PROSE ANALYSIS

Indulge with us in this exercise as we attempt to decipher the structural, contextual and symbolic meanings contained within given sentences.

Given this series' debut, we have a special treat for all you linguistics fanatics reading! There will be an analysis of TWO sentences in this entry!

1. The first sentence is lifted from the lyrics to the song "One Slip" by psychedelic icons Pink Floyd:

"Was it love, or was it the idea of being in love"

INTERPRETATION: Dave Gilmour addresses the age-old conundrum that baffled the ancients and continues to confound us - "what is love?". How often times have you been convinced of being deeply in love only to look back in retrospect and realize that there was more inspiration in the moo of a cow than in the passion that existed between you and the other person? The intangible nature of love guarantees its perpetual elusiveness, steering it away from the corridors of human reason and rationale. Is it cosmic? Is it psychological? Is it chemical? How do you tell if you're in love?
The use of past tense ("was") is a direct indication that the pondering was done in retrospect. A verbal recitation of the sentence will show it to consist of five iambic feet, hence making it an iambic pentameter. The enjambment effect creates a mood of ponderance, and even regret.

2. The second sentence to be analysed is an adaptation of the first:

"Was it sex, or was it the idea of having sex?"

INTERPRETATION: Masturbation.