Metaphor And Its Applications In Various Contexts
“The standard definition for a metaphor explains it as a figure of speech that applies a word or a phrase to an object or action to which that word or phrase is not literally applicable”. ‘The curtain of night fell upon us. ’ In this metaphor, the evening did not develop into a velvet curtain. Rather, simple words are being used to paint a colorful picture. Now, we know it is nighttime, but it's been written in a manner that alludes to how quickly night arrived with the kind of darkness that comes from closing a thick curtain. A metaphor can be effective in conveying information including providing a relatable idea that further helps us grasp the content we are trying to absorb. Metaphors are ubiquitous and shape much of how humanity views their surroundings, as can be observed in numerous languages, cultures and materials. Metaphors have been around for centuries and have been employed in numerous contexts.
The word metaphor dates back to the Latin word “metaphora” which translates to “carrying over” or “to carry”. Writers, from Homer, to Shakespeare, to Dickens and many modern ones, have applied metaphors to enrich their story-telling and below are some examples: · “Rosy-fingered dawn. . . ” is a phrase metaphor used by Homer to describe the sky and is one of his most well-known comparisons. · “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is also a phrase metaphor, this time exercised by Shakespeare, where he juxtaposes his lover and a summer’s day to give the reader an idea of the beauty of the woman he is talking to. · “The Boy is Ignorance. The Girl is Want. ” is a metaphor by Charles Dickens to illustrate two characters in his book. “That's possibly the clearest and most direct example of metaphor you're likely to find anywhere. ” Metaphors are a literary device for poets and authors to communicate effectively with the reader. They are a constant presence throughout a wide variety of materials, e. g. poetry, newspaper articles, and beyond. News articles apply metaphors to make the story more attractive and more understandable to a wider audience. Whether reporting the news, supporting a cause or explaining a situation, news websites and portals have found an effective way to appeal to the reader including the following example: “Are women hitting a glass ceiling or climbing a broken ladder?” is a BBC article about the issues women have in the workplace.
The various challenges they face with their families and at their work office is portrayed with two metaphors. The first one, “glass ceiling” describes a barrier that some people, including women, face when they want to advance in their profession. This barrier is unofficial, where although it is not seen, it still exists, just as a glass is see-through but we can still touch it. The second metaphor, “climbing a broken ladder” refers to the same plight many women have when they want to be part of the community and their struggle is analogous as the struggle of climbing a ladder that is broken. In many artistic works, the formula for metaphors, according to Kovecses, Zoltan and Benczes, is usually ‘A is B’. “A convenient shorthand way of capturing this view of metaphor is the following: conceptual domain a is conceptual domain b, which is what is called a conceptual metaphor”.
A great example of this is a sentence like “Love is Magic” as well as “We’d be swimming in money. ” Some metaphors have been so overused that they’re not considered a metaphor anymore. These are called dead metaphors. Dead metaphors are alive – but not zombies or ghosts of any sorts. “A dead metaphor is traditionally defined as a figure of speech that has lost its force and imaginative effectiveness through frequent use”. There is an ongoing debate whether the name ‘dead metaphor’ is accurate or not. Some believe that these types of metaphor are actually full of life. “The metaphors . . . may be highly conventional and effortlessly used, but this does not mean that they have lost their vigor in thought and that they are dead. On the contrary, they are 'alive' in the most important sense — they govern our thought — they are 'metaphors we live by”. Whether or not the name for these metaphors is precise or not, dead metaphors are crucial in our day to day language usage. Some examples of dead metaphors are: · ‘Body of an essay’ was first used to compare the main part of an essay to the body of a human, but now, because it has been used so frequently, it literally means the main part of an essay and therefore it is a dead metaphor. · ‘Eye of the needle’ was used to compare the eye of a human to the hole that is found on the top of needles, where the thread goes, but now it is part of the needle and everybody calls it ‘eye of the needle’.
Some skeptics of metaphors claim they represent only artsy-fartsy artistic lingo that is irrelevant to a productive society. They think metaphors do not affect society and the way we communicate with each other. This kind of thinking is misguided because metaphors are ingrained in society and the use of lamguage. After all, what would we say instead of hat-trick when a footballer scores three goals? “Hat Trick” is a phrase now commonly used by football commentators around the world. Its origin is back when magicians used to pull rabbits or other animals out of their hats, a stunt which the people called a Hat Trick. Now, the same phrase is used when a footballer scores three goals in a single match. Of course, it is not literally a hat trick, but it is “equally” astonishing. A metaphor is a useful device to express your thoughts by comparing and an effective method to give the reader or listener a vivid image of what you want to say. It is a testament to the creative thinking humans possess and how it has been a part of us ever since we thought our first thought. Metaphors are alive and well, and they are not running away anytime soon.
