There is no true meaning to a text

How to approach the challenge of analysis

In Language and Literature you will most probably be presented with texts that are from other cultures and time periods to your own. In Northern Australia the Tiwi people identify this with one word, Ngaruwanajirra, which means different people, from different clans, from different places, we come together as one. It will seem a challenge to find meaning but all people are connected. As you encounter creators and subjects of texts you need to get comfortable with what we call multiple meanings. Sure, purpose and perspective matter, but it is this uncertainty of meaning that we need you to get comfortable with expressing.

Like historians, in Language A we look, we look again; we look closer and we look deeper. There are many tools to help your analysis and appreciation – for language studies the Media Lit website, www.medialit.org provides a useful framework to deconstruct and construct the message.

Remember, there are no studies nor statistics to trust. Be in two minds about meaning and embrace the uncertainty. Nga tai whakarongorua (Maori language).