I wrote this earlier in the past semester, but reading Lily's latest blog on the subject of "The Past" reminded me of it. So I went back to my archive of stacks and stacks of papers... (Okay, okay, fine. I just looked through my USB drive) and found that short essay again.
Lily's post can be viewed here: http://musingsonthe5.blogspot.com/2008/12/past.html
And finally, without further ado, here it is:
Lily's post can be viewed here: http://musingsonthe5.blogspot.com/2008/12/past.html
And finally, without further ado, here it is:
On Profanity
There is a quote that I once saw a few years ago: “Fuck the past; make love to the future.” To me, this simple statement holds so much meaning and power – and it’s not just the choice to use the profane word “fuck.” It all comes down to diction and syntax in order to catch the attention and linger in the mind. I think that a simple sentence can emanate power if the profane word or phrase is used effectively – chosen carefully, strategically placed in a certain spot within the sentence, and used sparingly to fully express meaning.
Yet, when you live in such a wonderful place as New York City, you either meet or hear its wonderful people cursing on a daily basis. Sometimes you would hear the same four-letter “f” word uttered several times, taking on different forms to convey just a single thought or a smattering of emotion. While this shows that language can be used as a creative outlet, it can, however, detract from the power that profanity can hold as a sign of rebellion against what is accepted and proper in society. Words like “shit,” “fuck,” etc., are just words, like any other word in the English language. But people give power to these words by shunning them, thus making them forbidden. Constant use of these socially forbidden words, however, takes away from their power. If used on a regular day-to-day basis, especially in a city where virtually every person has either heard, seen, read, or said curse words, then the use of profanity becomes mundane and loses its initial purpose – to rile and provoke.
Profanity is dirty, or so people say in reaction to someone using it: “Wash that mouth!” or, “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” But I think that the statement “Fuck the past; make love to the future” can actually be beautiful, in the sense that it expresses an insightful approach to living life in the simplicity of its wisdom. The placing of “fuck” as the first word in the sentence joggles someone into paying attention while also emphasizing that the past does not necessarily matter in terms of moving forward in life. “Make love” is one alternative meaning to “fuck,” and takes on a different connotation than its four-letter synonym – in other words, revere and take pleasure in the future, come what may. Metaphorically, the statement advises one to cherish and embrace the future with no more qualms of what may have been a troublesome past. A wise and thought-provoking statement – and it’s all because of careful word choice, strategic placement of the words, and its simplicity that gives it so much power and beauty.
Yet, when you live in such a wonderful place as New York City, you either meet or hear its wonderful people cursing on a daily basis. Sometimes you would hear the same four-letter “f” word uttered several times, taking on different forms to convey just a single thought or a smattering of emotion. While this shows that language can be used as a creative outlet, it can, however, detract from the power that profanity can hold as a sign of rebellion against what is accepted and proper in society. Words like “shit,” “fuck,” etc., are just words, like any other word in the English language. But people give power to these words by shunning them, thus making them forbidden. Constant use of these socially forbidden words, however, takes away from their power. If used on a regular day-to-day basis, especially in a city where virtually every person has either heard, seen, read, or said curse words, then the use of profanity becomes mundane and loses its initial purpose – to rile and provoke.
Profanity is dirty, or so people say in reaction to someone using it: “Wash that mouth!” or, “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” But I think that the statement “Fuck the past; make love to the future” can actually be beautiful, in the sense that it expresses an insightful approach to living life in the simplicity of its wisdom. The placing of “fuck” as the first word in the sentence joggles someone into paying attention while also emphasizing that the past does not necessarily matter in terms of moving forward in life. “Make love” is one alternative meaning to “fuck,” and takes on a different connotation than its four-letter synonym – in other words, revere and take pleasure in the future, come what may. Metaphorically, the statement advises one to cherish and embrace the future with no more qualms of what may have been a troublesome past. A wise and thought-provoking statement – and it’s all because of careful word choice, strategic placement of the words, and its simplicity that gives it so much power and beauty.
So there it is, friends. "Some vital information for your everyday life," as they say in the old t.v. show All That. hehe. ;)
Love love love All That.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that essay even more!
I find syntax one of the most important devices in expressing tone and diction complementing it. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, your essay is beautifully crafted. I enjoyed your exploration on profanity and the breakdown of the phrase. Great job.
My silly little blog post doesn't do any justice to this piece lol.
Ready yet? Get set! It's Aaaaaaaaaaall That! (Yeah, I'm a dork. XD I loved that show, though!)
ReplyDeleteI really like that quote you used. Like you said, I think cursing can be effective and have power. I remember one time, my friend Max said "Curses are like sentence enhancers; I mean, what are you more likely to listen to, shut up, or shut the fuck up?" I laughed, but it makes sense. I always get so frustrated when people have said "Oh, people curse because they think it's so cool." I mean, I guess some people do that...but for me, whenever I curse it's almost always to express intense emotion, whether it's excitement, frustration, or anger. People associate cursing with having a negative connotation, but it isn't always that way. For example, if I was able to meet Zach Braff, I would probably say something like "HOLY SHIT I GOT TO MEET ZACH BRAFF AND IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!" Haha. Like you said, it's all about how it's used.
The photo is gorgeous, by the way...and this blog is so well-written! I really liked it.
Yoour the best
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