Levels of Interpretation

Transcription

1 9 th World Literature 2018 Summer Reading Ninth grade World Literature is a course designed both to introduce students to the Upper School s expectations regarding reading and writing and to teach students how to think and speak about literature in a more sophisticated way. While some scholars would argue that the canon of works grouped as World Literature began with written texts, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian), Kumarbi (Hurrian), Ramayana (Indian), Enûma Eliš (Babylonian), the Odyssey (Greek), and Beowulf (Old English), other arguments would place the beginnings of this catalogue with the oral traditions that vastly predate their written forms. Throughout the year, we will decode the layers of meaning in both ancient and modern texts to evaluate how individual works assist in the development of cultural identities, social values, expectations, and beliefs. As we move through the World Literature curriculum, students will practice recognizing, analyzing, and evaluating the development of literary patterns within and between texts and the cultures which they represent. All of the texts we will study this year are part of a larger conversation that represents the basis of modern discourse, literature, film, and advertising. Indeed, many of the works we will encounter represent the source of our most commonly occurring allusions. For the school year, all entering 9 th grade students are required to read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint- Exupéry and translated by Richard Howard. Students are to evaluate the text as they read and analyze how the work is an allegory. The Little Prince First published in 1943, Saint-Exupéry s illustrated novella has sold almost two million copies each year and has been translated into over 250 languages. Saint-Exupery came to New York in 1940, after the Germans occupied France. Much of the work was written while Saint- Exupery lived in Manhattan and Long Island. The writer left America just after the publication of the book, when he returned to Europe to fly reconnaissance missions for the Allies. Saint-Exupery disappeared during a reconnaissance mission on July 31, The plane was discovered years later after a fisherman near Marseilles pulled in a silver bracelet engraved with the author s name along with his catch. Although a seemingly simple tale, The Little Prince is an allegorical tale. Think critically about what you are reading. I hope you enjoy this special little book, and I look forward to hearing of your insights and interpretations. The Little Prince Publisher: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN-13: Levels of Interpretation Level Elements Associated with... Literal denotation; plot events, things as they are Metaphor / Symbol connotation; analogy ideas, emotions, concepts Allegory a system of related metaphors societies, types, politics Anagogy paradox, irony universals, meaning of life, epiphanies, anagnorisis

2 Problematize the text: Literary texts confront the reader with problems or questions about human nature, society, even how language works or how stories "mean" what they mean. The answers the text suggest may be surprising, confrontational, and paradoxical. In other words, the answers may be ironic. Let the text surprise you. Instead of looking for the ways the text coheres as a rational whole, look for the places where the text is ambiguous, problematical, or mysterious. "Significant to the work as a whole" What does the work suggest about characters-- their development, their sense of identity? What is ironic about those revelations? What does the work suggest about relationships between characters? What is ironic about these relationships? What does the work suggest about our relationship with the world, the universe? Irony? What does the work suggest about our destiny and purpose? Irony? Consider how a word, an image, a passage can be understood as a microcosm of the work as a whole. Consider how a character can be understood as an "everyman." The character's experiences may be applicable to human nature. Consider the anagogical level of interpretation. I look forward to seeing you in August! Mrs. Henderson katherinehenderson@fredericaacademy.org Mindcraft Star Wars Harry Potter Animal Farm Any Pixar Film Allegories Obviously, I do not suggest that you share these interpretations with the youngest of readers or audiences of children s literature.

3 Allegory, a definition: Once Upon an Allegory An allegory is a piece of writing that has a hidden meaning that is usually moral, political, or spiritual. Allegories appear in a narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme. One why to think about an allegory is to consider the entire text as a math problem: Symbol + symbol + symbol +.. = meaning The symbol may be a character or an event. Collectively, these details add-up so that they create a larger meaning. The concrete details (actually existing), such as the Aviator in The Little Prince simultaneous convey an abstract idea or represent a larger entity. Is the Aviator meant to represent mankind? Does he represent specific traits? Examples of Allegories: Morality Play- Everyman Everyman is a dramatized allegory. An allegory is a narrative in which the characters and action, and sometimes the setting as well, have two levels of meaning. The play opens with God sending Death to inform Everyman that he must prepare himself to die. The first level is literal -- a man is going on a trip. The second level is symbolic -- Everyman's life is a journey from birth to death, and every man makes this same trip. Hence, Everyman = every man. An allegory must make sense at both levels. All of the literal pieces will fit together to tell a story -- what happens. In addition, all of the symbolic pieces will fit together to teach a moral -- what the story means. This morality play seeks to answer the important religious question: "What must a man do to be saved?" To answer this question, Everyman encounters several other characters that he asks to accompany him during his journey Good Works, Kindred, Cousin, Fellowship (friendship), Goods (money, wealth) Knowledge, Beauty, and Strength. Each of these characters is named for the trait it represents or symbolizes, but only one can assist Everyman in taking the final step towards salvation Good Works. The play teaches the importance of following God s word rather than following earthly desires and personal attainments. Aesop's Fables The Tortoise and the Hare This classic fable from Aesop tells the story of a determined hare who bullies and teases Tortoise for being so slow. Tortoise challenges Hare to a race and, because of Hare's overconfidence and laziness, wins. While this story can be enjoyed as just a fun story where a turtle beats a rabbit in a footrace, it is obviously meant, like all other fables from Aesop, to teach a lesson, and therefore this story is considered an allegory. The hidden meaning, or moral, here is that some people are born with natural talents but waste them to idleness or laziness. The tortoise's character is meant to show how despite natural talents, perseverance, hard work, and focus can win the day. In this fable you may be able to see both the tortoise and hare as people you know in real life or have heard about. The race, read allegorically, is actually life itself. The Ant and the Grasshopper On the surface this fable is the story of a grasshopper who likes to play and never work, and because he is so lazy, he has no food in winter and dies. His buddy the ant, after his hard work, has plenty to eat over the winter and survives. However, if you change the animal characters into people, suddenly the story seems to be more about lazy people and hardworking people. Therein, the story seems to teach us that hard work will bring success and security and being lazy will lead to failure. This story tells of a playful grasshopper who loves to play all day. He teases poor Ant who is hard at work all day long during the spring and summer about wasting his life away working. In the end, winter comes and Grasshopper starves while Ant makes it comfortably through the winter. Again, this can be read as a tragic story of the death of a grasshopper, or an allegory for how those who are hardworking and prepared will be able to survive setbacks and hard times.

4 Dr. Seuss Yertle the Turtle Dr. Seuss was a political cartoonist during WWII. He drew many cartoons mocking Hitler and the Nazis. "Yertle the Turtle" is an entertaining story of a turtle king who continues to reach for more and more power at the expense of his turtle subjects. He keeps reaching until he is brought down by the action of the common turtle named Mack. Sound familiar? "Yertle the Turtle" has been called an allegory of the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler. Whether it is or not, the story can definitely be read (and textually supported) as an allegory that criticizes totalitarian and autocratic forms of government and how they destroy the individualism and freedom of the people. The imagery of the great turtle fall mirrors an early piece from Seuss, a political cartoon criticizing some sectors of U.S. industry for not producing materials to support the war effort quickly enough. So, know let s breakdown another story The book begins with the introduction of several fish, depicted in different colors: yellow, green, red, and blue. The next two pages add fish that are differentiated even more: black, blue (different shade from the first blue fish), old, new (young), a fish with a car... Do fish drive cars or push their babies in prams? These are human traits. The fish are being personified. Yet, when the traits are added together, it can be concluded that the fish represent different traits we associate with humans: race, age, wealth, and family. The fish are actually representations of different kinds of people. Now, between the new fish and the one with a little car, appears a large yellow fish proudly displaying a blue star. What if the fish was blue and the star was yellow? What if I assert that the star is not merely a belly birthmark but a symbol associated with a specific religion? Jews throughout Nazi-occupied Europe were forced to wear a badge in the form of a Yellow Star as a means of identification. This was not a new idea; since medieval times many other societies had forced their Jewish citizens to wear badges to identify themselves. The badges were often printed on coarse yellow cloth and were a garish yellow colour. The star, which represented the Star of David, was outlined in thick, black lines and the word 'Jew' was printed in mock-hebraic type. In the Warsaw ghetto, Jews wore a white armband with a blue Star of David on their left arm. In some ghettos, even babies in prams had to wear the armbands or stars. Jewish shops were also marked with a Yellow Star. The star was intended to humiliate Jews and to mark them out for segregation and discrimination. The policy also made it easier to identify Jews for deportation to camps. The Yellow Star. Learning: Voices from the Holocaust. British Library. n.d. Web. 5 July 2015.

5 The next two pages provide a summary: Some [fish] are red. And some are blue. Some are old. And some are new. Yet, these fish also experience human emotions, such as the feelings of being sad or glad. Furthermore, fish can be very, very bad, as indicated by the large red fish and his bent over blue companion bullying the yellow fish. For good measure, this collection of images ends with the lesson that when in doubt about fish (people), you should go talk to a parent, your dad. This first portion of one fish two fish red fish blue fish concludes by associating additional human attributes with the fish body size and fashion style. The fish story is a children s book read to and then read by children. Literally, the story describes different types of fish. Yet, metaphorically and symbolically, the fish represent human beings and some of the physical, emotional, social, and mental character traits found among a variety of people. Doing the math -- + Various colored fish A religious fish Young and old fish Fish with possessions Emotional fish Poorly behaved fish A sea full of people who are young, old, sad, glad, or even bad but equal despite their differences. In true Seuss form, the literal text continues with a catalog of funny things [that] are everywhere, but this first tale of the fish argues that all fish are the same for each is one of the funny things we find everywhere. Furthermore, this story ends with the smiling approval of the children, who recognize that we are, indeed, all fascinating creatures.

6 An allegory is a sophisticated comparison between two things (many times over). For the next example, please play along...

7 Comparisons have many pseudonyms: analogies, metaphors, personification, symbols, similes, and so the list of literary terms go... Archetypes offer an entire world, an entire galaxy of possibilities. Recognizing archetypes and understanding a particular symbolic meaning depends upon a shared, collective cultural consciousness. Red roses, for example, are often associated with love. The red hue even costs more around Valentine s Day than other times of the year. The use of the red rose as a symbol for love is a cliché. Yet, the rose in Disney s Beauty and the Beast signifies the romance central to the story, but its glass encasement further develops the idea that love is fragile. If the rose is associated directly with the Beast and not the idea of romantic love, then the sheltered flower embodies the Beast s suppressed humanity. As it begins to wilt and die, he steps further and further away from redemption with each falling petal.

8