My first experience with Geary compared to my second experience with him was quite different. During my first experience with Geary, I watched the TED talk various times, and read the transcript over and over to try to comprehend his knowledge. I came to the conclusion that this man is very intelligent, and way beyond my skill level. I knew that there was something that I could do to try and understand everything this man was talking about because it was important. Each time I read the transcript, my mind would pick something new up. I finally understood why he was comparing Elvis to metaphors, and what being “Shook Up” meant. Although I began to understand the purpose of this TED talk, I still did not understand some of the analogies and metaphors he used to explain the importance of metaphors-confusing, I know.
My second experience with Geary definitely differed from the first greatly. I was able to conversate with Geary and dump my mind out all over his transcript. As you can see in the annotation, there is a lot of orange marks. Orange means that I was confused and that I needed to do a little research to comprehend the information. Whenever I came across a line where I needed to highlight orange, I spent time looking up the information and retaining it.
I remember one thing that stood out to me the most in this entire transcript. He states that “Metaphor matters because it opens the door to discovery.” After I read that line, I sat back in my chair and just thought of as many metaphors that I could think of, and how they expanded my thinking and creativity. This line got me very excited because I personally related to it and I understood something in this entire transcript (finally).
Annotating really does help one understand what is being applied, whether it’s in a book, text, blog, or transcript. It allows you to hold a conversation with the writer, which is an amazing thing. You can tell them that they are an amazing writer or yell at them for confusing you, and they will never know. Annotating is so universal, and can help anyone understand even the most baffling pieces.
Hope,
I enjoyed learning more about you via your “About Me” page. I cracked up reading your description of your dental hygienist. I hope you’ve told her about the impression she’s made on you! 🙂
It sounds like you put a lot of effort into understanding Geary’s talk. That’s FANTASTIC! The more effort and focus you put into your studies the more your brain will grow! I’ll confess that Geary’s talk is quite dense, as he condenses an entire book on metaphor into a short five minute talk.
I really enjoyed reading your entire reflection. Your annotations look fantastic, and your ability to identify, acknowledge, and explore moments of confusion will empower you throughout your student career.
I agree that the idea of using metaphor for discovery is exciting! Hold onto this excitement as you read the first prompt and consider which angle you wish to take. I also appreciated your appreciation for annotation. I just love this line: “You can tell them that they are an amazing writer or yell at them for confusing you, and they will never know.” So true!
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me!