After
pouring over the pages of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it was as
if I couldn’t take three steps outside of my house without being savagely bombarded
by symbolism. It was everywhere! All but one flower has bloomed: symbolism! Two
people stand talking to each other, one in the shade, and the other in the
sunlight: symbolism! A little boy accidentally drops his last animal cracker,
losing it forever to the cruel sidewalk: overflowing with symbolism!
Instead of
seeing the figures in front of me, I was seeing what they could represent, what
they might allude to if I were in a story. I was connecting what I saw to what I
had read, and assigning meaning, because this is how a professor sees the world
(at least I hope it is, or I should probably reread that book).
As readers,
making connections is what we do. Each word is run through our own personal
database of meanings, compiled from all we’ve experienced, in reading and in
life. Every teapot, every dance step, every style of scarf has profound meaning
because it reminds the reader of something else they’ve seen or heard or read.
Words do not gain significance until they are repeated; before that they are
only clusters of sound, they are only flat, two dimensional piles of letters.
And while there are some that have been repeated to the point of becoming cliché,
there is no shame in using a word that holds meaning to a great many people; its
power is in its repetition.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. To see every ordinary part of life as something special and deeper is the best way to go about living.
I particularly found your idea “words do not gain significance until they are repeated” compelling as it leads me to questions, what if the significance is all in the mind of the reader? Words are just words, as you said “two dimensional piles” but when they really come to life is when someone sees the larger purpose of them and finds the meaning. Perhaps that is why repetition brings about more significance. Readers have seen that symbol before and now as they see it again they understand the significance more. No wonder writers like to pull from other texts because for words power really does come from repetition.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post because I believe one of your main points is the reason literature is beloved by many. The fact that people can give deeper significance to even the most menial daily tasks makes the world a much more riveting and intriguing place to live. Another important point you made was about making connections. I believe we inherently do this as readers because it is part of our DNA as humans. Since the dawn of recorded history, humans have tried to connect to each other, explain the landscape around them, and assign a true purpose for their existence. Our job as readers is an affectation of this mentality. Whether it is deciding what higher being brought us in to this world or that rain signifies something other than weather, humans will always assign meaning.
I had the exact same experience! After reading the book, symbolism was everywhere. As I read How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I noticed more every day objects and occurrences as a more meaningful action than it really was. The book makes the readers review everything they’ve learned about what writing contains and how simple actions that happen can mean more than we view it normally. The connections that the readers can make now can change a person’s whole view of writing altogether. Certain words can now have a new meaning to a reader and can even make the reading more interesting!
ReplyDeleteOlivia, after completing this book, I can personally relate to the phenomenon you described at the beginning of your entry. Everything around me appears to be some form of symbolism, intricately designed by a power of great and infinite wisdom. Consequently, in an attempt to pull away from this drive to dig for deeper meanings, I repeat Sigmund Freud’s famous quote in my head: “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” I now encourage you to remember this phrase as well. As Foster reminds us, “Sometimes a meal is just a meal, and eating with
ReplyDeleteothers is simply eating with others.”