Cowes Homework
Developing an interpretation
There is no single correct reading of a text, nor is one reading more valid than another. Different interpretations arise from different responses to a text.
An interpretation is more than an ‘opinion’ – it is the justification of your point of view using relevant examples or evidence from the text to support it and strengthen it.
‘The meaning happens as the text is read and reflected upon’
The world of the director, the world of the text and the world of the reader combine together to help provide meaning when we read or view texts. To develop an ‘interpretation’ we need to understand these three elements.
The world of the director - When a director interprets and directs a film, he or she does so in a context. This context includes the director's feelings, beliefs, past experiences, goals, needs, and physical environment.
The world of the text – The text is set in a time and a place that may be fundamentally different from the world in which the reader/viewer lives. It expresses thoughts and ideas that reflect values and beliefs of that time. Events and characters need to be judged within that framework.
The world of the reader - When one watches a film, one watches in the context of his or her own world and brings along his or her own thoughts and feelings and ideas.
What does this mean to us? Interpretation is something a reader does in response to a text. http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/arts/english/2.3.xml http://web.mst.edu/~gdoty/classes/concepts-practices/interpretation-literature.html
How to develop an interpretation
1. Observe - Watch the film closely and observe the facts and details about the text. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text characters structural elements symbolism film technique cultural or historical references
2. Interpret your observations – Your task is to move from the observation of particular facts and details to a conclusion, or interpretation, based on those
There is no single correct reading of a text, nor is one reading more valid than another. Different interpretations arise from different responses to a text.
An interpretation is more than an ‘opinion’ – it is the justification of your point of view using relevant examples or evidence from the text to support it and strengthen it.
‘The meaning happens as the text is read and reflected upon’
The world of the director, the world of the text and the world of the reader combine together to help provide meaning when we read or view texts. To develop an ‘interpretation’ we need to understand these three elements.
The world of the director - When a director interprets and directs a film, he or she does so in a context. This context includes the director's feelings, beliefs, past experiences, goals, needs, and physical environment.
The world of the text – The text is set in a time and a place that may be fundamentally different from the world in which the reader/viewer lives. It expresses thoughts and ideas that reflect values and beliefs of that time. Events and characters need to be judged within that framework.
The world of the reader - When one watches a film, one watches in the context of his or her own world and brings along his or her own thoughts and feelings and ideas.
What does this mean to us? Interpretation is something a reader does in response to a text. http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/arts/english/2.3.xml http://web.mst.edu/~gdoty/classes/concepts-practices/interpretation-literature.html
How to develop an interpretation
1. Observe - Watch the film closely and observe the facts and details about the text. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text characters structural elements symbolism film technique cultural or historical references
2. Interpret your observations – Your task is to move from the observation of particular facts and details to a conclusion, or interpretation, based on those