Representation refers to the process by which texts produce meaning. Texts are not the things they talk about, but representations of the things they talk about. Each kind of text uses its own  particular symbols and language to make its representation. The symbols and the language, whether written or visual, are the tools the text uses to represent things and ideas. When you read the text, you derive meaning from the way you interpret all these tools of representation. Because of the complex process of representation, deciding what a text means is not as straightforward and obvious a task as it might seem.

In Beyond Borders:  See Images 18a, 18b, Pedro Meyer, "Biblical Times" and "Biblical Times Annotated"; Image 15, Judy Greisedieck, "The Border Near Chula Vista"; and Jane Tompkins, "At the Buffalo Bill Museum."

In Beyond Borders Online:  See Web Research Activities, "The Shape of Stories: Digital Storytelling, Hypertext Poetry, and New Multimedia Expressions."

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