1) “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine
target: world
source: book
ground: book has a lot of pages, just like the world consists of many countries or destinations
tension: scale, shape, what they are made of
The metaphor compares traveling with reading, and equates an intangible idea of not traveling with just reading one page in a book. It provides an illustration.
2) "Past is a foreign country." - David Lowenthal
target: past
source: foreign country
ground: often beyond our reality and experience
tension: past describes time, while country describes spaceThis line is a title of an article, that summarizes the idea explored by a scholar Lowenthal. The idea is that people never exactly know what happened in the past, since they were not present there, just like they can't completely know and understand people from another country because they are not present there and don't walk in those people's shoes.
3) "All the world's a stage." - William Shakespeare
target: world / life
source: stage / theater
ground: in life and theater, people play roles
tension: theater shows imagined scenarios, while world/life is reality
Shakespeare compares the world / our life to a theater to emphasize how in life we often have to play roles written for us by society, our jobs, our families, etc.
Shakespeare compares the world / our life to a theater to emphasize how in life we often have to play roles written for us by society, our jobs, our families, etc.
4) "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." - Ernest Hemingway
target: Paris
source: moveable feast
ground: lively festive and romantic atmosphere, beauty
tension: Paris - a specific geographic location, feast - a general word that describes a celebration
With this metaphor, Hemingway wants to say that Paris can be such a bright and happy memory, that wherever the person goes, the memory of Paris remains a source of inspiration and fulfillment.5) "The ocean was a smooth skin reflecting the light with the million mirrors." - Yann Martel, Life of Pie
target: ocean
source: skin
ground: smooth surface
tension: different density: ocean is water/liquid, skin is flesh
Metaphor emphasizes the flatness and smoothness of water.
Metaphor emphasizes the flatness and smoothness of water.
Part 2: Visual Metaphors
1) Alessandro Gottardo, Embracing the sloth, Real Simple, 2012
target: meadow
source: lake/river/body of water
ground: flat surface, association with leisure time and summer
tension: texture, color
Metaphor uses replacement and similarity.
2) Alessandro Gottardo, The day I felt the richest, Reader's Digest, 2012
target: sun
source: melon
ground: shape, color, association with summer, warmth
tension: size, structure, purpose
Metaphor uses fusion and similarity.
3) Alessandro Gottardo, Classic novel treasure, Real Simple, 2012
target: book
source: door
ground: shape, both can be open and peeked into
tension: size, purpose
Book can be opened just like a door that leads to treasures, secrets, knowledge. Metaphor uses fusion and similarity
4) Alessandro Gottardo, Asia and Middle East problem, Plansponsor Magazine, 2012
target: bowl of soup
source: storm
ground: liquid
tension: size, taste
Storm in a bowl with Eastern design communicates the problems/conflicts taking place inside Eastern countries. Metaphor uses replacement and similarity
5) Chris Buzelli, Giant Obligation, Plansponsor Magazine
target: obligation
source: whale
ground: giant, heavy
tension: obligation is an idea, whale is an actual object
Metaphor illustrates the heaviness and hugeness of the obligation through comparing it to the whale.
Metaphor uses replacement and similarity
target: fear of reading / learning to read
source: monster / dragon
ground: scary, intimidating, hard to overcome
tension: intangible vs tangible
Metaphor uses juxtaposition and similarity
7) Stephen Savage, Trouble in Venezuela, New York Times
target: troubles in Venezuela
source: fire in neighbor's apartment
ground: can be watched from a safe distance, neighbor relations, map location: US on the North,
tension: scale of two apartments vs two countries, scale of the actual problem
Metaphor uses fusion and similarity
8) Stephen Savage, History of American Thought, The New York Times Book Review
target: American thought
source: light bulb
ground: idea of enlightenment
tension: concept vs actual object
Metaphor uses fusion and connection.
9) Luke Melanson, Can't help myself: the power of habits, New York Times book review
target: average person
source: puppet
ground: humanoid
tension: alive and thinking vs. inanimate, in control vs. being controlled
Metaphor uses fusion and opposition.
10) Christina Ung, Financial incompatibility
target: financial incompatibility
source: family conflict, sexual incompatibility, adultery
ground: negative, about breaking apart
tension: different aspects of the relationship, financial is more practical,
while love is more emotional
Metaphor uses fusion and connection
