B.+Effective+Writing+Rating+1

Katie Flanders October 31, 2011 Different Interpretations of “Reunion” When you hear a word, just one single word with no phrase or sentence that comes along with it, what do you think of? Virtually anything could come to mind, but what pops up in your brain would have to relate somewhat to your past. For example, when hearing the word autumn, I think of raking leaves with my grandparents when I was little, but someone else might think of the colored leaves or the smell of apples instead because that’s what they associate autumn with in their brains. This kind of reading and analyzing is called the “reader response theory.” Through this theory one is able to interpret text in their own way. When reading “Reunion,” by John Cheever, one is able to analyze and interpret each scene of the essay according to their own thinking.

In the beginning, the boy meets his father again after a long time apart. There isn’t a lot of description on what the father looks like except for the line “he was a big, good looking man.” Based on this general description, the reader can imagine the father in any way they feel. When I think of a father, I automatically think of my own father and his features but another might think of their father, who looks completely different than mine. Then, there might also be a person who doesn’t even know their father, and they might think of a person who has influenced them in their life like a father. There are many different images of this one simple character being created in each person’s mind. Having a general statement in a story can make every reader’s point of view become different than another.

Since every reader can interpret the text differently according to what comes to their mind, that means the reader also can get different meanings out of the text. When I read the line “I wanted some record of our having been together,” I think that the son is happy to see his father and wants to share with everyone that he has met his father again. This could also be interpreted in a negative way. The son could have wanted to have a record of being together so that he could tell everyone about how awful and rude his father really is. The meaning of the story depends on how you feel it goes on in your head. How you interpret it in your head goes back to your past experiences. Therefore, there are always multiple meanings to the text, the reader’s job is to simply interpret as they feel.

The reader response theory can make any text have a multitude of meanings. Everything is based off of prior knowledge and experience and, since everyone has had different experiences in their lives, the text is going to be interpreted differently every single time it’s read. Though the author may have wanted to portray a specific meaning in the text, one might see it in a completely new way that the author didn’t intend to show in their story. For example, in “Reunion,” when Cheever writes, “‘Goodbye, Daddy,’ I said, and I went down the stairs and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father,” the reader may interpret this ending differently than what Cheever intended. Cheever may have wanted this ending to be more positive because the son is finally getting away from his rude father, but the reader may feel the ending more negative because the son will never see his father again.

This theory can help to determine every reader’s point of view of the text. When people from completely different backgrounds come together to read a certain story, one’s interpretation and understanding of the text can totally counter that of the other.

A 9-Point Rubric for writing about literature An 8-9 essay responds to the prompt clearly, directly, and fully. This paper approaches the text analytically, supports a coherent thesis with evidence from the text, and explains how the evidence illustrates and reinforces its thesis. The essay employs subtlety in its use of the text and the writer’s style is fluent and flexible. It is also free of mechanical and grammatical errors. A 6-7 essay responds to the assignment clearly and directly but with less development than an 8-9 paper. It demonstrates a good understanding of the text and supports its thesis with appropriate textual evidence. While its approach is analytical, the analysis is less precise than in the 8-9 essay, and its use of the text is competent but not subtle. The writing in this paper is forceful and clear with few if any grammatical and mechanical errors. A 5 essay addresses the assigned topic intelligently but does not answer it fully and specifically. It is characterized by a good but general grasp of the text using the text to frame an apt response to the prompt. It may employ textual evidence sparingly or offer evidence without attaching it to the thesis. The essay is clear and organized but may be somewhat mechanical. The paper may also be marred by grammatical and mechanical errors. A 3-4 essay fails in some important way to fulfill the demands of the prompt. It may not address part of the assignment, fail to provide minimal textual support for its thesis, or base its analysis on a misreading of some part of the text. This essay may present one or more incisive insights among others of less value. The writing may be similarly uneven in development with lapses in organization, clarity, grammar, and mechanics. A 1-2 essay commonly combines two or more serious failures. It may not address the actual assignment; it may indicate a serious misreading of the text; it may not offer textual evidence or may use it in a way that suggests a failure to understand the text; it may be unclear, badly written, or unacceptably brief. The style of this paper is usually marked by egregious errors. Occasionally a paper in this range is smoothly written but devoid of content. Grade conversion 9 = A+. 8=A 7 = A- 6=B+ 5=B 4 = B- 3=C 2=D 1=F Created by Carol Jago