Thoughts on some quotes and two comical poems
A few more Devil’s Dictionary entries from Bierce:
“White, adj. and n. Black” This is another entry from the book that seems cryptic to me. He may be talking about the human race apparently originating from Africa: a fact, a static thing like a noun. Bierce fought in the U.S. Civil War. He may be saying here that “white-ness” is a cultural construction and better described as an adjective that qualifies a fact, like “black-ness.” The movie The Commitments has a line that the Irish are “the blacks of Europe.” The novel it is based on uses cruder language; I think the screenwriter was prudent to change it.
“Wit, n. The salt with which the American humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out.” This entry brings to mind Oscar Wilde, who was very witty but may have been “too clever by half” and died a decadent and early death. Humor is often at odds with authority and literal meaning.
“Pun-ic Attacks” by yours truly
“Sir, do you realize your punning has led to pun-demonium? The CDC has declared it a pun-demic. There is punning in the streets.”
“I am sorry, but I have pun-ic attacks sometimes when in pu(n)blic and involuntarily make puns that can’t be undone.”
“I could pun-ch you again.”
“Please pu(n)t that out of your mind. In would be a P(un)yrrhic victory: you would win the battle, but I would head for the door. Anyway, I need to go now because I have an ancient-history lesson on the Punic Wars.”
“Pun-ounciation” by yours truly
“Sir, you need to work on you pun-ounciation.”
“Yes, my voice is very pun-otone. It is why I could not learn Chinese, trouble with the four tones.”
“Words should be s-(p)un-g, not just said.”
“Do you think I am as crazy as Mao Tse (T)pun-g?”