“The windows and doors of the metaphor room are supposed to provide another way of looking at reality.” Metaphors allow one to open up their mind, and look at reality in a different light. This quote shows the importance of a metaphor and how they are necessary for societal creativity and obedience. Imagine a world where all conversations were literal, and if you did not understand something. There would be nothing to compare it to. How would you relate? Would you find peace at not knowing the meaning? Could you continue further into the conversation? How would this affect you? Metaphors metaphorically answer all of these questions and provide an explanation to the world around us.
“…people understand new metaphors more easily if they are presented as mere comparisons.” Are metaphors identical to comparisons? The answer is no. Metaphors differ greatly from comparisons because if they were similar, metaphors would be called comparisons. Metaphors are, like Erard wrote, “…one thing belongs with another.” In my opinion, I think that new metaphors are basically complex metaphors- ones that require a lot of thinking. To help society ease into these “new metaphors”, you have to use a comparison. Some metaphors that you hear, you can’t see the connection between words. If the person replaces ‘is’ with ‘like’, you will most likely be able to see a connection. Imagine that someone told you, “My dog is a bull.” You may be a little confused, wondering how in the heck they have a pet bull. They instead use, “My dog is like a bull.” Now, you are able to understand the connection and the logic behind the persons thinking.
Fantastic. I commend you for building connections between Geary and Erard. You’re on the right track! I appreciate how you are breaking down the steps that it takes to introduce a new metaphor into the world. You may find these steps useful as you brainstorm your first formal paper.