We have just finished the unit out of the book How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, in which Foster helps the reader better understand how to comprehend literature. He had many key points about Literature that he wanted to get across to the readers. Such ideas were to recognize patters in stories and how they can be significant, such as the act of people eating together being more than just eating, but an act of communion. Also how stories are based on other stories and that most contain some sort of quest; with a quester, a place to go, stated and real reasons to go, and challenges to overcome.
          Foster used examples from other authors to teach us how to better understand his key points and ideas about literature. In doing so, we as readers got a better idea of what certain elements authors put into a story, like characters eating together and how it applies to the meaning and the overall purpose of a story. 
        I thought that the unit as a whole went well, but more specifically understanding the content that we learned.  I thought the varies discussions we had as a class were very beneficial to our understanding to what Foster was teaching us through his book. I found the book easy to read and not too hard to follow along in  group discussions.  I also thought that the project we had of being experts of our own number of chapters was an excellent way to truly understand Foster's words as well as being able to teach them.  Along with teaching, I thought having to take notes and listen to other groups present their chapters was a good way to be engaged in the reading.
       Although the discussions did help a lot in the understanding of the novel, I do think that it could have used a little work. If we had a more engaging time where everyone had to answer a question, that would make us more obligated to do the reading and come prepared to answer the questions in class.
      After reading Foster's literary criticisms, I feel like I have learned more than I knew before on how to look and interpret literature.  I learned about certain patterns in stories and how they can all relate from similar stories. Also, I learned to pay closer attention to the details of a story like when characters eat together and how that can be an act of communion. Overall, I thought Foster did a great job, using examples, and simple explanations to help give a reader a better insight on what they're reading.

When should tradition be upheld, done away with, or modified?

      Traditions are important precedents set by your family or culture that you act upon and keep from generations to generations.  However there are some times in your life where the old traditions become obsolete and you will have to decide when to uphold, get rid of or change them.
      When an individual wishes to create their own traditions with his or her family, or when changing times calls for modifications to old ways, that may be a time to ditch the old traditions and create new precedents to be upheld by your family and culture.
      On the other hand, you may not wish to change the ways of your youth or even your heritage and traditions set out by ancestors.  Like if you are immersed in a new culture by entering into a new country, you may wish to keep some of your old traditions from where you came from.  But you might have to modify certain traditions to better fit in to the society if you're coming from a different culture. 
      In a recent film we watched in class, Whale Rider, there is a modern day battle of tradition between the chief of a tribe in New Zealand, Koro, and his descendants, the society and himself. His son Porurangi, grew up and left the tribe to start a new life in the modern world.  But Koro was set in his ways and kept with the tradition of the tribe and his ancestors.  Poruragi and his wife were going to have twin babies, and Koro wanted them to have a boy that could lead the tribe after him.  A boy and a girl were born, however, at birth the boy and its mother died; leaving the girl named Paikea to the grandfather to be raised. The tradition called for a boy to lead the tribe, so Koro was disappointed that he didn't get a male to take over after him. 
     As the story goes on, Koro begins to realize that times are changing, Paikea is showing true leadership potential and at the end of the story she becomes the new leader of the tribe. Koro had to let go of the old traditions set by ancestors and accept that modern times would call for modifications to old traditions. 
    Traditions are a good thing to keep on some occasions, and also good to modify them with the changing times and create new ones that you could make your own.

What is Literature? is it important? why? or why not?

Literature according to www.merriam-webster.com by definition is written works (such as poems, plays, and novels) that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance. I feel that literature is much more than words put together to make a good story.  Literature is in many cases artistic.  It expresses the author's feelings and ideas, usually in writing, but also in music and art as well.

Literature is important, through their works, authors can teach valuable lessons and explain real world issues.  Some literary works may be simple, but their messages can be complex. My favorite example is Ernest Hemmingway's novella, The Old Man and The Sea, because it is a really simple book to read, but it teaches valuable life lessons about perseverance and self worth. With literary works you can't just read the words, you have to "read between the lines" and understand the underlying meaning of the authors theme.  By just reading The Old Man and the Sea someone might think that it is a simple story of an old man going out to sea and fishing for a very long time and coming back.  But if you read into it more, you could see the real life lessons being explained by the old man's determination, the problems he faces, and the attitude of the man as the trouble arrives.

Literary works can be in a form of a narrative or story; more for entertainment. Or they can be didactic; being written for the sake of learning, and teaching life lessons.  But whatever the case I say look more into the story and try to think of which type of literary work the author was implying. Was it for a story? Or was it for learning a lesson?