Erimia 1

Stella Erimia

AP Literature and Composition

10/12/18

Revision Reflection: The purpose of this essay is to express a common pattern that is seen

throughout literature and its influence in advancing the theme. The reason for this revision is to

fix the mistakes done prior. A strength in the previous paper was the in text citation and the use

of multiple different sources to explain the pattern. I know this to be true because I used three

sources to defend my clim. I also used Purdue Owl to guide me in formating the MLA paper and

in text citations. The main improvement I made was changing the entire essay. I had

misunderstood the question. I connected a pattern from the novel ​Ceremony​ to​ How to Read

Literature Like a Professor​ when it was supposed to be done the other way around. I made this

change to better my essay as a whole by answering the question correctly. The specific feedback

I am looking for is on how to become a better writer and ways to better connect different sources

of lierature.

In the novel ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor​, Foster illustrates the importance of

pattern recognition within works of literature. Pattern recognition enables the audience to

understand relationships among different novels and how they influence works outside the novel.

One of the many patterns Foster examines is weather. ​Ceremony​, written by Leslie Silko,

symbolic imagery is used to describe weather and its significance to the Native American

Culture. In​ The Kite Runner ​Hosseini uses the pattern of weather to demonstrate to reflect the
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various emotions of the characters. In the movie ​The Notebook ​rain helps illustrate the

reconnection between two people. The ​Holy​ ​Bible​ incorporates various examples of the

significance weather has on a parable. ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor ​demonstrates the

significance of weather in literature.

Ceremony ​by Leslie Marmon Silko examines use of weather to emphasize its importance

to the Native American culture. Through Tayo’s life struggles Silko successfully integrates a

variety of examples when weather reflected the overall outcome of a situation. Haunted by his

past, Tayo is challenged with accepting his Indian heritage. Water is vital for both plants and

people to survive. The recurring motifs of rain, drought, and snow are significant in the novel as

they portray Tayo’s struggles towards appreciating nature. In the beginning of the novel Tayo

“prayed the rain away, and for the sixth year it was dry” (Silko 13). During WWII Tayo relates

rain with traumatic moments therefore he prayed against the rain. Tayo fails to accept the beauty

in rain which causes a drought.To complete the ceremony which will purify the town, Tayo must

learn to appreciate nature for its beauty. The drought also occurs in the Indian poem which states

“and there was no more rain then.... The people and the animals were thirsty. They were

starving” (Silko 12). In stating this Silko explains the similarities between Tayo and the Corn

Woman. The two were unaware that the rain provided life being caught up in their own thoughts.

Silko states “the rain rattled on the rusted tin roof… He wanted to lie like that forever” (91).

Throughout the novel, Silko illustrates Tayo’s acceptance towards nature. Tayo no longer

believes nature to be a consequence rather it brings him peace. As the novel progresses, there is a

recurrence of snow. Silko illustrates that “the snow was covering everything” (190). Although
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many Natives viewed the snow in a negative perspective, Tayo feels that having the snow is

necessary since it is a part of nature.

The Kite Runner ​expresses how a characters emotions are reflected by weather. The rain

in the novel is portrayed as a symbol for despair. Hosseini states “In Kabul, it rarely rained in the

summer… But it rained the afternoon Baba took Ali and Hassan to the bus station” (108). The

heavy rainfall when Amir and Hassan are being separated explains the purification of the

friendship. After the rainfall, Amir is able to get rid of his guilt and sleepless nights to an extent.

For Hassan, it was a way to escape the constant reminder of the past. The upsetting event

includes rain associating it with a negative connotation. Hosseini illustrates, “As he was slipping

the key into the lobby door, I said, ‘I wish you’d give the chemo a chance, Baba.’ Baba pocketed

the keys, pulled me out of the rain and under the building’s striped awning. He kneaded me on

the chest with the hand holding the cigarette. ‘Bas! I’ve made my decision.’... Above us, rain

drummed on the canvas awning. 'What’s going to happen to you, you say?’” (156-157). The

passage stated once again joins sadness to rain. Baba is continuously telling him that he is

against taking chemo. When breaking this bad news, rain is seen twice. In this novel rain is

portrayed with a negative connotation.

In ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor​ chapter 9 Foster emphasizes that authors use

certain weathers to demonstrate different meanings. Foster states, “weather is never just weather.

It’s never just rain. And that goes for snow, sun, warmth, cold, and probably sleet, although the

incidence of sleet in my reading is too rare to generalize” (56). This is significant as it

demonstrates weather has an impact on the piece of literature. An author may choose to portray

rain either positively or negatively. Weather has a symbolic meaning that illuminates the text as a
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whole. Foster demonstrates that a common biblical analogy is the story of Noah's flood.

Throughout the Holy Bible, parables use weather to illustrate punishment. Genesis 7 11-12

states, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of

the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of

the sky were opened. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights” (Biblica). In

Genesis, it is explained that God sent rain for forty days and nights to wipe out everything on

earth except what was in Noah's ark. The rain was used to wipe away sin and provide

cleanliness. Foster explains that “The rainbow, by which God told Noah that no matter how

angry he got, he would never try to wipe us out completely, must have come as a great relief”

(56) which symbolizes comfort for the people. The rainbow often symbolizes the light at the end

of the tunnel. It was God’s promise to never flood the earth again. Foster continues to explain

that snow “is clean, stark, severe,warm (as an insulating blanket, paradoxically), inhospitable,

inviting, playful, suffocating, filthy (after enough time has elapsed)” (59). This is important as it

demonstrates that snow can either lead to death or have a vague meaning. Foster asserts that

snow does not discriminate as it falls on both the living and the dead.

The popular theme of weather is seen in the movie ​The Notebook. ​After being seperated

for a great amount of time, Noah and Allie find a way of getting back into eachothers lives. In a

scene, the rain purifies the two characters and strips them away from any doubt that they still

love each other. This is significant as it finally allows Noah and Allie to be together once again.

The importance of rain is also demonstrated in movies.

To conclude, ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Ceremony, The Kite Runner, and

the Notebook ​all share a common pattern of weather that occurs in a story. Weather plays a
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significant role in literature as it adds emphasis to the theme by demonstrating emotions through

nature. Weather is used as a pattern, symbol, or a way to convey mood. It creates an atmosphere

for the story. Patterns within cultures are important as they explain the basic fundamental values

across mankind. It allows for something similarities to occur between different works of

literature. This allows audiences to make connections between different novels or movies. The

symbols and patterns found in Foster’s ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor ​are seen in a

variety of different works of literature.

Works Cited

Cassavetes, Nick. “The Notebook.” ​IMDb,​ IMDb.com, 25 June 2004,

www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/​.

Foster, Thomas Campbell.​ How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining

Guide to Reading between the Lines.​ Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

2017.

HOSSEINI, KHALED. ​KITE RUNNER.​ BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING, 2018.

New International Version.​ Biblica, 2011. ​BibleGateway.com,​

​www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist.
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Silko, Leslie Marmon. ​Ceremony​. Penguin Books, 2016.