Farhat Shahzad’s research paper, “The Role of Interpretative Communities in Remembering and Learning”, talks about how certain groups, encountered by an individual, will influence the way he or she consumes and grasp knowledge.
While reading said paper, I was intrigued by her remark that mentions that when a son or daughter talks to their parents, the engagement “does not involve the give and take of a dialogue with information.” (Shahzad 2010) As children, people will listen to what their parents say without question (most of the time). The mother’s or father’s opinion is extremely important in the way it influences a child’s mind. A parent instructs their child on social behavior, and they in turn, follow their guidance. It isn’t until that child grows up that they can begin discussing with their parents on more equal grounds.
However, not everyone is the same in that regard. While some children will let the opinions of their fathers and mothers become their own, others react against them. This is especially true when a child reaches adolescence. It is at this period in their lives that the growing offspring begin developing ideas and opinions on their own, and it is up to them whether they’ll let what was taught to them in childhood have an influence on such said things.
In this regard, I agree with Shazhad’s statement that families are “an influential interpretative community” and that it “plays an active role in the selection of sources of information and then interpretation of the information.” (Shazad 2010). What a child sees, hears, thinks, is a culmination on what their parents allow them to do. They block channels that can contain information they don’t what their children to see. They let them hear their opinions and discussions on a variety of topics. They influence the way their child thinks. Mothers and fathers experience one of the most difficult jobs in the world, raising a human being. It is up to them to shape their children into who they’ll become and guide them until they can act on their own. This is why I believe the family is one of, if not the, most important interpretative community, or group, people are exposed to during their lives.