"A sentence might not mean, but be--right?"
Certain sentences can mean different things to different people. A sentence in German will mean nothing to someone who does not speak German nor has any desire to translate it. Inside jokes will mean things to certain individuals but not others. And even quotes from books one isn't familiar with-- perhaps an excerpt about Quantum physics would sound completely alien to most. But just because aspects of language can be lost in translation, or sound like jibberish to those ignorant to it, does that make it totally devoid of meaning? Can random words be put together in a logical sentence structure and mean nothing whatsoever?
Example: The robot drank a Hawaiian lay.
The sentence is real, but does it mean anything? Robots cannot drink, nor are Hawaiian lays beverages. Not only is it not possible, but it doesn't even make sense from an imaginative standpoint. Unicorns are [supposedly!] mythological creatures but we would not have them drink Hawaiian lays in stories. We could, hypothetically, if the lay was blended into a smoothie. But that is not an actual lay, it is a lay-turned-smoothie, which is drinkable. Thus robot, unicorn or otherwise, the sentence means nothing. It stands alone, it has no context, therefore it is but does not mean.
Furthermore, can sentences that have meaning lose their meaning when taken out of their original context? And what if theyre distorted?
Sometimes it starts with a silent curse. I ask, how many cars? They are night zombies. And again, as Clifton looked gravely down he seemed to ask a silent question. Im jello, baby. Thin, sinuous ghosts of smoke writhed in the shadows. It never hurts to understand the theoretical background. Snakes on crack. To unwind from a spool. Im pretty much a big deal. Ian considers the logic. **
And finally, can the aforementioned nonsensical robot-consumes-non drinkable-lay be given meaning?
The Robot Drank a Hawaiian Lay: An Intentionally Overdramatic Monologue
Fuck you. Yeah, you heard me right. What? Too much technology buzzing in your ears? Precious technology--fooling us all into--
God! Dont touch me! You always interrupt me--what? What do you want? You want to know why Im pissed, asshole? Because your disgusting little award-winning robot is all up in my grill!
[dramatic pause]
My father was killed by a robot. Yeah, I know, I never told you. Im sorry Trevor, I should have... you being a highly respected rocket scientist and all. I tried to so many times.
It was five winters ago. Dad and I were vacationing in Honolulu for a spell. Long story short--there was a newer GP356K walking its owners shitzu. It mustve short-circuited or something because next it was--choking my father and--it ripped the lay right off his neck and drank it!
Fucking... drank it, right there in front of me! Because you people need to make them human, and design them with throats, and BLENDERS IN THEIR MOUTHS. I mean, that doesnt even make sense! Just go buy a fucking blender!
I said dont touch me! All those robots--they're all the same! Theyre worthless! They take jobs from hard-working Americans like me, and kill innocent vacationing fathers! Every single one of them should be shipped to a sinking island!
I HATE ROBOTS.
And... Im sorry... Trevor, but... I cant marry you.
Im sorry.
**Bold here indicates added emphasis on the words to create an odd distortion and distract the reader from connecting any of their own meaning from the random sentences. The quotes, respectively, are as follows:
-"Fight Song" - Scott Stapp-Soul Survivor - Chuck Palahniuk-"They Are Night Zombies!!..." - Sufjan Stevens-Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison-"El Scorcho" - Weezer-Fear Nothing - Dean Koontz-Cloud 9 - Caryl Churchill-Snakes on a Plane - Samuel L. Jackson-Definition of "spool" from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary-"Clothes Off!" - Gym Class Heroes-Blasted - Sarah Kane
