Why Elaboration Matters

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

In 1995, an ad promoting New Line Cinema’s film Se7en (Seven) quoted part of Owen Gleiberman’s review in Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Here’s what appeared in the ad:“a small masterpiece”

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

BUT, in his final evaluation, Gleiberman gave the film a B-. The quote refers to his admiration for the visuals and graphics of the opening credit sequence.

Here’s the actual quote in context:“The credit sequence, with its jumpy frames and near-subliminal flashes of psychoparaphernalia, is a small masterpiece of dementia.”

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

~quote from a 1968 sermon MLK delivered just two months before his assassination where he offers

thoughts on what others might say about him if he is killed for championing civil rights for black Americans.

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

When a statue memorializing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was first erected, the sculptor paraphrased the quote to read

I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.

What elaboration (context) is missing from the paraphrase?

Original Quote: “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Paraphrase: I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

There was immediate criticism of the paraphrase.

“The quote makes Dr. Martin Luther King look like an arrogant twit. He was anything but that…He had a humility that comes from deep inside. The ‘if’ clause that is left out is salient. Leaving it out changes the meaning completely…It makes him seem less than the humanitarian he was. . . . It makes him seem an egotist.” ~Maya Angelou

The CONTEXT of a quote matters.

After so many complaints, the quote was removed from the memorial.