Literal Interpretation in Literature Literature is meant to provide a perspective on life. Phrases or quotes found in works of literature may be used to help express one's own thoughts, to describe a particular situation, or even to apply the circumstances in another piece of literature. Readers often utilize literary quotes for this purpose, yet not every reader will interpret a given quote the same way. One example of a phrase which can have many different meanings is the biblical quote "The
in his time of childhood swinging through the same trees, bending the same branches, and listening after and ice storm as the branches “click upon themselves/ As the breeze rises” (Lines 7-8). There is so much more to a poem than just its literal interpretation. Being a master of language and the written word Robert Frost camouflages his meanings behind the descriptions of the nature around him. He expressed his need to use this method of reaching the reader in his talk, “Education by Poetry”: Poetry
distance that separates East from West; there is the bay that separates East Egg from West Egg; and, there is the Valley of Ashes that separates Long Island from New York. The last of these is probably the most striking. Yet, the traditional literal interpretation does not serve Fitzgerald's theme as well as a more figurative one would--the "Valley of Ashes" is not literally a valley of ashes, but is rather a figurative description of the middle-class values and suburbia that clash with those of New
rendering a literal interpretation of the words on the pages. Yet, a piece of literature—like the human mind—also contains a recondite element that governs the actions contained within the work. Sigmund Freud suggested that “like the iceberg, the human mind is structured so that its great weight and density lie beneath the surface” (Guerin et al. 127). Similarly, the “great weight and density” of Elizabeth Bowen’s “The Demon Lover” also lies beneath the surface. While a literal interpretation reduces
Henry Morris, director of the Institute for Creation Research, their studies require "no reliance upon biblical revelation," but utilize "only scientific data to support and expound the creation model." (1) Specifically, this model is the literal interpretation of Genesis as it happened 6,000 years ago. Discoveries in both geology and biology were already deconstructing this model by the mid-19th century, and by the turn of the 20th century most fundamentalists had simply conceded the scientific
are said to have come from the Flood in Noah’s time. The most generally accepted date of the creation of the Earth was October 22, 4004 B.C.E. Certain groups such as and especially Christian fundamentalists who believe in the inerrancy and literal interpretation of the Bible are the main subscribers of this train of thought. One example of how this would be possible even when scientific evidence suggest that the Earth is far older then 6,000 years is that when God created things, he created them with
of the Shrew is unnecessary and irrelevant to the main plot. (Bloom, 28) Shakespeare placed the induction into The Shrew for a specific dramatic purpose. The comedic tone of the play would be lost without the induction, resulting in a more literal interpretation of the play thus leaving the reader unable to distinguish the author’s true intention. One cannot fully grasp the meaning of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew until one understands the importance of the tie between the induction and the
True Justice Through Application of the Death Penalty The death penalty, as administered by states based on their individual laws, is considered capital punishment, the purpose of which is to penalize criminals convicted of murder or other heinous crimes (Fabian). The death penalty issue has been the focus of much controversy in recent years, even though capital punishment has been a part of our country's history since the beginning. Crimes in colonial times, such as murder and theft of livestock
Hemmingway has a unique style of writing. It works on multiple levels. A person could read Farewell to Arms and enjoy it as a tragic love story. Hemmingway’s concise writing style allows a literal interpretation. At the same time a reader could get involved with the various symbols that he has placed in the novel. In a way everything he has can be used as a symbol depending on a person’s biases. This is what makes Hemmingway’s writing even more unique. He can have what seems to be a straightforward
years, the government passed many laws that did, in fact, "abridge the freedom of speech" for a variety of reasons. Now, new technology appears to be giving the government another issue in which it must decide if it should go against the literal interpretation of the Constitution. This paper will show how content on the Internet can be seen as dangerous, and if it should be censored. It will then investigate what strategies are being used to censor it. The Internet has provided a new and
divine sanction or by a self-established belief in superiority. For some, this understanding is intimately tied to the traditional tenets that have long been held as fact, having only recently been challenged. For modern Christians, the literal interpretation of the Bible=s account of creation has come under attack by the development and widespread acceptance of Darwinian evolution. To some, undermining the credibility of Biblical creation directly calls into question the Bible=s authority on
last week more definitive evidence came forth which demonstrates that bigfoot does exist. It is we. Yes, those of us in the United States, on average, have the biggest feet on the planet. Surprised? I am not writing here about shoe size—the literal interpretation—but rather the individual impact that our lifestyles have on the planet. This metaphorical footprint has been shown to be a very useful way to evaluate the impact each one of us is having. You see, several researchers have recently determined
Explain what you understand by a literal interpretation of the Bible The Christian faith follows stories, letters, and teachings of God and Jesus Christ. These teachings, miracles, letters, stories, and events are all recorded in different times, locations, and people (by Jesus’ apostles and eyewitnesses) – The Bible is considered to be a word for word dictation of God to the authors. Their recollections are all collected in one holy ancient book named the Bible. The Bible is split into two scripts
Literal Interpretation of Scripture Removing all Danger of Human Error All world religions have their own sacred scriptures. They all teach that the world and the universe was created, that the universe is not meaningless and that it has a purpose as do humans. This is explained in the bible and all sacred literature. Often people ask 'is the bible reliable' and 'was it just made up'. Many Christians believe that the bible is the direct word of God and believe every word of the bible.
the need for the “family- doctor”. These scenes have deeper meaning than just the literal sense. This chapter can be interpreted by using Dante’s “Four Levels of Interpretation”. The first level of interpretation is the literal. This level focuses on what literally happened in the story. The second level of interpretation is the allegorical. This level is concerned with the meaning hidden beneath the words in the literal sense. It tells of the nature of man and what we do in certain situations. The
The Extensive Use of Symbolism in Emily Dickinson's Poem #315 As I had no prior experience with Emily Dickinson's work, I was unsure of what to expect from this assignment. I read the poem about fifteen or twenty times before I was even able to ask myself legitimate questions about Dickinson's thoughts as she composed this work over two hundred years ago. I couldn't even look to the title for guidance..."ugh, this is going to be tough" ran through my head over and over. I began by researching
the reader would simply deduce the stanza’s literal meaning: the son has gone down an elevator and is now on the street. After further observation, it should be noted that the same line that begins the poem also ends it, which confirms the writer’s intention for it to be figurative. The poem focuses on the son’s feelings and thoughts as he is looking up at what he perceives to be his father’s hospital window. The second stanza concretes the literal foundation for the poem—the son is despondent
And, it 's very frustrating to have all these different dreams but not be able to choose which direction to go. For other people, it can feel like they have no purpose in life. The words, "I don 't know what to do with my life," take on a very literal meaning. They have no passions that they want to pursue and no idea why they were even put here. This can
Gillian Clarke's Catrin tackles one of the well-considered themes in feminist writing - the mother-daughter relationship. CATRIN ====== Gillian Clarke's "Catrin" tackles one of the well-considered themes in feminist writing - the mother-daughter relationship. The aspect of the relationship that Clarke explores here is the bond ("rope") that ties them together and from which they try to free themselves from the very beginning, even before birth. Freeing yourself as an individual within
similarities. The first poem I am going to examine is "digging" by Seamus Heaney. I will first comment on the title of the poem. "Digging" has both a metaphorical and literal meaning to it. The literal meaning is that his father and his grandfather are farmers. The poem talks about the men "Digging" and working, so this explains the literal meaning of the poem. The metaphorical meaning is that Seamus Heaney is "Digging" into his past and back round, which is farming. So, the title is rather effective