Interpretation is Relative
May 3rd, 2009 • Comments »
The meaning that you extract from your environment is largely determined by your life experience. You apply your experience, beliefs, and ideas to the interpretation and understanding of sensory information. Sensory information has no meaning in and of itself, but rather depends on intelligent beings for interpretation, classification, discussion and so forth. Thus, a computer may be a confusing waste of time to one person, but to another it may be a vehicle of improved productivity. Interpretation is relative.
Many great examples of semantically loaded material may be seen in various song lyrics and band names. Musicians are often quite creative when it comes to their band names, album titles, song names, song lyrics and so forth. People who hear these different names and lyrics will interpret them differently, depending on their personal experience, education, and familiarity with the music or band in question. In fact, there are entire websites devoted to the deciphering and understanding of popular song lyrics.
An excellent example of relative interpretation may be seen in the band name, “Nine Inch Nails.” This is one of the most semantically rich phrases I have ever heard, and serves as an excellent demonstration of how experience determines perceived meaning of environmental stimuli. Note that these interpretive perspectives are greatly simplified for the sake of clarity, but serve as representative idealizations of associated perceptive patterns. That said, let’s have a look at a few different ways to perceive the phrase, “Nine Inch Nails.”
- Mundane, everyday interpretation
- On the surface, from a mundane, everyday-type perspective, the phrase “Nine Inch Nails” is taken literally to mean either a set of nine-inch nails or a set of nine inch-nails, depending on interpretation. Like, if I went to the hardware store, I might purchase some very large nails, perhaps nine of them.
- Poetic, lyrical interpretation
- Poetically, the phrase, “Nine Inch Nails” has a certain ring to it. Three one-syllable words that contain plenty of “n” sounds. Like iambic pentameter or something, the phrase is suggestive of aggressive pulsation and instinctual rhythm.
- Branding, marketing interpretation
- For marketing purposes, the name “Nine Inch Nails” accurately represents Trent’s style of music, providing solid band identity and rich branding opportunities. Although Trent could have opted for the obvious marketing route with the whole “nail” motif, he wisely chose the ambiguous, inverted anagram, NIN.
- Sexual, somatic interpretation
- “Nine Inch Nails” may also be interpreted from a sexual perspective. Without elucidating the graphical nature of the phase, suffice it to say that the word “nail” is common slang for sexual intercourse. When used in this context, the phrase “nine inch” injects obvious sexual overtones.
- Spiritual, religious interpretation
- From a spiritual perspective, the phrase “Nine Inch Nails” ominously refers to the instruments of Christ’s sacrificial crucifixion. The nails used to execute the Lord required enough length to pierce both feet and anchor them to the cross. While nine inches may not have been the exact length of the nails, the meaning is obvious to anyone who is paying attention.
- Violent, aggressive interpretation
- From more of a malevolent point of view, the phrase “Nine Inch Nails” suggests interpretive themes of violence and aggression. In general, nails are sharp, piercing objects that are hammered on with large tools and immense force. Small nails are one thing, but when you start talking about nails as long as your skull, you better check yourself.
- Other interpretations
- We have already seen six different interpretations for “Nine Inch Nails,” and there are many more I’m sure. One common interpretation is understood as “really long fingernails.” This could refer to a witch, a dragon, or even the typical notion of Satan. Speaking of which, if Satan is responsible for the naming of “Nine Inch Nails,” another interpretation may see the NIN band members as instruments of satanic purpose.
Of course, there are as many different ways to interpret “Nine Inch Nails” as there are interpreters. The different perspectives summarized in this article represent some of the most common ways of interpreting environmental stimuli. Within each of these perspectives exists countless ways of interpreting the phrase and applying meaning based on individual life experience. The fascinating aspect of relative interpretation is that it applies to everything — not just band names and song lyrics. The next time you are out and about enjoying your day, take some time to exercise alternate perspectives toward your interpretation of everyday reality. You might be surprised at what you find.
#1 • Louis • May 3, 2009 at 2:36 pm
The second and third paragraph start with, in order:
An excellent example of interpretive relativity may be seen in
An excellent example of relative interpretation may be seen in
I think you could write it better, but don’t take it bad, you are obviously an excellent writer Jeff :)
About the content now, I do agree. What you explain here is the whole notion of relativity. I think it’s hard to argue that there’s only one truth for one given question. The truth to consider depends on many factors. If you change the factors, you invalid your truth.
Great example with the music bands. I’d like to suggest you have a look at Radiohead’s No Surprise. The lyrics are allusive and vague, so that they only suggest a meaning, based on your vision of reality. I always feel the song is talking about a man with a boring life, that decides to commit suicide, but that’s my interpretation. I wonder what you feel about it. There is a live at Glastonbury (2003) on Youtube which features the song. It’s at 35:50.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFjAWhY1Amg
By the way, this is the best concert I’ve been given to hear in my whole life. I hope you love it as much as I do.