Interesting. I had forgotten, but now I remember you mentioning your mom's PHD before. Of course she would understand figures of speech. Many people really don't really understand the full significance of them though. At least that's my experience.
As far as reading it without personal interpretation, I wonder how you would feel if everybody that read your posts had a completely different idea as to what it is you are trying to say. There must be some folks out there who "interpret" your negative view of the scriptures as a cry for help. Now, I'm not saying that is the case, but I have a feeling that such an interpretation would lead you to say something like, "You moron, can't you read simple English?!!!" Maybe even worse.
For what it's worth I'll give you this,
2 Pet 1:20,
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
The word "private" is the Greek word "idios" and literally means "one's own." God's intent was for the reader to just take it for what it says without adding any personal ideas. Isn't that the intent of anybody trying to communicate to others? But when it comes to the scriptures everybody seems to think there just has to be many interpretations. Yet another preconceived idea. It doesn't seem to matter that the book itself dissuades such an idea. People are so convinced that the scriptures need interpretation, that they just gloss over 2 Peter 1:20.
Take care