“to become the wall off which”











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What does the highlighted part of the sentence mean? It doesn't parse for me:




This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can
bounce, the subject to which paired qualities can stick, the framework on which the full-fledged Other will be built.







meaning grammaticality sentence phrase-meaning







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Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
    – Hamid Malekzadeh
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 hours ago






  • 1




    As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    1 hour ago















up vote
0
down vote

favorite
1












What does the highlighted part of the sentence mean? It doesn't parse for me:




This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can
bounce, the subject to which paired qualities can stick, the framework on which the full-fledged Other will be built.







meaning grammaticality sentence phrase-meaning







share|improve this question









New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




















  • Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
    – Hamid Malekzadeh
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 hours ago






  • 1




    As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    1 hour ago













up vote
0
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
0
down vote

favorite
1






1





What does the highlighted part of the sentence mean? It doesn't parse for me:




This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can
bounce, the subject to which paired qualities can stick, the framework on which the full-fledged Other will be built.







meaning grammaticality sentence phrase-meaning







share|improve this question









New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











What does the highlighted part of the sentence mean? It doesn't parse for me:




This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can
bounce, the subject to which paired qualities can stick, the framework on which the full-fledged Other will be built.







meaning grammaticality sentence phrase-meaning




meaning grammaticality sentence phrase-meaning






share|improve this question









New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago









Mitch

49.6k1599207




49.6k1599207






New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 2 hours ago









Hamid Malekzadeh

61




61




New contributor




Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Hamid Malekzadeh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












  • Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
    – Hamid Malekzadeh
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 hours ago






  • 1




    As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    1 hour ago


















  • Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
    – Hamid Malekzadeh
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
    – Dan Bron
    2 hours ago










  • I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 hours ago






  • 1




    As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    1 hour ago
















Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago




Sorry, we don’t do literary criticism here. But the short story is that read like PoMo ... which infamously has multiple interpretations.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago












I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
– Hamid Malekzadeh
2 hours ago






I am not looking for criticism or something like that. I am translating a book from English. I just can not understand the meaning of"to become the wall off which the ball can bounce". is it an Idiom if yes what it means?
– Hamid Malekzadeh
2 hours ago






1




1




Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago




Sorry, “literary criticism” means “interpretation of a text”, not “a critique of a text”. But if you’re just wondering about the “wall” part: no, it’s not an idiom, it’s just a metaphor: picture a wall. Now picture throwing a rubber ball against the wall. It bounces off. Every time you throw the ball, it bounces off the wall. It must. So in that thing you’re asking about, “the primal You” is the wall, and something else is the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall. I know that’s not totally helpful, but anything more becomes interpretation... of a messy text.
– Dan Bron
2 hours ago












I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
– michael.hor257k
2 hours ago




I am not familiar with such idiom. The meaning must be derived by context, which you have not supplied. As it is, it mean simply that this "primal You" becomes a wall. What kind of wall? A wall off which the ball can bounce. What ball? Your snippet does not say.
– michael.hor257k
2 hours ago




1




1




As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
1 hour ago




As others have said, it’s not an idiom. It just means what the words literally mean. The entire thing is metaphorical, but not in a way that is particularly English. The same metaphor would presumably work in your own language (Farsi?) in one form or another.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
1 hour ago










1 Answer
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This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can bounce...




This is slightly more formal grammar. Nowadays people will be more likely to say




This thing becomes the wall that the ball can bounce off.




These are both transformations from sentences with prepositional phrases and asking a question about the object of the preposition:




The ball can bounce off of the wall




which transforms into:




What thing can the ball bounce off?




or




Off which thing can the ball bounce?




(in order to avoid the preposition at the end of the sentence that some stylists disdain)






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    up vote
    -1
    down vote














    This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can bounce...




    This is slightly more formal grammar. Nowadays people will be more likely to say




    This thing becomes the wall that the ball can bounce off.




    These are both transformations from sentences with prepositional phrases and asking a question about the object of the preposition:




    The ball can bounce off of the wall




    which transforms into:




    What thing can the ball bounce off?




    or




    Off which thing can the ball bounce?




    (in order to avoid the preposition at the end of the sentence that some stylists disdain)






    share|improve this answer

























      up vote
      -1
      down vote














      This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can bounce...




      This is slightly more formal grammar. Nowadays people will be more likely to say




      This thing becomes the wall that the ball can bounce off.




      These are both transformations from sentences with prepositional phrases and asking a question about the object of the preposition:




      The ball can bounce off of the wall




      which transforms into:




      What thing can the ball bounce off?




      or




      Off which thing can the ball bounce?




      (in order to avoid the preposition at the end of the sentence that some stylists disdain)






      share|improve this answer























        up vote
        -1
        down vote










        up vote
        -1
        down vote










        This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can bounce...




        This is slightly more formal grammar. Nowadays people will be more likely to say




        This thing becomes the wall that the ball can bounce off.




        These are both transformations from sentences with prepositional phrases and asking a question about the object of the preposition:




        The ball can bounce off of the wall




        which transforms into:




        What thing can the ball bounce off?




        or




        Off which thing can the ball bounce?




        (in order to avoid the preposition at the end of the sentence that some stylists disdain)






        share|improve this answer













        This "primal You" becomes the wall off which the ball can bounce...




        This is slightly more formal grammar. Nowadays people will be more likely to say




        This thing becomes the wall that the ball can bounce off.




        These are both transformations from sentences with prepositional phrases and asking a question about the object of the preposition:




        The ball can bounce off of the wall




        which transforms into:




        What thing can the ball bounce off?




        or




        Off which thing can the ball bounce?




        (in order to avoid the preposition at the end of the sentence that some stylists disdain)







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 57 mins ago









        Mitch

        49.6k1599207




        49.6k1599207






















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