By Dylan J. Wohlfert
The title “Writing Expresses and Shares Meaning to Be Reconstructed by the Reader” by Charles Bazerman summarizes the message of the reading well. The author talks about how writing is up for interpretation by the reader. It is important to know when beginning to read that it has a meaning. A combination of words can mean one thing to one person, but a completely different thing to another. Many times in literature, an author will write about a specific message or lesson that they want to give to the audience. But, the reader may not think the same way and not interpret the writing the way the author intended. The beauty of writing is being able to gain something from it and interpreting it in a way that could help you, and it doesn’t always have to be interpreted in the same way as others. No one is born with the same brain or has the same way of thinking. Knowing that writing can be reconstructed by the reader, it can be a challenge for writers to share ideas or express feelings through writing. Writing can be quite personal, and sharing it with readers might trigger fear in the writer that their writing may be judged. If writers have a clear idea of what they want the reader to know, it is important that they stay committed to writing in a way that makes the reader fully aware of their message.
An example of when writing can be reconstructed is in the courtroom by lawyers. Lawyers often find loopholes to defend their client. Loopholes can be found in different laws, legislation, and contracts. Lawyers examine documents such as these to see if they can be interpreted in a way that can help to make their client look innocent. This can directly relate to the reading “Writing Expresses and Shares Meaning to Be Reconstructed by the Reader” because the text explains how writing is up for interpretation by the reader, and in this example the documents being examined for loopholes are being used specifically for being interpreted differently. For reasons like this, it can be hard for lawmakers to create laws due to fears of having them misinterpreted, just as the author of the text made a point about.
This photo demonstrates how lawyers analyze important legal documents to defend their client and ultimately win their case.
