"To raze the building to the very floore," (Herbert, 609)
I have a certain (probably certifiable) fascination with certain words. "Raze" is one of them. There is an episode of Supernatural (GHOSTFACERS!!!!!!) when the two brothers are stuck in a time-loop and only one knows it. He has to watch his brother die every day, over and over and over. Very Groundhog Day. So, one of the days, he takes an axe to a building he thinks may play a part in the curse (or whatever it is...) and "takes the building down to the studs." Same thing with my above quote. I think the word "raze" strikes a certain passion, be it hatred or love or whatever emotion it is that drive it. To get revenge on someone is all well and good. But to have vengeance - that is taking it up a notch. Same as "razing a building to the very floore."
It may be a little violent, but that just makes a person understand the meaning behind it better.
Hi, Jennifer. I enjoyed your discussion of "raze." I agree. There's something violent about the word but also satisfying, as if by razing something, we are erasing it, getting rid of it totally, and able to build again and build differently. Nice discussion! Nancy
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