Multivocality

What is the significance of a single text have many meanings? 

People will always have different perspectives when they view different issues and everyone comes from different backgrounds and experiences. The same is true when it comes to interpreting meanings from symbols or texts. Take the American flag as an example, Americans might see it as a symbol of freedom and independence yet other countries might take a very different perspective depending on their relationship with the States. Same goes for reading a book, different people will take away different learnings and lessons from similar texts depending on their attitude towards it. This difference in opinion and perspective is important as it allows people to look beyond their own views and understand how others think in turn revealing meanings that they might have missed or misunderstood.

In establishing national identity, why is it significant that a flag has no one, fixed meaning? 

This is a very similar case to the ones described above. But of course, the flag of a nation will carry many different meanings, even to its own citizens. These meanings can only come from individuals perspectives on what the nation symbolizes and what its priorities are.

If texts have unstable, multiple meanings, what is the significance of reading literature and other written texts? 

If anything, these unstable meanings should encourage people to read more texts. Our perspective on issues is shaped by our experience and by what we read. Just because meanings may differ, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be useful to us. Everyone will take away different lessons and still find value in them.