Question #6.

Question: Foster talks about the “symbolic level.”  How does this inform the kind of reading professors (and AP Lit. students) do?  How does one work to read in this manner?  What does it require of us as readers?

Answer: As I said in my answer to question #4, the symbolic level is the main support for reading. Every author has a certain story they want to tell that has a deeper meaning underneath the surface. As Foster points out, while it is the author's job to write their story the way they think it should be told, it is also the reader's job to really dig into the piece and search for that hidden meaning which is usually through symbols. Professors and AP Lit. Students have to go above and beyond that to not only find the main meaning, but to dig into the deepest of depths to find meaning in just about any passage, word, or paragraph that they can. This enables them to connect with the author of the piece far more than anyone else can. Throughout the book Foster points out that to read in this manner one must use critical thinking. They must manipulate the words and think deeply about what it really means to not only themselves, but to the writer. Foster points out that sometimes people who do not dive deep for the meaning can mistake it for one that isn't what the author had intended it to be and that to truly have that connection they must think deeper. We have to take our past knowledge and tie up all the loose ends in our minds. We have to think abstractly at times to truly understand. Important meanings aren't always just lying there for a reader to find easily. Instead, they have to work it out for themselves. I guess you could say that it makes it a challenge and makes reading even more fun. The aha moment is so precious for students, readers, and others. Foster understood the connection that was valuable to reader and writer. That is why he wrote this book the way he did.