Prompt 6

     When we start reading at an early age, we are often taught to understand everything on a surface level, so that we can first learn how to simply comprehend the meanings of the words we are reading. We begin our journeys as readers and writers learning how to use descriptive language and create a sentence that has more layers than simply the noun and verb we start learning to identify from a very young age in school. As we grow up and the style of literature we read and write matures, we take these same skills and begin to apply them to this "symbolic level" that Foster refers to. We start to realize that many times the books we had been reading for years had so much more to their meaning than the simple, surface meaning we were initially taught to recognize.
     This same principle applies to art, where what is presented often has a much deeper meaning than what is initially shown at first glance. Simply knowing that most works of both art and literature have this deep symbolic level allows audiences to start looking for commonalities between works and symbols in multiple pieces of literature that have the same meaning, or even symbols in two different works that have completely opposite meanings. Learning to look for this level of understanding leads to more mature and sophisticated works of art, both by the reader and the initial writer. However, this does require the reader to give their full attention to the piece of literature that is presented to them, because if they simply start reading the piece without looking for this deeper level, they'll never fully comprehend the message the author is trying to convey. Thankfully, we as students have been taught throughout high school to look for this symbolic level, and are able to understand the works we are asked to read on a much more fundamental level.

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 29, 2017 at 11:33 AM

    This concept holds especially true when revisiting literature that we read as children. As a high school student, novels often have a different meaning to us than they did as an elementary school student. We begin to notice a deeper meaning when we read certain pieces that we did not grasp as children. This makes reading an old favorite feel like consuming a brand new book. The skills we have developed throughout the years help us to form a deeper understanding of the “symbolic level,” and to take in the text as it was originally intended. This idea can be applied in a musical sense as well. I frequently hear songs that were popular ten years ago and realize that I was not comprehending the lyrics. Though this new knowledge has affected me negatively and positively, gaining insight as I grow older continues to excite me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 29, 2017 at 8:48 PM

    I think you capture something in this post that you do not quite address out right. You mentioned the books that we read as children with deeper meanings which flew right over our novice minds, but the fact is we still read these works, even without receiving the author's full message. On the most basic level, symbols must represent the things they are before they can represent something greater. While we have become mature readers who now seek the deeper meaning, we will not always "get it"; if we miss the symbols (which we undoubtedly will), all is not lost--the story will still carry itself as if there was no deeper meaning. While we put literature under the microscope, we have to recognize that the figurative meaning is bonus to the literal meaning, not the primary objective.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJuly 31, 2017 at 7:14 PM

    Rileigh,
    I love how you draw maturity and discuss that it can only be reached when you hit a level of understanding. While reading, I believe that maturity is a quality that comes up often. The reader must be mature enough to understand the book. Take the Hunger Games, for example: a “young adult” book. The reading/writing level for this is approximately 5th grade. The topic of the book, is much more mature than 5th grade though. As readers, we must find our maturity reading level so we are able to interpret the book better.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Writer Reader Connection (Prompt Four)

Selecting a book written by an author, who is unknown to the reader, is much like attending a blind date. The reader gains a first impression after methodically studying the cover of the novel, much like two individuals who meet for the first time. Both parties are aware that there is a chance the hours of preparation before the date were for naught, and no lasting connection will be created. The chemistry will be quickly noticed wither within the first ten minutes or one hundred pages. Once a connection is sparked it will be difficult to suppress and the first date will turn into dozens, in turn creating a metaphorical series. Then two series later and a shelf or drawer, must be cleared to place the newly collected items brought by a partner the reader never expected to have. This hypothetical situation of a blind date proves that the link between the reader and writer is necessary, and intimate. It is one that cannot be explained to another individual without car...
Read more

One Big Story

When Thomas C. Foster says, "writing and telling belong to one big story", he means that writers are influenced by what they have read and experienced and their works are reflections of that. There are many patterns in reading such as same settings throughout different stories or same plot with different characters. Foster also says, "stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems" (Foster 28), meaning that writers just add onto this one big story with their own twist. There are no original works because it is all one story. This idea adds to the richness of reading because if all stories are a part of one big story, then the connections between texts are easier to see once the concept is understood. The story has a new, deeper meaning if this idea is applied because it allows the reader to dig deeper into connecting stories to other stories. The plot of one story may connect to the reader more if the reader starts to look at the little things in the p...
Read more

Prompt two: King Solomon

Foster is exactly right when he says that all the writing is one big story. It's just like what king Solomon said, but why then, is it possible for us to keep revisiting the older texts year after year? The answer is two-fold and is present in the first chapter of this book. His students are all flabbergasted by his suggestion about the devil. This shows that all writings are connected through different allusions and references which he draws upon when he refers to the various Faust stories. A similar trope is present in books by J.R. Tolkien or C.S.Lewis. They both were devout Christians who included religious themes in their books. Additionally, the old texts can be repeatedly drawn upon and viewed in new ways. These different interpretations are the result of different experiences and lifestyles that cast some characters in different lights for different people. Considering that the prompt asks about art in general, I feel like the album cover for the Coldplay song Viva ...
Read more