Analyzing Foster's 'The Iliad'

Key points in text:1. Consider the audience. This means when someone reads a story,they should consider the audience the text was written for.Foster mentioned The Iliad, an epic by Homer was full of violence, but the story was written for an audience who accepted violence and concubines (mistresses) as social norms. Try to think like the audience that the story was written for to understand and appreciate the plot.2. Understand the Times. Stories written in different eras may seem to use archaic or offensive language, but consider the times.Foster cites The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare in How to Read Literature Like A Professor as an example of what is considered anti-Semitic now for a character. The character he references is …show more content…
Similar to Ezra Pound, Rudyard Kipling had other adored works, but “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and the Philippine Islands” is seen as brutally bigoted.4.) You determine if the text is suitable for you to read. After knowing about the times the text was written, the audience it was written for, and the perspective of the author, determine if the writing is right for you.Foster explains that each person will have a different ideas and emotions about the text, but every individual should decide whether or not to read different material. Foster also states that just because Ezra Pound wrote The Cantos, does not mean that he cannot enjoy his other works.Not every literary work deemed great will be suitable for every reader due to its content.All readers can choose whether or not to read certain controversial works, or avoid certain authors all together. 5.) Last chance for change. A character is given several opportunities to change, but does not, and then the character is given one last chance to change their ways.Foster praises “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin as a story of two brothers with a last chance for