A Literary Fastball
Stepping up to the plate is a reader of the play, this reader has to wait for the writer to pitch while the catcher or the interpreter gets into position behind the batter. Unlike in the real game of baseball the literacy version consists of a pitcher that wants the batter to get a home run from his fastball. The only way a good batter can do this though is if he carefully reads the play to understand the direction this fastball is coming from. If he does not want to take the time to read the play the batter will miss what the pitcher is throwing at them and might as well just lay their bat down and walk away.
A good writer shares a set of skills with a good reader and interpreter, likewise, every good writer, reader and
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The catcher has to be able to read the ball and react to it in order to not get blindsided. In the literary sense interpreting an piece of writing is a crucial element. How does the writing make the interpreter respond, react, and change? As an interpreter reading the speech “Ain’t I A Woman” I was impacted by Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree). This was possible only after I analyzed her speech for hidden meanings. The speech addressed Baumfree’s views on women’s rights, specifically African American women. She used rhetorical devices such as pathos, ethos, logos, allusion to make her argument more impactful, and it worked. Interpreting this speech is a little different then interpreting a article or an educational essay. Many times I find myself automatically responding to the text with either negative or positive feelings without taking into consideration the rest of the essay. In this case I was forced to read the speech multiple times through in order to fully come to terms with it and identify my feelings in response to it. I found that I agreed with Baumfree. Who are men without us