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Exercise #272: Your Thoughts
Posted 7/11/08
Today’s exercise comes from John Boylan.
Manufacture a “Job’s comforter” for today’s world and use it in your SUB.
The idea came from reading the A.Word.A.Day for March 27, 2008, part of which is repeated here:
Job’s comforter (johbz KUM-fuhr-tuhr) noun
A person who tries to console or help someone who not only fails but ends up making the person feel worse.
[Originally there was not just one, but three Job’s comforters. In the Biblical story these people tried to console Job, an upright person, that his troubles must be divine retribution for his sins.
There are Job’s comforters in current times as well: soon after any disaster these TV preachers are ready to explain how the afflicted had offended gods and brought it upon themselves.]
Example use of today’s word:
“Parting with my son William this past June was difficult. He was going abroad to study language for two semesters. ‘I don’t know why I feel so sad,’ I told my husband. ‘I just feel as if he is going to the other side of the world.’
‘He is,’ said my husband in his role as Job’s comforter. ‘That’s where China is.’”
Julia McCue; Full of Great People; Portland Press Herald (Maine); Feb 13, 2005.
Word limit: 1200
Please use the subject line:
SUB: Exercise #272/yourname
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