Prompt #4
Thomas C Foster said,
“Reading is an activity of
the imagination, and the imagination in question is not the writer’s alone,”
and I couldn’t agree more. Writers are able to create detailed scenes and it is
up to the reader’s imagination to help picture that scene in their head and
figure out its importance. Reading gives people the ability to imagine a new
place, like a sandy beach in Puerto Rico or the mountains in Iceland. When a
reader can really understand a text, it allows for a deeper connection with the
writer, characters, and ideas within the writing. It is also possible for
different readers to have different perspectives on a book because they do not
have the same imagination or thought process. A writer must take this into consideration
when trying to get his or her point across. It is impossible for hundreds of
people to read the same book and all have the same connection or understanding
of the text. The reader develops a connection with the writer when they read
and interpret their work. When the reader imagines what the writer is trying to
say they engage in each other’s creative intelligence because you must be
creative to interpret literature and to create it. This suggests that the
process of reading is different for every person since everyone has their own imagination.
It also suggests that the process of writing is very important when trying to
get the reader to grasp the main idea because the reader can only understand
what is clearly stated.
I like how you describe the writing process in your post because you attest to the difficultly that is writing. The processes of both reading and writing are not acts carried out by an individual; each writer has to engage with the reader, and the reader must do the same with the writer. Each reader who connects with an author’s work will have a different experience than others who read the same piece. When an artist creates a work, they have to find a way to deliver their message so that it will resonate with their audience regardless of past experiences or upbringings.
ReplyDeleteGrace, I enjoy how you highlight the fact that writing literature can be difficult in the manner of creativity and providing different meanings within the book that every reader can relate to. An author must allow their books to be open to interpretation because this trait is what makes reading such a special art. In order for an author to be successful in this task then readers must set aside any bias or preconceived thoughts about the topic or book itself in order to accomplish different meanings and understandings than others. Finding your own understanding of a book is noteworthy because then the readers connect with the characters and plot on a deeper level.
ReplyDeleteI like your point that a writer must keep in mind that different people will interpret their work in different ways. While an author may have a certain interpretation for their work in mind it is impossible for them to make everyone who reads it have that same conclusion. While one reason for this may be that everyone has different perspectives and upbringings another aspect that we should consider is the fundamental difference of being the writer of a story and the reader of one. As a writer you have complete control and knowledge of everything within the book. Every detail is put there by you and with a purpose that you intended. Meanwhile the reader does not have this same knowledge. They do not know going into the book what symbols were put and how important each one is. They make take a simple coincidence to symbolize some hidden meaning within the text simply because they do not know what hidden meaning, if any, was put there originally.
ReplyDelete