How not to write a blog post (or speech) using a quotation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Gem State Patriot News blog for October 13, 2024 there is a post by Dr. John Livingston titled Different Bubbles, Different Realities. It is an excellent example of how NOT to either start or end a blog post or speech - and also how to thoroughly botch a quotation.

 

Dr. Livingston begin with one botched line of a quote but then doesn’t tell us who, what, when or where:

 

“EARTH GETS ITS PRICE FROM WHAT EARTH GIVES US….’ “

 

That actually comes from James Russell Lovell’s 1848 poem titled The Vision of Sir Launfal. One version of The Prelude to Part First actually says:

 

“Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us;

     The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,
The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,
     We bargain for the graves we lie in;
At the Devil's booth are all things sold
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;
     For a cap and bells our lives we pay,
Bubbles we earn with a whole soul's tasking:
     'T is heaven alone that is given away,
'T is only God may be had for the asking;
There is no price set on the lavish summer,
And June may be had by the poorest comer.”

 

John said FROM rather than FOR. Then he pontificated about equity and equality.

 

And later he listed another two lines where he mixed up LIE and DIE (and omitted another line in between):

 

“A BEGGER IS TAXED FOR A CORNER TO LIE IN
WE BARGAIN FOR THE GRAVES WE DIE IN”

 

He got the following pair of lines almost correct:

 

“AT THE DEVIL’S BOOTH ARE ALL THINGS SOLD
EACH OUNCE OF DROST COSTS ITS OUNCE OF GOLD”

 

He finally got around to misquoting about bubbles, missed a line, but at least mentioned the author’s name:

 

“ ‘BUBBLES WE BUY FOR A WHOLE SOULS ASKING
TIS HEAVEN ALONE THAT CAN BE HAD FOR THE ASKING’ James Russell Lowell”

 

Worse yet he concluded:

 

“Donald Trump lives in the bubble of the American family, worker, farmer and businessman.

  Kamala lives in the bubble of the expert ruling class.

  Two very different bubbles I say.”

 

But Trump was president, putting him at the very top of our ruling class. He has nothing to do with American workers or farmers. And he is listed in Forbes 400 – The 400 Richest People in America at #319 with a worth of $4.3 billion. He pals around with Elon Musk, who is #1 with  $244 billion, and got advised to pick J. D. Vance by Peter Thiel who is #116 at 9.2 billion.

 

The bubble images came from here and here at Openclipart.