People always say that food is the great equalizer. Food brings people from alternate backgrounds together at a table to share something that both can't live without. Foster states that act of sharing food with someone is equivalent to sharing peace of trying to understand and get on the good side of other characters. This struggle can be seen throughout the infamous play Macbeth. During the play, Macbeth becomes "drunk" off the "visions" the three witches give him. Macbeth will do everything in his power to be the King and Thane of Cawdor, even if that means killing a close acquaintance, Banquo.
The main dining scene that takes place in Macbeth takes place in Act III, Scene IV. Macbeth throws a lavish dinner party to boast about his rise to thrown. The reason he invites and chooses to share his bread with other people is the old saying "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer". Macbeth chooses this act of communion of sharing food purely for his own selfish lust for power. However; this lavish dinner party takes a quick turn for the worst, Macbeth check on the "hitmen" he hired to kill Banquo and thinks that by killing him that will get his problems out of the way. Macbeth soon becomes haunted by the ghost of Banquo during the dinner service and Lady Macbeth tries to justify his actions of insanity as a inflicted disease he has had since a young boy. This meal scene is an example of unsuccessful communion. The goal was to establish a tight-knit and close relationship with his guest so that they would then trust Macbeth and he would then gain more power. Seeing how efficiently and how the strengthening of ties between the thanes by making it look like Macbeth was calm, cool, and collected doesn't work at all. The Macbeth example of communion does more tearing apart the mind, marriages, and power than bringing them together.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Chapter 1: "Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)"
From a very young age, the infamous "quest" has been ingrained into our brains countless times with classic fairy-tales and adventure stories. Children are reminded about what a quest entails when their parents go to tuck them in at night with a bedtime story; the dashing prince on his noble steed, the damsel in distress in a very high tower, the fiery dragon on the cusp on killing our protagonist. See what i mean? However; those classic characters that make up a "fairy-tale" aren't the only thing a quest has to contain. There are five main aspects of a quest; the quester (person seeking the quest), a place to go (the actual place s/he needs to get to), stated reason to go (on a mission for something, but its not always what he gets in the end), challenges and trials along the way, and lastly, the real reason to go (which is usually self knowledge). Applying these five aspects of a quest is easier than it sounds, quests are all around. Everywhere. In Literature and in real life. The best example of a quest that comes to mind would be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Here is the setup of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone connected with the five aspects of a quest.
1.) The Quester: A coming of age, young boy, at a low point in his life. No family. All he has are his resentful, unloving aunt and uncle and his spoiled, plump cousin. Harry, a bright and intelligent boy, doesn't quite fit in and he has no clue why. We only find out later in the book that his mother and father were wizards, some of the best wizards and Harry has some big shoes to fill.
2.) A Place To Go: Following several occurrences that show the powers that Harry possesses, he is sent hundreds of letters that arrive at the Dursley's house. They are all addressed from a school known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This school gives our protagonist a sense of belonging that he has been longing for and hasn't experienced until now.
3.) A Stated Reason To Go There: Harry has been sent hundreds of letters persuading him to attend the school. It is a school for special kids who are talented in magic. The school is aware that Lilly and James Potter were powerful wizards and since their son defeated "he who must not be named" (but for these circumstances will be, Voldemort), Harry has special things in store for him if he gets the chance to unleash his magical potential.
4.) Challenges and Trials: Where do I begin? Our hero undergoes various strange, nerve-racking tasks along with the stress of he first year. Throughout the book, Professor Snape, a professor at Hogwarts, proves to be a challenge to Harry. Snape has a cruel, cold shoulder approach towards Harry. Harry finds that the tight watch Snape has on him makes it increasingly hard to learn about what the Sorcerer's Stone is. Another trial Harry has to overcome takes place during his first Quidditch game. Professor Quirell, who is trying to steal the stone, curses Harry's broomstick. This act nearly knock Harry off of his broom, which proves to be another challenge for Harry. One of the deepest struggles of the road of trials and challenges comes when Harry stumbles upon the Mirror of Erised. Notice anything interesting? Take a long, hard look at the word erised. Did the light bulb go off yet? Erised is desire spelled backwords. Harry being an orphan and not knowing his parents other than in pictures shows what his deepest desire really is, to be love and to meet his parents. Harry sees his mother and father in the mirror with every glance. This is a challenge for Harry, every time he sees them in the mirror he makes the realization that he wishes they were still alive which leaves him stuck in the past and forgetting to live in the present.
5.) The Real Reason To Go: Anywhere in the last four aspects of a quest did I mention that Harry Potter is known as "the boy who lived?" Harry Potter out of Lilly and James Potter, extraordinary wizards, ends up defeating the most powerful dark wizards of that time. Did I mention Harry was only two when that happened? Not only does he defeat him, he survives, unscathed (except for that pesky scar). Throughout the novel we see the struggle Harry goes through with the emptiness of not having parents in his life. This is the real reason for Harry to go on his quest. An atonement for what "he who must not be named" did to his family. Harry is trying to find himself, but is also trying to learn about who his parents were and where his roots originated from. The real reason for Harry to go is the fact his parents didn't die for him in vain. He is looking for self-discovery and making his parents proud for all that they did so that he could survive.
1.) The Quester: A coming of age, young boy, at a low point in his life. No family. All he has are his resentful, unloving aunt and uncle and his spoiled, plump cousin. Harry, a bright and intelligent boy, doesn't quite fit in and he has no clue why. We only find out later in the book that his mother and father were wizards, some of the best wizards and Harry has some big shoes to fill.
2.) A Place To Go: Following several occurrences that show the powers that Harry possesses, he is sent hundreds of letters that arrive at the Dursley's house. They are all addressed from a school known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This school gives our protagonist a sense of belonging that he has been longing for and hasn't experienced until now.
3.) A Stated Reason To Go There: Harry has been sent hundreds of letters persuading him to attend the school. It is a school for special kids who are talented in magic. The school is aware that Lilly and James Potter were powerful wizards and since their son defeated "he who must not be named" (but for these circumstances will be, Voldemort), Harry has special things in store for him if he gets the chance to unleash his magical potential.
4.) Challenges and Trials: Where do I begin? Our hero undergoes various strange, nerve-racking tasks along with the stress of he first year. Throughout the book, Professor Snape, a professor at Hogwarts, proves to be a challenge to Harry. Snape has a cruel, cold shoulder approach towards Harry. Harry finds that the tight watch Snape has on him makes it increasingly hard to learn about what the Sorcerer's Stone is. Another trial Harry has to overcome takes place during his first Quidditch game. Professor Quirell, who is trying to steal the stone, curses Harry's broomstick. This act nearly knock Harry off of his broom, which proves to be another challenge for Harry. One of the deepest struggles of the road of trials and challenges comes when Harry stumbles upon the Mirror of Erised. Notice anything interesting? Take a long, hard look at the word erised. Did the light bulb go off yet? Erised is desire spelled backwords. Harry being an orphan and not knowing his parents other than in pictures shows what his deepest desire really is, to be love and to meet his parents. Harry sees his mother and father in the mirror with every glance. This is a challenge for Harry, every time he sees them in the mirror he makes the realization that he wishes they were still alive which leaves him stuck in the past and forgetting to live in the present.
5.) The Real Reason To Go: Anywhere in the last four aspects of a quest did I mention that Harry Potter is known as "the boy who lived?" Harry Potter out of Lilly and James Potter, extraordinary wizards, ends up defeating the most powerful dark wizards of that time. Did I mention Harry was only two when that happened? Not only does he defeat him, he survives, unscathed (except for that pesky scar). Throughout the novel we see the struggle Harry goes through with the emptiness of not having parents in his life. This is the real reason for Harry to go on his quest. An atonement for what "he who must not be named" did to his family. Harry is trying to find himself, but is also trying to learn about who his parents were and where his roots originated from. The real reason for Harry to go is the fact his parents didn't die for him in vain. He is looking for self-discovery and making his parents proud for all that they did so that he could survive.
Memory, symbol, and pattern are the three qualities that separate the casual reader from the professional reader. When focused on memory, it is known as a "constant look for correspondence and corollaries" (at least that is what Foster says and if he is the one publishing a book, I think I'll take the advice from him). This affects the reading of literature because if the memory of past books come to mind while reading, connections can be made and make the reading experience more enriching. When focused on symbols in literature, everything is a symbol of something. This affects the reading of literature because every fine detail has a deeper meaning than what was typed with ink on the page, this then leads the reading to become more special and important to the reader. When focused on pattern in literature, it is usually distancing yourself from the overall plot also learning life and books share similar patterns. This affects the reading of literature because connection in everyone's life can be tied back to a book that was read somewhere along the line. The recognition of patterns makes it easier to read complicated literature because connections can be drawn from classic books we were raised on like fables, fairy-tales, folk-tales, and nursery rhymes, all of these make hard literature a tad easier to connect with. My appreciation for the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis was enhanced through symbols and patterns. Once I found that certain points of the plot and storyline, combined with the characters connected with the Bible, I was astonished. In the books, Aslan, the lion, is killed as a sacrifice to the White Witch so that he saves Edmund's life, but is then reborn to help Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy, the children who discovered Narnia, to save their kingdom. Sound familiar right? Aslan coming back to life shares parallels with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also another example has to deal with the final book in the series, The Last Battle, which shows the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world. All of these patterns, symbols, and memories have helped me grow and appreciate this series more.
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