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 Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:43 pm
Sometimes books or ideas have a certain "set meaning," but most of the time I think they're just applicable. Tolkien hated it when people tried to give LOTR a set meaning, saying it was about war or WWII or something like that. He said it wasn't allegorical, it was applicable. Which is why I don't like it when you're required to say what the symbols are, what the meaning is, what the "point" of the book is in English class. The point is different for each person who reads it, and sometimes it's personal and shouldn't be shared. 3nodding
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Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 1:25 pm
Fairgrass How do you determine what a book means, or what a book is about? Take To Kill A Mockingbird, as an example. The teacher has a question on the test that says "what is the book about? Who is the mockingbird?" What do you answer? You read the Cliff's Notes (just to get more insight and something else to read) and they gave you one answer. But your mom thinks it's about something else. Your older friend took this class last year and told you what the teacher thinks the meaning is. But maybe you see several meanings and mockingbirds in the book, and you think it is a matter of perspective.
Ever been in a situation like that?
I used to hate it when teachers would ask me what a book or piece of art was about. It could have so many meanings. And who determines which meaning is the true meaning? The author? The critic? The teacher? The educated English major who lives next door?
Then, one day, an art teacher told me something cool. She said that she once stood by one of her own sculptures as a woman told her how much she agreed with the meaning. Only, it wasn't the meaning my teacher had placed upon it. But she didn't say anything to the woman, because her interpretation was no less valid than anyone else's. She told the class that the artist doesn't get to decide what the definitive meaning of a piece is, but that every interpretation is as true as the artists'. Because that is the nature of art.
I believe this, and I think the same thing applies to writing. What do you think? True dat.
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