METAPHORS

METAPHORS

I have usually found writing papers to be a stuggle, but this paper was different. At first I was intimidated by the fact that it had to be an analysis of ones own writing pertaining to a specific discourse, but then once I saw the opportunity for creativity, the paper seemed fun and interesting. It gave me an opportunity to focus on the things I like about writing, the things that to me make writing an art form containing beauty and freedom.

Words are groups of mixed and matched letters which create sentences. The above words and analagous words are silly-putty that one can maneuver into any shape, size, or form one chooses. Manueuvering these words to express ideas in a different way would describe a metaphor. Metaphors can help convey a thought, or make a transition among ideas smoother; like a football that glides through the air from one player to the next.

I find there is an excitement in taking words, as Webster's Dictionary puts it, taking, "units of language...typically seen as the smallest such units of space...distinguished phonetically...", and making metaphors; creating words into brief moments for someone else to experience. Everyone in his/her life, at one time or another has had a moment when they have been left speechless. A moment on a cliff overlooking fierce, untamed waters, a sunset that sends blinding sparks off urban buildings, or a basketball game in which the underdog triumphs in the final seconds -- there is at least one time that everyone sees or perceives a sight that to them, is awesome. Something that in one's mind is distinguishable from any other moment and is too breathtaking, scary, or cool to describe in common vocabulary or phrasiology, for the emotions or feelings involved in that moment would not recieve due justice.

People behold scenes differently, so metaphors can vary greatly in the degree of imagery and the amount of emotion they elicit. This implies that they appeal to a larger discourse community rather than academic writing, unlike Jennifer Gebelein's term paper, "Giardia", which because of its nature has a more selective community. The discourse community, the writers and reader of metaphors may range from a seventh grade reading class to the C.E.O. of an international company.

This emphasizes the freedom that is allowed with metaphors, the fact that metaphors hold no boundaries on audience or creativity. As with any form of freedom, risk is involved.