Story-A-Day/April 9
Honoring the Subjunctive
It invariably precedes, even if it do not altogether supersede, the determination of what is absolutely desirable and just.
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A mysterious one! First, remind yourself what the subjunctive mood is in English grammar. Then, try to figure out in what kinds of subjunctives "precede" (go before, as a "precedent") but do not "supersede" (meaning, take the place of) "what is absolutely desirable and just."
There's no ONE answer--although, like a riddle, there may be one answer that's better than others.
Hi again!
ReplyDeleteEven though "Honoring the Subjunctive" is a shorter piece, I found it to be incredibly clever and pithy. Prior to studying foreign language, I had never deeply contemplated the use of the subjunctive, or moreover, its purpose in conventions of speech. Davis depicts the subjunctive as "the determination of what is absolutely desirable and just” (377), which I found fascinating, as the subjunctive is truly the tense that preserves what would or could subjectively exist for us in an idealized world. Sentences in the subjunctive are considered to be of a more formal variety, often stating a demand, desire, resolve, or formal recommendation. The notion that the subjunctive "invariably precedes, even if it do not altogether supersede...” (377) what it is trying to express is a line that resonates with me. I believe when we hear the first part of a sentence in the subjunctive, we often ruminate on the expression that something is vital, necessary, required, preferred, or something similar, almost blinding us to what follows it. The subjunctive is overlooked; however, I believe it has become a crucial component of our language, worthy of this homage. Hearing another individual's wishes and faultless desires enables us to become attuned to how we can better understand them, albeit in a very conditional sense. Furthermore, in a society that values constant progress and change, expressions of tentative occurrences or hypothetical states of affairs have become perceived to be near-factual, especially with how they are reported on, or how they resonate with people. Even a clause that is meant to present a perfect-case scenario, or the best possible outcome, has many stipulations, but as Davis says, these are entirely lost on the captivating and alluring initial subjunctive clause.
Have a great weekend, everyone! :)