All interpretations are valid as long as they can be proven and cannot be disproven. It is possible to have an objectively wrong interpretation if you ignore evidence, context, etc. As you said, interpretations need backing. Damn, I just got tricked into going into AP Lit on the weekend.
the reference to 'english teachers' in the image is pretty telling since thats where most people's experience critically analysing media begins and ends lol
I interpreted the picture as a man who's waiting for the bus, who's enjoying the rain as it falls in quiet serenity, a man who enjoys every moment of his life Surprising how different the original intent was😅
Great video! I had a conversation with a friend a while back about this. We had opposite feelings on the idea that our intended interpretation could be lost if we ever published something. He said to me that he liked the thought because when you publish something, it isn’t just yours, it belongs to everyone who reads it so all interpretations are valid. I said I didn’t like the idea because when I’m writing, I’m doing so with the intent of a specific story and meaning and it would upset me if the meaning I worked so hard to express was missed. He asked me, what if my writing had such a profound impact on someone’s life even if that person didn’t interpret my writing the way I had intended? I think I said something along the lines of I would be happy because someone was still affected by my work. It’s a very nuanced topic and I’m glad my friend and I had this conversation.
Great video. I especially enjoyed the thought experiment with the image and the interpretations of my fellow diamond members. I personally like learning what an author was thinking or intending when creating a piece of media as my personal interpretation sometimes feels incomplete without it (Frank Herbert's environmental work and disillusionment with hero myths was essential to me getting a better understanding of Dune, for example), but how a piece makes me think or feel will always take precedence when I feel the need to discuss with others. Really looking forward to the next segment of this little series, and the end of year channel retrospective you mentioned as well.
The curtains are blue, this videos just proves to me that people really want their headcanons to be real, as a form of searching for validation. This is like the kid that is playing superheroes and always creates a new power because he doesn't want to lose.
@@rafresendenrafresenden.1644 People aren't ignoring the story, the story is the basis for their interpretations and the video makes it clear you also need strong backing. Perhaps the curtains are just blue, but if you can make a strong case through actual story elements, then what's so invalid?
Great video Asa! As an English major, this video hit home the many debates centered around interpretation, death of the author, what is a "proper" interpretation and what isn't, and the horrible trauma I experienced analyzing literature. Thanks for the video, would love to see more like it!
I took an entrance exam for college a couple of weeks back, and 3 "Languages" questions, out of 15, were about a very short segment of a book and what the author meant by their use of certain words and punctuation. None of the alternatives in any of the 3 questions even seemed plausible to me, as I'd had a completely different interpretation of the text. As I was trying to understand which interpretations were the "correct" ones, I paused to think about _how_ there could be a "correct" interpretation in the first place, and how the questions' organizers could enforce it as fact. I later looked up similar questions from previous years' exams to see if I could learn to get them right, and I found an article about how one writer was asked to take an exam - with the same format as the one I took - that asked about "his" intent; the writer couldn't answer a single question, which I found absolutely hilarious. In short, the author is colorblind and the curtains are actually green.
A wail ago I watched a video of why some equivalent of the currtens are blue is so common and came to a conclusion that I think makes sense is the idea of metaphor isn't exactly concreat and something as you said that can have multiple interpretations is the anthasis of what we learn in school and especially for most students who are just getting through school that there is one right answer and the easiest conclusion to come to that sounds wright and most "concrete" thing is that the curten is blue because it's blue
The words “It’s not that deep bro” for me, are a telltale sign that the individual just doesn’t use their brain at all. And then they’ll call any further thought into any subject “Mental Gymnastics”. Absolutely hopeless.
That's the most infuriating response because you can't really reply with anything discussion worthy because that reply implies they just don't care or don't want to know. The best you can do is an ad hominem to their inability to think and maybe anger them to start thinking more, but even then that's not a good way to start a discussion.
Hmm… While I do agree with the core point of the video, I do think this way of thinking about media has some huge issues. Those issues can be broken down into two categories imo: "hyper interpretation" and "killing the author too soon". For the first category, the problem comes from an aspect you highlighted: everyone interpreting art comes in with their baggage and gives its meaning through the process. In a way, art is like a Rorschach test where your interpretation of it is more synonym of you and your values than the piece itself. But the problem comes when that process goes haywire and the Interpreter does the media literacy equivalent of a syllogism. They can just take elements of the text and create a narrative from separate bits that, while they make sense abstractly, can feel like a gigantic reach. And I think that from this process comes the "curtains are blue" memes in some people. The feeling that while there is a text to support what you are saying, the conclusion you’re reaching feels for them as saying that "Socrates is in fact a cat" so to speak. Not to say they are right in saying that though and I also feel annoyed at the anti-intellectualism some people can have. But I also think it’s valid for some people to be annoyed at those who basically use art as a way to say anything and just push what they want out of it. The video game The Beginners Guide was excellent at showing that. The second category sorta comes from the first category. Completely rejecting what the author intended can have some major issues when it comes to subversive works of art or works of art coming from a different culture. Those issues are the problematic tendency of implanting their views of the world in a text that intends to challenge it. They ignore every aspect that doesn’t fit what they want the text to be and weave an interpretation that fits more with their worldview. The more mainstream example I can think of is a right-winger who saw black panther as a movie that hailed isolationism and the strengths that come from it. This example may not be perfect but I guarantee you this is a thing and particularly affects the author from a POC background on a smaller scale. Sometimes it feels like being exposed to ways of viewing the world that are so drastically different creates an adverse reaction where some interpreters can use the typical tools or concepts they use to understand a piece of media, so they either try to shove it in no matter the consequences or just dismiss the work as bad because it doesn’t match the idea of what the thing they are trying to interpret should be. So yeah. Not sure if my example or arguments made complete sense since It’s pretty late and I’m too tired to check but hopefully you see where I’m coming from.
Problem with this video is it misses the point of the meme In that people will use Death of the Author to disingenuously make the text whatever they want to prove a point no matter how outrageous. Not all readings are created equal and some people can just be wrong. It's a scummy practice often used by people that ironically force others to see their interpretation as correct or at least more intellectual despite on the other side of their mouth claiming differently. It also means that you can claim any meaning no matter how asanine on literal nothings. For the record I don't for one second believe your discord people believe a single word of their BS about your sketch doodle. And I'm being generous because the alternative is they are just that delusionally brain rotted. This video just renforces the meme in my mind.
In a way good media will direct you to what it wants you to see and consider. Even if it wants poeple to come out with different interpretations, it will put the boundaries Though good art these days is called a masterpiece 😮
Hot take: I don’t give a shit about your characters’ taste in interior decorating. If you’re going to waste my time by telling me their curtains are blue, there better be a damn good reason. (Even if it’s just “blue is their favorite color.” That’s technically characterization.) Like do people seriously think design decisions are just made arbitrarily? The electricity guy from MHA is primarily yellow with lightning bolts on his hero’s outfit just because? Not every character is Trish from Golden Wind. (And even with her the math symbols help tie her outfit together.) Why yes, I do teach English. Why do you ask?
Brilliant video! I think it showcases really well how multiple interpretations of a piece are perfectly valid, and even the author themselves might know their own intent when writing a story. My own personal interpretation of the picture was that the man understood all of the pressure of everyday life. Him going to/coming back from work, the rain hitting his head, the eternal wait for the bus, and the bikes on the road. And yet, the man smiles because he is content. He sits upright instead of slouched, showing his determination to stay strong and head back home, maybe to a family, and cherish a few minutes before repeating the same day again.
I kinda like this style of video. It reminds me of Khan Academy, but in a good way. Also, apparently I've been pronouncing Azzi wrong in my head this whole time.
I think it is a self report of the person who made the meme in the first place to try and appear smart. The phrase of "the curtains are blue". Yet you learn from the english teacher there is a man involved in the story. Then you have the english teacher's observation of the man potentially being depressed, which means there is other context clues that are left out. Essentially rendering the meme into a strawman argument where lies are told by omission of context.
I believe meaning is something that is built. Its building blocks must include the piece itself, but also can include others people's interpretations, including that of the author. Much like with a scientific theory, an interpretation not backed by the text is not a valuable interpretation; some people believe Death of the Author means that any and all interpretations are valid, but that is not correct.
i feel like since its the authors story their obvious idea and interpretation should be prioritized before we use our own, then do so when necessary, after all its important to tune in to their story as if its their idea not our own
I agree with the "it's not that deep bro" argument sometimes. I'm a dragon ball fan, and something that annoys me to no end are the people that bring Journey to the West into everything. I'm not denying that somethings from Dragon Ball are based on that, but when you try to force it into everything especially modern day. That's when I just have to say its not that deep because I highly doubt they look to that story every time they are coming up with something new.
