You Gotta Be the Book

While reading Chapter 2 of You Gotta Be the Book, I had found the point of valid reading very interesting. We had discussed in class how, while moving through the education system, we have to make a transition from not interpreting text in many ways to having to find a hundred ways to interpret text. In many cases, there are more ways than one to decipher what an author is trying to say in his stories. Taking Shakespeare for example, he has wrote so many sonnets and plays, each with his own meaning. While we try to read these pieces, we are forced to come up with our own take on what is happening. I could say that the situation is about A, then someone else could claim it was about B. Regardless, we can never truly find out the answer due to the fact that Shakespeare is no longer around.

While reading things in class, there is always conflict on trying to achieve the right answers while reviewing text. But that is just it. What is the right answer? How can a teacher tell you what is right or wrong if there are multiple interpretations. I tried to gain some outside sources to clear the confusion but I could find none. All I could find is how to interpret something like data, something with a fixed standard or outcome. Seeing this information only proves my point even more though! How can we interpret incorrectly if there is no set, correct way?

Using Wilhelm's reference to Rosenblatt, "It is critical to consider the author's intent and meaning, embodied in the "actual accomplishment" (40). Looking at this quote it is easy to see that we are supposed to pull meaning and ideas from the text we read, but I feel as if we are given the right to decide what those are on our own. There should be no way to determine if your right or wrong, unless you ask the author themselves, in which case the teacher is unable to grade accordingly. There is no set system for the validity of reading and interpreting text.