Love is Everywhere and so are Metaphors

Maria Elwan

Eng 440/540

September 24, 2012

Journal & Field Log #5 – CC Chapter 4 Semiotics and Cultural Criticism

             Lakoff and Johnson (1980) see metaphors as central to our thinking, “Most people think they can get along perfectly well without metaphor. We have found on the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action” (Berger 86). The use of metaphors helps me personally make sense of situations; it helps me make comparisons by using metaphors. When I am trying to come to an understanding on something, visualizing the comparison helps give the definition meaning to me. It may be that the definition takes on a culturally based meaning, for example in the U.S. saying "Her icy words turned my heart to stone" takes on a stronger visual meaning than "Her mean words made me dislike her."

Metaphors are everywhere and are a favorite on the evening news. On June 7, 2012, Mitt Romney was quoted on the news using a weather metaphor referring to the Affordable Care Act as “a great cloud that’s been raining over small business.” I’ve heard it said that using metaphors in your writing is cliché but I have to admit, I have a personal fondness for them, and it is the first thing that comes to my mind when I have to write an essay or report. I find my mind thinking in metaphors and I often have to come up with other terms and ways of expressing myself.

Also we see metaphors as signs when we are on our computers and click to our desktop. These computer icons all represent symbols which we have been trained to recognize and seeing them is very intuitive to us.  We don’t give it a second thought, we know the blue compass will take us online to the web; the yellow legal pad is what we click on when we want to take particular notes to remember something. Even the name Windows PC 7 is a metaphor, my computer does not have a real window in which I look out and grab notebooks and calendars. These are all symbols for this current time in history. It is a powerful symbol because it carries the same meaning in all cultures around the world.  Children in Asia, African or the Americas turn on computers and all understand the same icons on their desktops.  Symbols usually have specific cultural meanings, but computer symbols transcend all cultures and religions. What a powerful signifier to help our brains get rewired and help us think more alike on a global basis.

The metaphors we use in our daily living are also symbolic signifiers of what we believe and are passionate about. I drive a Prius because I care about conserving our natural resources, and it is a symbol of my personal attitudes.  Also people wear symbolic religious icons a Yakama on their heads, or cross around their neck to profess their religious faith. Symbols and metaphors are all around us to the degree that they fade into the background and are almost unnoticeable. I have to make a conscious effort to see them and then their pervasiveness is overwhelming, I am bombarded with these metaphors on a daily basis -- online, in the media, and in all my private/public spaces.