It's 10:08 p.m. on a Thursday evening, which on its own is no big deal. There will be a Thursday next week and the week after that. There was a Thursday last week and a thursday last year, there have been and will continue to be many more Thursdays. No its truly how we use this time that makes it special, I happen using this time to write this. After all I'm pretty good at procrastinating, I'll master it later. Its not the writing that bothers me this night, or that the third Thursday was not capitalized, its fondling. Sooner or later I was going write about fondling, and so ill just get it out of the way now. In case your thinking right now "hey its the fourth Thursday that's not capitalized." I know, I did that on purpose. Let me have my fun.
Fondling was never something I gave much though to. It seems more like an action that really doesn't need a word to go with it, something that is very taboo. Unless your not that kind of person and in that case you can probably find more aggressive language. Grope, grope is a good example. Caress also exists, it has the same meaning as fondling just less likely to send you to jail. Caress has a gentle, poetic connotation that fondling never will. If that's not enough you can always use dandle, because that is apparently a word. Thesauruses are amazing. Folding rests some where between caress and grope. Fondling is a small path next to a stream, caressing/groping are mountains that make up everything else. This would be true if English was a valley, but then would a valley be English?
I hope I never reread this.
Along with everyone else English class was the last place I was expecting to be fondling, but it's purpose is brilliant. Fondling is enough care to pay attention and treasure the details, yet enough strength and fondling-ness to go deeper into the details to take them apart. Metaphorical fondling is superior! I bet metaphorical deadlines would be better too. Yes, this blog was due 9 minutes ago.
Strange how a very physical, tangible word describes literary analysis so well. Wow, this is how I should have started this blog.
One would never imagine an English class full of fondling, but it appears that we are in this situation. On the very specific mission of proper word choice, I suppose "fondle" may not be the best word to describe an attempt to understand details in an in-depth fashion. However, given certain connotations, "fondle" and its replacement "grope", are mentally physical but rather odd choices. "Caress" is much more acceptable, but perhaps it does not summon the same physicality that the other two do, the very hands-on, assertive approach to understanding details. Perhaps a thesaurus is still needed, or maybe "fondle" really is appropriate, given the full context.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I would have never expected us to coin the term "fondling" for something we do in English class, it is easily one of the most important things we can do for analyzing literature. Without using this analyzing technique, literature, especially modernism, would not be nearly be as entertaining to evaluate. The most entertaining aspect of fondling details is that if you do it thorough enough, it will result in a crazy mindblast that makes every make sense.
ReplyDeleteYou have some very interesting thoughts on fondling, Chris.While I would agree that it is certainly a strange word to describe what we are doing in class, it is definitely fitting for the goals that Ms. Baskin has for us. In order to truly appreciate a piece of literature, it is important that we not only observe every detail, but examine and pull conclusions from it. Without them, we would never be able to truly understand and appreciate the author's intent and symbolism in the work.
ReplyDeleteYou misspelled fondling Chris. Why would you do that to a word that has such meaning and significance? Disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteChris, it is interesting that you chose to write your first blog about fondling. That being said, it is interesting that we spent one of our first English classes talking so much about fondling. I like how you end this post, discussing fondling in literature rather than fondling in general. Metaphorical fondling is indeed superior, for in metaphors, one needs to fondle the hardest. It takes true dedication and patience to fondle difficult metaphors. Only by drawing the most out of a metaphor can you fully appreciate and understand it.
ReplyDelete