Ambiguity, in general, is when there is something that is vague or has dual interpretations, and generally has a negative connotation. For example, when someone says, "Your parents are very interesting," it could be interpreted as a good thing or a bad thing. Ambiguity can cause teenagers a lot of stress over whether or not a winky-face in a text means something, or whether saying "I like you" means "...as friends" or "...as more-than-friends" (We all know what that's like).
It can be applied similarly in literature. When an author uses words or phrases that are ambiguous, it leaves the reader wondering exactly what they meant. The phrases or words have multiple meanings, which leaves a feeling of uncertainty in the reader. It is part of the authors' style, and their intent with the story they are telling. Shakespeare was really big on ambiguity. He used it all the time, man, like every single time. For example, the scene in Romeo and Juliet when Juliet is talking to her mother about Tybalt's death. Juliet's lines are all very ambiguous (is she saying she loves Romeo or that she hates him?) so that the mother won't find out that Romeo and Juliet were in love.
Ambiguity can apply to whole parts of a plot, or a character, not just a word. Like in 1984, the reader is constantly left wondering if O'Brian is a good guy or a bad guy, because the narrator/the author is so ambiguous about a stance on him. He is constantly described as being brilliant, kind, paternal, etc., but then he is also described as being insane, torturing people, double-crossing, etc. The reader is left feeling a huge amount of uncertainty toward him, because he is such an ambiguous character.
Here, this is one of those pictures that you see all the time that is very ambiguous:
It can be applied similarly in literature. When an author uses words or phrases that are ambiguous, it leaves the reader wondering exactly what they meant. The phrases or words have multiple meanings, which leaves a feeling of uncertainty in the reader. It is part of the authors' style, and their intent with the story they are telling. Shakespeare was really big on ambiguity. He used it all the time, man, like every single time. For example, the scene in Romeo and Juliet when Juliet is talking to her mother about Tybalt's death. Juliet's lines are all very ambiguous (is she saying she loves Romeo or that she hates him?) so that the mother won't find out that Romeo and Juliet were in love.
Ambiguity can apply to whole parts of a plot, or a character, not just a word. Like in 1984, the reader is constantly left wondering if O'Brian is a good guy or a bad guy, because the narrator/the author is so ambiguous about a stance on him. He is constantly described as being brilliant, kind, paternal, etc., but then he is also described as being insane, torturing people, double-crossing, etc. The reader is left feeling a huge amount of uncertainty toward him, because he is such an ambiguous character.
Here, this is one of those pictures that you see all the time that is very ambiguous:
Your examples and the picture really helped me understand ambiguity. This seems like a very significant element in 1984. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat definitions and examples! That's definitely not what I thought it meant. Another example of ambiguity could be the characterization of Meursault. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI like that you used examples I could relate to to help me understand the meaning of the word. When you mentioned how it could cause teenagers a lot of stress and the few examples, I understood what you meant right away. The literary examples made a lot of sense to me too since I've read both of those books/plays and can understand the situations in both. The optical illusion at the end was a really creative example!
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