METAPHORICALLY THINKING AND LANGUAGE

Metaphorically Thinking and Language

Metaphorically Thinking and Language Essay

The Use of Metaphor

I am a teacher like a salmon returning home from the ocean. With me I carry an over powering instinct to return to the waters where I was born no matter what the cost. I will struggle with predators, obstacles, and above all, the current of the river. I must overcome these challenges. The future of my race depends on my survival. I must complete my journey. The challenges ahead begin immediately. My first struggle is with the unpredictable currents of the river. These currents are dangerously tricky. One minute they will push me toward the bank of the river where hostile animals wait to pluck me from the water. Within a few hundred feet the currents become calm and smooth. It is easy to push upstream in the slow moving water. However, danger still lurks from the banks of the river and the sky. Now the river has become fast and rough. The white water rapids force me to push forward up the river or lose my ground and begin again.

I muster my strength and push closure toward my ultimate goal. The white water leads me to the hardest obstacle I have had to face, the dam. The mass placed between me and my home waters must be overcome. Determined not to fail I utilize the tools my allies have provided to climb up the dam to the other side. If this fails I contact my fellow salmon to help me find a way around the large obstacle. I repeat this process many times on the way home. I use my instinct to help me return to home waters. It guides me like a map up the dangerous waterways. If I should take the wrong stream it will help me to correct my mistake and bring me back on course. Now I am very close to home. The journey has been hard. The classroom is my final goal. I have made it. The struggle upstream has left me exhausted and weak. However, my job is not yet complete. I must use the last of my energy to ensure that my race will continue. I must educate those who will go out into the world around us. Once that is complete then I can rest.

Using Language to Influence Thought

Language is a fundamental component of the human experience. It allows us to turn our thoughts into meaningful words. At around age five, the focus on language changes from acquiring and producing words, phrases, and sentences, to actually thinking about language itself (Weiten 238). During this time of “metalinguistic awareness”, we begin to “play with language” (jokes), recognize sarcasm, and understand double meanings (238). Clearly, language expresses thought, but can language influence thought? Indeed, semantic slanting and name-calling are two concepts of language that have noticeable effects on individual thought and behavior (Lutz 1-9) (Nielsen). Semantics pertains to the shared meaning of words, or groups of words ...