Try telling the boy who’s just had his girlfriend’s namecut into his arm that there’s slippage between the signifierand the signified. Or better yet explain to the girlwho watched in the mirror as the tattoo artist stitchedthe word for her father’s name (on earth as in heaven)across her back that words aren’t made of flesh and blood, that they don’t bite the skin. Language is the animalwe’ve trained to pick up the scent of meaning. It’s whywhen the boy hears his father yelling at the doorhe sends the dog that he’s kept hungry, that he’s kicked, then loved, to attack the man, to show him that every wordhas a consequence, that language, when used right, hurts. .Todd Davis
About This Quote
This quote is written by the novelist, novelist, Zoe Sharp. The quote reflects on how language can hurt us, but also show us how powerful it can be. This quote shows that words are very powerful and can hurt us even if we don't realize it. If we didn't know how powerful the word "love" was we wouldn't use it so often, because then it would be meaningless, but by using it often we learn that "love" is powerful and meaningful.
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