Writers choose their words carefully, but they can't control what the reader brings to them - familiarity with the concepts, genre, language, and all the little inputs over the course of a lifetime that tell a reader what words mean and when.
Example: What does this mean?
Saints in Hell
Maybe...
• A biography of Mother Teresa referring to the impoverished children in Calcutta?
• A historical account of the monks that were slaughtered by Vikings at Lindisfarne in 793 AD?
• A chapter in a book about the New Orleans football team struggling through a losing season?
It could be any of those things, but it actually happens to be the title of a Judas Priest song from the album Stained Class.[1]
When you read between the lines you're often not reading but rewriting, and that is a perfectly legitimate exercise so long as you're aware of what your doing and don't attribute the rewrite to the original author.
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Watching Washington and cable news talking heads explain "Jedi mind meld" is more ridiculous than Obama's mixed metaphor that started it all.
It's just as embarrassing as Dan Quayle's inability to spell "potato," but I suspect Obama (whom I do like, BTW) will fare better, even though the faux pas is greater in my universe.[2]
Live Long and Prosper >
Potatoe >
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[1]
This blog entry is over 20 years old. I had this conversation with a roommate at Calvin College. I don't remember his name (Bob or Robert?). That's how long ago it was. Good Christian boy, new convert, very driven, paid his own way through a Christian school because he wanted to be there. He often said "There is no justice." He put (some of) us lifelong Christians to shame with his enthusiasm and honesty. I'd like to hook up with him someday and show him I've grown up.
I used to enjoy Judas Priest in those days. My musical tastes were wide, but on the rock-n-roll end gravitated toward Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Kansas, Boston, etc.
I remember my brother Tom finding a cassette tape of Judas Priest's Defenders of the Faith in my glove compartment many years ago and expressing surprise (and perhaps some disapproval?), which is quite alright; I welcome all opinions on all subjects, makes for good conversation, else my opinion would never change, and what kind of mind is that?
This is one of my favorite tracks from that album....
Judas Priest - Night Comes Down
[2]
But the talking heads have spent their lives talking and looking good, not watching Star Trek, a pastime mostly for boys who didn't talk much or look good and are still epic dweebs, but dweebs vote, and watch cable news, so we must be good for something.
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Started: 2013-02-26
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