Special Assignment: Metaphors

In my response to Tom Johnson's post, I did not specifically point out that he was not literally talking about pencils, but instead about technology. However, I understood that he was not actually talking about pencils. I felt it was rather obvious that he was talking about a much bigger picture. I may not have understood that it was just about technology and computers but that is the thing with metaphors: they are not specific. Metaphors allow you to use a little bit of your imagination to decipher what is really being discussed. So to answer the question, "Why do you think others in the class missed the metaphor?", I would have to draw your attention back to Sir Ken Robinson's video we had to watch. I think metaphors greatly involve using a little bit of your imagination so that you do not take the statement literally. Sir Ken Robinson pointed out that the education system has greatly taken away the imagination of the students today. Perhaps this has something to do with the reason so many missed the metaphor?

My encountered metaphors:

• "It's supposed to rain cats and dogs this week!"
• "Break a leg!"
• "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
• "He's giving her the cold shoulder."
• "The ball is in her court."
• "She's as blind as a bat."
• "I have a bone to pick with you."
• "You're as busy as a bee."
• "You bit off more than you can chew, Brittany!"
• "I have bigger fish to fry."
• "Well, I'm going to get out of your hair."

People use metaphors everyday, whether they realize it or not. As educators, we can point those metaphors, and their meanings, out to them. After helping them to interpret the meaning of common metaphors, we can then introduce them to more complex ones.

We use metaphors for different reasons. I feel one reason we use them is to portray a message in a more lighthearted way. For example, instead of saying, "I want to leave." we can say it a little nicer by saying, "Well, I am going to get out of your hair."