Can texts ever be truly representative of groups of people?
I think that texts can truly represent groups of people because ideally, texts convey messages, that come from an individuals opinion or understanding of a topic, however, it’s not to say that sometimes it could be incorrect or subjective. Reading texts is quite a subjective thing to do and with any text that you read, there’s a fine line between the facts and your personal opinion. Not saying that every text that has been written represents people in the greatest light, but for the most part, they do. An example of this could be the news. If there was an article that exclaimed how a celebrity has done immense work towards a charity and is succeeding in this line of work, most people would draw the conclusion that this person is giving, hardworking, genuine and etc. however, if a celebrity was involved in a certain type of scandal, the light that they stand under is quite dark and negative. It only takes the ability to convey the message/story the right way and through that, we may perceive this representation of this person depending on how we read it and simply believe it, or take into account of our own opinions, augment that with what our takeaway may be and stray away from the given facts that could potentially be wrong or subjective.
How does identity play a role in how we understand or respond to texts?
In my opinion, I think that identity plays a huge role in how we understand or respond to texts because initially, it’s our own understanding from past experiences or instilled values and beliefs that have shaped the way we see the world now and how we interpret information from these texts as well as apply them to our everyday lives. Additionally, I think that with people coming from very different backgrounds and cultures (part of one’s identity) in our school community, it can be easily said that if there was one given article put between 5 different people, the takeaway and interpretation could either be similar or contrasting. Going back to the idea of different upbringings/values and beliefs, I think that the way we understand a text will indefinitely be contrasting to how someone else may perceive it, though the way in which we respond to texts could be similar. This brings me to the idea that after reading a given text, usually a discussion could arise and within that discussion you would share your own thoughts and opinions or even feelings, considering how it has impacted you. Then, moving forward, someone will add to the conversation and input their own thoughts and opinions — naturally, the conversation initially becomes a place where ideas are constantly being added on top of one another and it will then draw to a final conclusion in which both parties ideas are taken into account, and essentially have been woven into one large understanding.
