It was actually pretty easy to ignore the small sentence and word based errors and just focus on the ideas and overall organisation of the essays I read. I still noticed them, but I was not compelled to correct them. Focusing on the big picture kind of distracts from those smaller errors. Sort of like, “it doesn’t concern me right now so I don’t care.” These are also first drafts, so they’re all kind of bad in some way. I’m not excluding my essay from that either. I hope those who reviewed mine tore it apart. Draft one is just bring ideas to paper, and that’s by any means. It needs to be viewed on a more grand scale opposed to nitpicks because of how rough it is. On top of that, it gives me ideas reading other’s papers. Not just ideas for what to write about, but how to go about writing about it. This can be because I liked the way something someone else wrote worked well or how it didn’t work. That is great for people who can learn through observation, but it also helps those who learn more by doing. Having someone else view your work can point out what works and doesn’t work in it. Global editing helps both the editor and the writer.
Category: ENG 110 Blog (Page 2 of 2)
In the medical field, military metaphors, such as “fighting” a disease or a patient is a “fighter,” are quite commonplace. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? The answer isn’t black and white. These metaphors can help people work through their illnesses while it may be a detriment to others. Metaphors are difficult. No one knows what their exact effect will be from individual to individual. But that’s language. We say what we say to exchange our thoughts with others, and metaphors just another part of that. Sometimes our thoughts don’t make it to the other person as we intend, and that gives them different ideas or feelings. Metaphor is a vital part of our language, and the effects of metaphor cannot be known before it is used. This can be quite a problem when it comes to the emotional state of a medical patient. Metaphor is used to help understand their situation. It may have unforeseen effects, but its overall interpretation and effect is up the patient.
Take 2
Our current use of metaphors within medicine has historically been related to militaristic terms. Things that relate patients with fighters or disease with a battle.These militaristic metaphors help in the understanding of their situation, but can leave a detrimental effect emotionally. With this in mind, I pose a question: is the continued use of this style of metaphor a good way of informing a patient of their situation? There is not a definite yes or no for this question. The detrimental side-effects may or may not affect a patient. In fact these metaphors can be a boon for some of them. Most people have had someone they love in medical care. How are these metaphors affecting them? How is it helping them understand their situation and affecting their overall mental and emotional state? Metaphors are a vital part of the language and provision of understanding. However the side-effects of these military metaphors in medicine are varied from patient to patient that there should be some alternatives.
In James Geary’s TED Talk, Metaphorically Speaking, he explains how the metaphor works. He gives a simple understanding of metaphors, X=Y, before going into a multitude of examples. These examples come with explanations and some audience participation. He leaves everything rather open ended ending with “metaphor keeps the mind shaking, rattling and rolling.”
In See through words, Michael Erard writes about the designing of metaphors tied into how they work. He calls the making of metaphors the creation of “psuedo-mistakes.” These pseudo-mistakes sometimes need to be explained so the right meaning is translated properly. Erard makes it quite clear that a misunderstood metaphor is no good and can lead to bad implications.
In The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors, Dhruv Khullar discusses militaristic metaphors within the medical field. He writes about these metaphors can sometimes of adverse effects on a patient. He gives examples of these adverse effects happening, both in medical and non medical setting. He does mention that these types of metaphors can work, and that it is up to the patient to look at their ailments in their own way.
Metaphors, like language, is tool to help other people understand an idea or ideas. Therefor, metaphors in relation to how we perceive our bodies and health is similar to language itself. All language can change our views of ourselves. However, language as whole is more direct. If someone is trying to make you feel bad, they may something to the effect of “you suck and nobody likes you.” That may hurt some feelings, but sticks and stones and all that. But what if language was a little more covert. It would seem there is quite a bit of evidence to support that there are some unwanted psychological effects with metaphors. This can affect anyone without realising it. Even though metaphors are another tool for us to better communicate ideas with each other, these adverse effects can prove rather difficult.
Quotes
“Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves and others, how we communicate, learn, discover and invent” -James Geary, Metaphorically Speaking
“But whenever we give a thing a name that belongs to something else, we give it a whole network of analogies too.” -James Geary, Metaphorically Speaking
“Once we loose a metaphor into the world, it will be blocked by other ways of thinking that change its meaning or disrupt its interpretation.” -Michael Erard, See through words
“Patients who view their disease as an ‘enemy’ tend to have higher levels of depression and anxiety, and poorer quality of life than those who ascribe a more positive meaning.” – Dhruv Khullar, The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors
“Whether she came to see her illness as a battle, journey, marathon, rollercoaster, chess match-or none of the above. But I do know it wasn’t my decision to make.” – Dhruv Khullar, The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors
While reading Micheal Erard’s See through words, I noticed I was being way more critical of what he was saying. My first read though was just trying to figure out what he was saying. I did so quite unsuccessfully. This second time I think I understood a few more things. These new understandings, I think, are fairly unimportant. For example, I understand the Enron accounting scandal now as well as a basic idea of epigenetics. I would say these have no real baring on the understanding of the text. My lack of understanding of the text probably comes from my apathy towards what Erard is saying as well as I simply cannot easily gauge information from his writing style.
As for my criticisms, I found he spoke quite authoritatively along with a few miscellaneous complaints. In my opinion, he writes as if he know everything. I had this thought on the first page when he writes, “They’re [metaphors] meant to make someone realise that they’ve only been looking at one side of a thing.” I think metaphors can be used in many ways and do not have one true meaning. He also claims that once metaphors are interpreted differently than the author intended, it’s a bad thing. However, this happens with any and all other types of literary works, or any form of art really. Is that a bad thing too? I wouldn’t say so. People are going to interpret things differently, and those differences are what generates discussion. Open discourse is the way to find what is “right and wrong” if there truly is a right and wrong. The point is, I personally don’t like how Erard speaks like his opinions on metaphors are fact.
The most obvious things I noticed through out See through words by Micheal Erard was home much I did not understand his metaphors. For example, it took me two more pages of reading to actually kind of get the paint brush to pump metaphor. There were a few points Erard would use a metaphor and it would go straight over my head. This led to, I believe, a lack of understanding on his general ideas. It made the point about somethings need to be spelled out for strong though. However I still don’t understand what the purpose of talking about “paintbrush as pump” was about, or the metaphors about “an apt metaphor.” Even when explained, I still don’t understand it. This all culminates to the statement, “I feel like I can’t find the window.”
Another major thing I noticed was how Erard kind of strips away anything fun about metaphors. It makes sense because he is a metaphor designer which is basically a marketer, at least in my opinion. To me, it kind of sounded like was belittling how Dante or Rilke came up with their metaphors. I understand that metaphors are designed, but that’s isn’t exactly the thought of a writer or poet. They think of the best way to relate what they think to the people reading. Is there some design involved in doing that? Of course there is. However what I’m positing is that the goal is to paint a picture, not to target people for other reasons. This is just from the beginning, and the rest of what Erard had to say aligned with my above criticisms. He explored the powers metaphors have and the dangers that presents. I didn’t know that’s where he was going on page one.
Apologies for the poor print job
I am not super active in the online space, so this is a newer thing for me. I haven’t had enough time to play around with this and that just yet. With the little I have used this website, I do enjoy it. I can’t say much else because I haven’t used this enough yet. I assume I will have problems in the future as all technology has its limits, but I have good first impression.
Update: the header picture is giving me so much trouble, and it’s slightly infuriating.
