PRESENTATION OUTLINE
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
Chapter 21 continued
- 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
Chapter 22 continued
- 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.
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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
Chapters 23 and 24 continued
- 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”.
Chapters 23 and 24 continued
- 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.
Chapter 25 continued
- 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