As I stared at the sculpture that I chose to focus on last week it didn't take long for me to realize that it will be impossible to ever know what this piece really means without consulting its creator. I felt like I was cheating when, after a few minutes of blankly staring at the elegantly welded hodgepodge of semi-human metal body parts, I peeked at the placard set of to the side. The placard mentioned a few names, dates and places--all unfamiliar to me--and then it discussed the meanings that some art historian assigned to a few regions of the piece. I immediately began to disagree with the historian's conclusions. The placard never explained why these assumptions would be true, and I had no specific knowledge with which to validate them. Apart from being credited as a professional in this field, I had no reason to consider his assumption more or less valid than mine.
This whole situation reminds me of a great quote I found on the internet (of all places):
In the context of Abraham Lincoln quotes, this example is obviously fabricated, but when it comes down to a literary or visual analysis of a work, understanding which interpretations are reliable can be quite difficult. What it comes down to is one's ability to support an opinion. That is where I feel specific knowledge comes into play. Knowing close to nothing about cubism or metalwork from the late 30's, perhaps it would be difficult to support my opinion. But, just the same, anyone else's opinion is only as strong as the evidence that supports it.
This is brilliantly said; I couldn't have said it better myself. Once, after I had finished reading Native Son, I had to do a symbol analysis on Mrs. Dalton's and her cat. I could not think of anything to say, so I asked my teacher, "What does this symbol mean?" And she responded, "I don't know. It could mean anything you want it to be I suppose." Then I responded, "Well you should know. Aren't you the teacher?" Then she responded, "The only thing that sets you apart from me is that I'm a professional. In reality, I know just as much as you. As long as we can support what we each have to say, then we're both right." I was a little shocked, but I came to the conclusion she was right. She told me that in literature, there is no wrong answer, and that the author's point is to elicit several interpretations. If there was one cut and dry interpretation, "well then, that would be boring," she said.
ReplyDeleteFrom there, I looked at each time that Mrs. Dalton and her cat appeared in the story, analyzed it, then came to the conclusion of the meaning of the symbol. I then looked up what sparknotes.com had to say; we had two completely different interpretations. Not only were they different, they were the complete opposite. Then I thought to myself, why should I listen to sparknotes.com? Just because it is one of the leading websites where students get their information from doesn't mean anything. I stuck to my guns and took a risk. Even though my interpretation was much different, I supported it well, and I got a good grade on the assignment. I then showed my teacher what sparknotes said and she said to me, "I think your interpretation is better anyway."
Just a little anecdote that elaborates on Jordan's thoughts.