General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Enough of the Gene is with Gilda [View all]Orrex
(63,263 posts)For those anyone a little rusty on the literary device: Apostrophe
Addressing someone who is absent, whether due to death, to distance, or to lost contact, is not a statement of faith nor any declaration of an afterlife. Nor is it any sort of "Gotcha!" proof that the speaker expects the absent person to hear. The speaker is, in effect, addressing the memory or the idea or the thought of the departed.
When you express frustration at a driver who cuts you off in busy traffic, do you always expect that driver to hear you to change his or her driving habits as a result? No? Then why the hell do you do it?
Wait, I know. You never express yourself in that way. Fine--then why do you suppose that other drivers do it? People talk to their cars and their computers all the time. They yell at movie screens to warn the hero away from danger. Do you think that they expect the character to hear them?
This is a nuanced point that I suspect might be lost on those religionists who sadly rely too much on Gotcha! moments, but it's necessary to consider the context of the situation and also the views of the speaker.
Does that clarify it for you, or are you still flailing around for a Gotcha! moment?