KEY TERMS!
LEVELS OF MEANING
When you read certain texts, it becomes clear that there are meanings to the text that seem to lie deeper than 'on the surface'. These themes or messages can be said to 'operate at various levels' or that the text could be said to have 'more than one layer of meaning'.

These 'layers of meaning' can be created in a text by the use of literary devices. The most common literary device that creates layers of meaning is called irony. When irony is used, the writer says one thing, but the reader is aware that something rather different is meant. Irony is like a subtle form of sarcasm.

There are several other ways to create layers of meaning in a text, for example, through the use of the literary devices of metaphor and symbol.

To appreciate a text's deeper levels of meaning it is necessary to reflect and interpret what you read. A war poem, for example, might, on the surface, tell about life in the trenches, but at a deeper level might make a powerful case against war or against the propaganda being put out back home.

These deeper levels of meaning are usually called the text's themes or messages - they are the reasons why the writer chose to write the text.