? To be on the safe side, I thought I should probably lean toward a book I’ve read in school. The Great Gatsby and The Book Thief have plenty of Foster’s theories throughout them; it’s almost like every page has a new symbol. I would definitely have to reread The Great Gatsby if I chose it for the paper, but off the top of my head I can think of several of Foster’s theories that stand out. There were a lot of symbolic weather changes, like the rain and the awful heat. The change from spring to autumn definitely held a lot of significance as well. There is also a lot of violence in The Great Gatsby. I would also have to reread Foster’s chapter on violence, but it could be noteworthy who died in the story and how they died. I’m not committing to The Great Gatsby yet, but it does seem like a logical choice to use for my Foster paper.
ReplyDeleteYou raise a very valid point---what is AP Exam material? Its something I struggle with because there is a lot of great books out there that don't make the cut. But I think your statement to reread some of our old books is very important--it will help you on essay #3 of the AP Exam...
DeleteFrom our discussions about Foster's book and our work in class, I've realized that pretty much any book would work for the paper. I think I will probably end up using The Bean Trees or Their Eyes Were Watching God. Both books have a character on a quest, and geography is also key to both. There are certainly other elements that will apply. It's just a matter of choosing which ones should be discussed.
ReplyDeleteI have never read either of these books so i will be anxious to hear about them in class. From the way you describe they sound like a typical story but I can't wait to her further details about them
DeleteI really like that you're using two unique books that not many people in our class have read! I'd really like to be someone who uses books that nobody else is using--props!
DeleteIf you do go with Their Eyes Were Watching God, I will be very interested because that was such a intense book/difficult read for me--in college!
DeleteFor my final paper for Foster i have decided to chose the epic poem Beowulf. This epic has all the ingredients in it that Foster discusses. Some of these are a quest, a christ-like figure, some violence , and the seasons. There are most definitely other of Foster's topics that prevalent but these are just a few. This Epic was by far one of my favorite pieces of literature that i have ever read so it is truly exciting that Foster discussion points are extremely noticeable within the poem.
ReplyDeleteI give you props for picking a poem and Beowulf at that. It's very unique. It definitely wouldn't be my first choice; however, I'm really excited to see how it turns out!!
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