How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness

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• Harry’s scar is often just referred to as “proof of surviving the wrath of the Dark Lord”
• But the scar holds more significance than just proof.
• Harry was born into a time in which the Wizarding world was the complete turmoil, run by evil
• Each wizard was scared of the dark
• Scars are seen as a sort of battle wound

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• Each wizard that was alive during the time Harry was born carries their own scars on their soul
• Scars from the fear of Voldemort and the pain over those that were lost trying to fight him as his powers grew.
•  Harry’s scar is a physical reminder of that Dark era each and every day.
• And it is true, Harry was marked for greatness.
• The scar literally means he is the chosen one. 

Chapter 22: He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know

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• Isaac is the popular blind sidekick to Augustus Waters in the Fault in our Stars.
•  He did not start off blind, but halfway through his eye cancer got the better of him.
•  While Isaac is not a main character, his blindness is still incredibly significant.
•  One of the main themes of the novel is unconditional love.
• Hazel and Augustus love each other regardless of the impending deaths and appearance

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• Isaac’s blindness is a literal representation of how beautiful the two teenagers’ blind love is
• especially after Isaac’s girlfriend breaks up with him because he’s going to lose his sight.

Chapters 23 and 24

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• If a character is suffering from heart problems, there's a reason why.
•  Maybe because they’re sexist, or racist, or cruel. 
• Heart disease can come from other things as well
• Such as loneliness, heartbreak, or the character's harsh environment
• Heart disease, failure, etc. is simply physical evidence of a character’s pain or darknes

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• Illnesses work in the same way
• An illness is often some symbol for a weakness that a character has
• That can be a physical paralysis that symbolizes emotional or moral paralysis
• or malaria that symbolizes the emotional effects of gossip or “bad air”.

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• example, in the movie Inception, Robert Fischer’s father Maurice is dying on his deathbed
• He has a failing heart and failing liver
• This sickness is a symbol for the strained relationship between the father and son
• As well as the lack of feeling Maurice shows towards Robert
• Because of his cold heart, his heart is literally turning cold. 

Chapter 25: Don’t Read with Your Eyes

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• Much Ado About Nothing is a Shakespeare work that is often misread and misunderstood
• people that read the piece now do not fully understand the culture of that piece’s time
• Especially when it comes to love and marriage
• Let’s look at the scene where Benedick learns of Beatrice’s “love” for him.

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• stupid for basing his love for Beatrice off of what he heard her cousin say
• he can’t just up and change his mind about his feelings for her
• Just because he, quite literally, heard it through the grapevine.
• But back then, you marry for the money, really.
• People didn’t put too much thought into whether or not they truly loved someone

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•  they fell in love with appearances rather than a person’s being
• We saw with Claudio and Hero
• Cases like this make knowledge especially important
• You must understand the culture to understand the piece

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