Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Prompt 6- Ambiguity
A reader's experience is laced with ambiguity as they consider deeper meaning within a text. Uncertainty appears when a reader asks "Why?", specifically, "Why did the author write that?". Be it a character's action or an uncontrollable circumstance, the author chooses to leave out or include certain details to lead the reader to question. Foster examines our desire as readers to discover what the author means in chapter twelve. He writes, "We bring an individual history to our reading, a mix of previous readings, to be sure, but also a history that includes, but is not limited to, educational attainment, gender, race, class, faith, social involvement, and philosophical inclination." For me, this means that the unclear, indefinite, ambiguous meanings within a text are completely up to interpretation. In other words, each person brings their own experiences to a piece of literature that alter their perception of it's meaning. I believe that the process of uncovering or developing a meaning of a text is the utmost appreciation a reader can give to the text and it's author. When a reader takes the time to figure out what the author means, they are honoring the time and effort he/she put into writing the piece. In addition, knowing that the piece can be interpreted in numerous ways makes me value it even more. Kudos to the writers who can create works that incite discussion and debate, for those are the texts that yield the most satisfying outcomes. Ambiguity stimulates inquiry and development within a reader. When the answers are placed before me, I learn nothing. Ambiguity is the teacher that pushes me to think and discover the answer for myself. And like a great teacher, I have found that through analyzing and overcoming uncertainty, I have learned much more than just the answer.
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Dear Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI do agree with much of your response. I think we all bring something of our own life experiences to any text. This is called "Reader Response" Theory. However, a text still has some parameters that are somewhat "constant" based on the language--the words themselves--because we have as a culture assigned certain denotations and connotations to them that we all accept. A text can meaning many things, but not just any thing. Ambiguity is perhaps the greatest thing about art--all art!
Mrs. Mac
Dear Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with the idea that ambiguity should be met with interpretation. I would even argue that the two concepts must coexist together in order for a piece of literature to be great. Much like you stated, a reader learns most in his search for an indefinite answer – this search leads one to explore concepts that open up new realms of possibility in terms of meaning. When a piece of writing is ambiguous it can touch many readers in thousands of different ways because each reader brings new experiences to the pages he or she flips. If a piece of writing had only one meaning, only a portion of people would understand or relate to the piece; it is my opinion that the best pieces of literature touch all readers differently, even if those differences be minute. It is safe to say that more can be learned in the search for meaning of a piece than from writing that states it clearly.