Lucky's Speech Analysls

!" $%&'(%')* +,-.%/ %0%1).20 2&3(2-4

! references Lo esLabllshed auLhorlLles (eg. uncher and WaLLmann")

! use of formal con[uncLlons:
glven Lhe exlsLence as"
lL ls esLabllshed beyond all doubL"
conslderlng whaL ls more LhaL as a resulL of"

! qua - laLln con[uncLlon used ln academlc and phllosophlcal LexLs meanlng
concernlng"
Lhe repeLlLlon quaquaquaqua" creaLes a regresslve, clrcular meanlng: concernlng
!"#!$%#&#'(" MeLanarraLlves are only valldaLed by Lhemselves (LyoLard and also
8audrlllard) and Lhe clrcularlLy exposes Lhe facL LhaL Lhere's no ground or purpose Lo
base any meanlng aL all. A nlhlllsLlc, exlsLenLlallsL poslLlon.

Llnk Lo LheorlsLs:

. lf a meLanarraLlve lmplylng a phllosophy of hlsLory ls used Lo leglLlmaLe
knowledge, quesLlons are ralsed concernlng Lhe valldlLy of Lhe lnsLlLuLlons
governlng Lhe soclal bond: Lhese musL be leglLlmaLed as well. 1hus [usLlce ls
conslgned Lo Lhe grand narraLlve ln Lhe same way as LruLh.
Slmpllfylng Lo Lhe exLreme, l deflne )"*+,"-$%# as lncredullLy Loward
meLanarraLlves . (LyoLard)

ln common wlLh many posLsLrucLurallsLs, hls argumenLs conslsLenLly draw upon Lhe noLlon LhaL
slgnlflcaLlon and meanlng are boLh only undersLandable ln Lerms of how parLlcular words or "slgns"
lnLerrelaLe. 8audrlllard LhoughL, as do many posL-sLrucLurallsLs, LhaL meanlng ls broughL abouL
Lhrough *.*+$,*of slgns worklng LogeLher. lollowlng on from Lhe sLrucLurallsL llngulsL lerdlnand de
Saussure, 8audrlllard argued LhaL meanlng (value) ls creaLed Lhrough dlfference-Lhrough whaL
someLhlng ls noL (so "dog" means "dog" because lL ls noL-"caL", noL-"goaL", noL-"Lree", eLc.). ln facL,
he vlewed meanlng as near enough self-referenLlal: ob[ecLs, lmages of ob[ecLs, words and slgns are
slLuaLed ln a web of meanlng, one ob[ecL's meanlng ls only undersLandable Lhrough lLs relaLlon Lo
Lhe meanlng of oLher ob[ecLs, ln oLher words, one Lhlng's presLlge relaLes Lo anoLher's mundanlLy.
lrom Lhls sLarLlng polnL 8audrlllard consLrucLed broad Lheorles of human socleLy based upon Lhls
klnd of self-referenLlallLy. Pls plcLures of socleLy porLray socleLles always searchlng for a sense of
meanlng-or a "LoLal" undersLandlng of Lhe world-LhaL remalns conslsLenLly eluslve.

(8audrlllard: from Wlklpedla)


ls 8eckeLL mocklng Lhls mode of wrlLlng and lnqulry? ls he lronlcally maklng Lhe polnL
LhaL even proper" academlc wrlLlng doesn'L guaranLee any sense of LruLh" or Lrue
explanaLlon" of Lhe world? 8emember, Lhls klnd of formal lnqulry was a key feaLure
of enllghLenmenL Lhlnklng .


5" 67,- -)%8,&8 (&9&,:&;

Lven lf Lhe speech made any klnd of loglcal sense, Lhe meanlng behlnd any polnL ls
undermlned by Lhls phrase . lL almosL serves as a summary of Lhe enLlre play.
-> relaLe Lo Lhe above polnL ln Lerms of sysLems of slgnlflcaLlon and meanlng lacklng
foundaLlons and purpose (le. lncredullLy Lowards meLanarraLlves)
-> relaLe also Lo exlsLenLlallsm: Lhere ls no purpose Lo llfe

<" =(>,.%>,&?.%0@2&)

! Cuaquaquaqua and oLher repeLlLlve sounds wlLhln words
Absurdly dlsconnecLed phrases

! honologlcal (sound) repeLlLlon governs Lhe LexL as much as loglc: le. Lucky ls [usL
as llkely Lo move Lo Lhe nexL LhoughL because lL *"/#-* slmllar as he ls because lL
loglcally 0"11"2*:

floaLlng rldlng glldlng conaLlng camogle skaLlng Lennls of all klnds dylng
flylng sporLs of all sorLs"
for reasons unknown ln leckham eckham lulham Clapham ."

Cverall, Lhls sense polnLs Lo Lhe dehumanlzlng effecL of modern labour ln
lndusLrlallzed caplLallsL sLaLes (SarLre would call Lhls bad falLh" - Laklng orders from
someone else as opposed Lo oneself). 8emember also LhaL Lhe machlne ls a
consequence of modernlsm, and Lhe enllghLenmenL, Lhe 9)4 A%-%12'.8 ? :%48 ,+
>@2&92&' of Lhe wesL (see Churchlll's speech), and responslble for Lhe success of Lhe
bomb ln Lhe flrsL place.


B" CA))0@ %8 ,&/4 -,>) /)%-&)1

8epeLlLlon of phrases, LhoughLs ouL of order, senseless explanaLlon

lL seems acLually Lhlnklng" ls hard ln Lhls place (see hanglng scene). Agaln, Lhls
undermlnes Lhe enllghLenmenL meLanarraLlves (see above polnL).