Blog #4

Imagine a world void of creativity. A world where language is pushed aside and disregarded. A world where a sound argument is bogged down by ignorance.  Would you want to live in a world like this? Language is one the most powerful weapons that anyone can use in any battle. And metaphors like the one in the previous sentence have the power to sway thinking of not only people, but whole societies way of interpreting something. That being said, different societies have different ways of interpreting metaphor. Children are brought up to look at metaphor in the same way as their ancestors. People have, and always will, interpret metaphor in the way that they think is best. Which brings up the most interesting part of metaphor, how are metaphors created? There are metaphor designers out there who will say that metaphors spring up from long thought and hours of associative work. Making lists and drawing new conclusions with the advancements of technology. But there are others out there who classify metaphor as wild. Something that is hardwired into human perception. That metaphor is just simply there. Most people take metaphor and apply it to their own lives. For example, Life is a Garden. Different people will interpret that metaphor as good or bad. A garden is something that needs to be cultivated with hard work and requires the patience of a saint. This metaphor also states that life has its ups and downs. Sometimes if you work hard at something it will not grow into something because you are not in the right environment, thus explains the duality of metaphor. It can be interpreted from both directions. From the beginning of metaphor, there is always one person or group who control how a majority of a population view a certain metaphor. But the only person that can control what people think is themselves. Wellbeing is something that can only be diagnosed by whomever it pertains to. When people think about illness, they try to make anyone experiencing it feel better. Using metaphors to try and help people forget their woes or to be more confident in their treatment as a whole. Metaphor and language can be powerful to a group of impressionable people, but once they start to think critically about it and gather evidence, metaphor is at the mercy of the interpreter. And the most powerful and meaningful metaphors come from individual people.

2nd Introductory Paragraph:

How many times do you use metaphor? Can you count on one hand? You cannot, can you? That is because metaphor is a form of language that we use on a daily basis. When someone uses a specific metaphor, their view on the metaphor might be different from the person receiving the metaphor. The duality of metaphor is something to look closely at. If we look at the metaphor, “Life is a rollercoaster”, we can see the good in it. Roller-coasters are filled with an adrenaline rush and by the time it is over, you want to do it again. There are also bad connotations that people may look at as well. Roller-coasters are unpredictable, they are scary for some people, and it goes by in a flash. The duality of metaphor explains how people interpret metaphor on their own, and that the best metaphors only come from individual thought. Take the medical world for example, doctors use metaphor more than anyone else. Referring to patients as soldiers and virus’s as invaders. The interpretation and effectiveness of these metaphors are in the hands of the interpreter.