How to Read Literature Like a Professor #2

Chapter 13:
I finally got some insight into A Christmas Carol. I have never read the book, so all I knew about it was what I saw on TV every holiday season. I think that example was a great introduction to political writing. However, I do not really understand the difference between political writing and "political" writing. I like the message of this chapter, though, about how all writing is technically "political" because the authors are writing about the world around them, which includes social events, class systems, corruption in the government, etc. It reminds me of US history because we have to have prior knowledge of what happened during the time period to truly understand what the author was trying to criticize in his or her work.

Chapter 14:
If you recall from my previous blog, I am not well-versed on Biblical allusions, so I was worried about being able to spot them. This chapter is going to be my savior when it comes to this subject because it provided a list that will give hints as to whether the character is a Christ figure. Needless to say, I learned a lot from this chapter. I liked the example about The Old Man and the Sea. I have never read it, except for an excerpt once in grade school. This chapter just explains to me why Mrs. Panosian was so in love with teaching Hemingway to us last semester.