A group of first grade students were shown the following grid of four numbers and asked to pick out the one that was different. The first response was my immediate reaction. The remaining responses are those of the first graders.
- 9 - the only odd number
- 4 - not part of the sequence
- 10 - the only two digit number
- 4 - the only number that is all straight lines
Notice
- Every answer given is correct.
- Every answer is based on patterns within the numbers.
- It is impossible to tell which answer the author of the grid intended.
- While all of the answers are interesting, some seem more significant, important, relevant, or valuable than the other answers.
Literary interpretation works in a similar way. There may be multiple ways of looking at a text, but each interpretation of the text must be based on patterns existing within the text and not forcibly imposed on the text. Some interpretations of a text may be more significant, important, relevant, or valuable than other interpretations of the text. Interpretations of the text may not align with what the author intended. For longer, more complex works, like epic poems, plays, and novels, there are more opportunities for multiple interpretations based on all or parts of the text.
Literary interpretations are rooted in the various elements of literature and writing such as genre 
, tone, the style, sense, and sound of language, grammar, patterns of repetition, imagery, and metaphorical and symbolic language. Interpretations of literature can also be based on various theories of literary criticism.
