1. Why do writers make particular choices when composing a text?
The creation of a text is not always a straightforward process. Moreover, it is a process that looks different for every individual. Therefore, this process involves making choices in order to include some things in a text, and not others. A writer has to choose the type of words he wants to use, the tone he wants to convey, the characters that he wants to present, etc. The author's main concern is to get an idea across that the audience can understand, while keeping them interested and entertained. In order to do this, it is important that the author tailors his content to a specific type of audience.
2. How does the interaction between a reader and a text create meaning?
When an author finishes a text, he is only aware of what the text appears like to him. However, this is not enough. The text also needs to be understandable and entertaining to a greater audience. When the reader interacts with the text, some aspects of it will resonate with him, while some others will appear to be superfluous or boring. As the reader reads, he interprets the text in a way that is slightly different to that of the author. Through this process, new meanings in the text can be found.
3. What does it mean to be a stranger in a village?
In "Stranger in the Village," James Baldwin describes his experiences in a Swiss village. He tells us that, when he arrived to the village, he was regarded with interest. People had never seen a person of colour before, and they were intrigued. Even as he spent more time in the village, and even after he came back a second time, people still saw him with interest, suspicion, confusion or curiosity. He was never allowed to exist as just another person in the village. Baldwin refers to himself as a "stranger in a village" because the interactions he had with people always kept him as an outsider, and not as just another member of the community.