2017-18 AP LIT READING BLOG

Ambiguity allows readers to form their own opinions and find their own meaning to a story. It also lets readers learn to see things in different perspectives from other readers. Often readers form these opinions from their own experiences. When ambiguity is used it gives readers room to develop their own thoughts and use their minds more. It also lets the readers better connect with a story. Every person goes through different things and sees things differently allowing us to find different meanings within the story. Seeing others perspectives on the same story also helps us to connect with others and get a better insight on how personal experience has a major affect on perspective. Seeing others perspective this way helps our minds to grow. It helps us to look at situations different and people different. I find that it helps us to get along better with people because if we look at their perspective and their personal experience we get to know people better. It allows us to not be so ...

With this in mind, all authors and readers are able to connect on an intellectual level even if they perceive the art as something different. Art comes from nature, nature is the original muse, but within nature comes twists to the imagination where one creates their own stories and ideas about nature. It’s the way they are able to connect with nature and their art that inspires others to do the same, but instead, they are inspired by that previous work. “The author may be reworking a message, exploring changes (or continuities) in attitudes from one era to another, recalling parts of an earlier work to highlight features of the newly created one, drawing on associations the reader holds in order to fashion something new and, ironically, original.” (39) This displays how over time people are still inspired by past authors and artists. As in people will remain fascinated with Shakespeare and the way he perceived the nature around him.  He was able to draw from this nature and perce...

A textual connection is very important in literature. It can add to a story by making similarities that the readers will presumably understand. Intertextuality enhances the reading experience by introducing another piece of literature to tie it to “one big story.” This technique is definitely intentional; the author wants the reader to see the connections and create a great understanding of them. Intertextuality includes symbols as well; symbols create ties with other pieces of literature to add the extra piece in the story making it greater and more significant. It creates significance and value by forming a type of alignment to the “one big story.” Not only is it present in literature, but it is also highly present in the real world in religion. One of my closest friends had an interesting conversation with me recently about this and explained what he discovered about various faiths and their relation to each other and paganism and everything on a much deeper level. Each and every ...

When Foster applies King Solomon’s precept, saying that all "writing and telling belong to one big story.” he is meaning that all literature is in some way connected. Essentially, when one begins to read a big story, the beginning of the story is the time to figure out what it is about, what is going on, and with what mindset to approach the remainder of the story. This is how all writing and telling connects. In the beginning it simply understands but it soon becomes one big story that can all be connected and easily interpreted. Due to this belief, a readers experience can become much more exquisite because the reader will be able to make connections and understand the ideas and principals of literature. In my personal experience, I have noticed this very same principle in all types of art. For example, all of the different types of art are the different characters of the big story, so painting is one character; drawing is another, sculpting as well, and so on and so forth. Th...

Ambiguity is important in art and literature so that people can interpret information and debate on the topic without fear of being wrong. No two people will ever come from the exact same background, with similar experiences and understandings of what surrounds them. This creates a variety of interpretations which can keep discussions and debates lively and interesting. An example of this ambiguity within literature is in chapter 27, where Foster presents a story that the reader is to interpret, and then includes interpretations from college students and then his own. Each of the participants noticed the class tension and “snobbery” that was taking place within the story, but the way that they came to that conclusion weren’t close to one another. For example, one former student referenced the metaphor of “birds and flight,” while Foster himself mentions Greek legend in his analysis. Neither of these interpretations can be considered right or wrong, and are valid as long as the reasoni...

While reading any text, the reader is working to understand the writer’s piece as a whole, whether it be taking the words on the page for their literal meaning or looking for the deeper meanings of the piece; from the way the author constructed the piece using specific devices or his purpose for writing as a whole. For the reader, this means they are using all of their past experiences and knowledge as a whole to interact with a text and extract meaning from words on a page, whether their experiences are vast or minimal. This creates a large variety of interpretations, both due to reader experience and the element of ambiguity within literature. This is a complicated process for the reader, but authors have to account for this vast array of interpretation levels and create a piece that can be consumed by all. Often times the author must make some elements of symbolism more obvious in order to appeal to a more general audience so that they can have a level of enjoyment somewhat comp...

Ambiguity is present throughout literature, whether it is the ambiguity around the origins of a character, ambiguity around the conclusion of the story, or even ambiguity surrounding character motivations.  This ambiguity allows the reader to draw their own conclusions that will most likely differ from those of other readers.  These different conclusions on the part of the reader are usually the product of their personal experience and outlook on life.  These differing views are what makes the story worth talking about.  One of the most famous examples of ambiguity is the origin of Clint Eastwood’s character from the famous film A FistFul of Dollars.   This lack of explanation around Eastwood’s character is what earned him the nickname The Man With No Name and makes him both mysterious and engaging to the viewer.  This also lets the viewer see whatever they want in their protagonist and makes him that much more appealing.   By making elements of ...