Esemplastic – Wordplay Wednesday™ 11/25/2020

Success is Finding a Way to Make Life Work 

We’ve always been advised, you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. Any two-year-old can tell you, you’re wasting your time … it’ll never work … don’t beat your head against the proverbial wall trying.

But in literature and life, surprise yourself … with a little effort, anything is possible …

ESEMPLASTIC (,e-,sem-ʹplas-tik; 1817) adj. – shaping or having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole <the ~~ power of the poetic imagination –W.H. Gardner>. [WW #296]

And who, pray tell, is W.H. Gardner? Apparently, a notable contemporary editor for the Victorian-era poetic works of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Why an editor of works deserves a mention in the dictionary, I don’t know, but they must have their reasons. Hopkins however, is the one who brought his esemplastic verses to life.

Put it to work, as did Hopkins:

He wraps together your image of God, the shine of foil, sticky drip of oil … all to offer hope of God’s enduring power? Your interpretation is as good as mine, but his use of dissimilar thoughts coming to a point is intriguing.

Although generally applied to poetic verse, esemplastic could be versatile enough to unify a cast of fiction characters (think Friends) or describe a melding of any seductively contrasting theories. Or imagine your own use for esemplastic that gathers and molds its subjects into submission for consideration.

Are you able to gather family and/or friends—personally or virtually—around a Thanksgiving table? In theory, Thanksgiving is esemplastic! We each represent our own concepts, so in coming together, we form an esemplastic unit of minds. Explore them and enjoy!

Word Challenge: ESEMPLASTIC. Satisfaction is when you bring things together and make them fit. Know that ingenuity holds no bounds, as you fit esemplastic into your week of imaginative writings and clever conversations.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word today & Happy Thanksgiving!

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

*LR Notes: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) a] Recent dictionary additions to definitions include a date of first use, if known; b] words in small caps indicate “see also.” 3) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz